Bela Bartok, String quartet no. 4 (1928)

This video contains the first and second movements of Bela Bartok's fourth string quartet:



Questions (can apply to either or both movements):

1. Describe Bartok's approach to melody.
   
2. Describe Bartok's approach to harmony.
   
3. How would you describe the form of the movement?
   
4. Describe Bartok's use of extended instrumental techniques (i.e., the violins don't always sound like violins--why not?).
   
5. Bartok is known for incorporating folk music from his native Hungary into his compositions. What are some folk-like aspects of this quartet?
   
6. Symmetry is another aspect of Bartok's compositional technique that many scholars have discussed. Are there symmetrical aspects of this work that can be heard?
   
7. The string quartet genre is most closely associated with Classical-period music (roughly 1750-1825). How is Bartok innovating? How is Bartok looking backward?