Total Symmetry as the Main Tool of Béla Bartók’s Form-Making on the Example of the Ballet The Wooden Prince

The subject of this article is the study of a principal feature of the compositional technique of the Hungarian composer Béla Bartók — the symmetrically organized architectonics of his works, which is manifested at different levels: dramatic, thematic, and tonal-harmonic. The use of symmetry, in particular, mirror symmetry, contributed to the creation of ideal proportions, which the composer so much aspired to. Along with mirror symmetry, another characteristic feature of Bartók’s style is the application of the golden ratio principle of form that shows the real patterns of composition. The validity of the golden ratio principle becomes especially evident in the conditions of irregular rhythm, pronounced in the composer’s works. The author of the article establishes that rather specific of Bartók is the fact that the effect of the golden ratio principle in his works often extends both to the form as a whole and to smaller parts within the whole. Golden ratios, designed as symmetrical structures, can be observed in Bartók’s works both in the traditional (long + short part) and the inverted form (short + long part). All these characteristic features were traced on the example of the ballet The Wooden Prince.