This compilation of essays, lectures, and scholarly papers on Bart k studies from 1953 to the present includes insights obtained by the author over a half-century career as a Bart k specialist.Divided into three parts, chapters examine Bart k as a multifaceted music figure: composer, folklorist, pianist, and teacher. As composer, it includes program notes, an introduction to his principles of composition, and theoretic-analytical discussion of selected works, including Mikrokosmos. As folklorist, it examines the outcome of Bart k's fieldwork, methodology, and findings in East European, Arabic, and Turkist autochthonous folk music materials. Bart k's American years are also discussed. The narrative is supported by a substantial number of musical examples and references.