Béla Bartók, the renowned Hungarian pianist and composer, left an indelible mark on the world of music through his pioneering work in folk music and his contributions to the discipline of comparative musicology, or ethnomusicology.

Born on March 25, 1881, in the Banatian town in the Kingdom of Hungary, Bartók's early exposure to music was influenced by his mother, who was a pianist. His remarkable musical talents became evident at an early age. According to Malcolm Gillies, by the age of four, Bartók could play 40 pieces on the piano, and formal music lessons began when he was five. Tragedy struck when Bartók's father passed away suddenly when he was seven. At eleven, Bartók held his first public recital, performing his first original piece, "The Course of the Danube," which attracted the attention of Erkel Laszlo. Laszlo became Bartók's teacher for a brief period, after which Bartók studied piano under Istvan Thoman at the Royal Academy of Music.

In 1903, Bartók composed "Kossuth," his first orchestral work, centered around the Hungarian Revolution of 1848. Over the years, Bartók encountered and was influenced by several notable musicians, including Zoltán Kodály, whom he met at the Royal Academy of Music, as well as Richard Strauss in 1902 and Claude Debussy in 1907.

Bartók's deep interest in folk music blossomed in 1908, culminating in the composition of his first String Quartet in A Minor. This fascination with folk music became a defining aspect of his musical career. While teaching music at the Royal Academy for Music, where he mentored future musical luminaries such as Fritz Reiner, Lili Kraus, Sir Georg Solti, and Erno Balogh, he, along with his lifelong friend Zoltán Kodály, embarked on the study of old Magyar folk melodies.

During his research, Bartók analyzed and identified common musical elements and scales in Magyar and Asian folk music. This research significantly informed his compositions. Between 1909 and 1939, he composed five string quartets, two ballets ("The Wooden Prince" and "The Miraculous Mandarin"), and orchestral works like "Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta" and "Divertimento for String Orchestra."

In the realm of opera, Bartók's contributions were limited, with only one opera to his name, "Bluebeard's Castle," which was rejected by the Hungarian Fine Arts Commission.

Unhappy with Nazi Germany's role in World War II, Béla Bartók spent his final years in the United States. There, he made significant strides in the field of ethnomusicology, with support from Columbia University. He passed away on September 26, 1945, at the age of 64, with leukemia cited as the cause of death. His final string quartet, the String Quartet No. 6, written for the Concerto for Orchestra, is often considered one of his most celebrated works. Alongside Franz Liszt, Bartók is remembered as one of the most influential Hungarian composers of his time.