It was written in February 1916, published in 1918, and debuted by the composer on April 21, 1919, in Budapest.
[3][4][6] Originally intending the suite to be a five-movement work, Bartók later decided against the idea and discarded the second movement, the Andante, which was published only posthumously in the October 1955 issue of Új Zenei Szemle (New Musical Review).
[3][4] The 1918 version, without the Andante, takes between 8 and 9 minutes to perform and is played in four movements:[4] ...The Suite op.
A style more of bone and muscle opposing the heavy chordal style of the late, latter romantic period, that is, unessential ornaments like broken chords and other figures are omitted and it is more a simpler style.According to Bartók, the Suite is part of a new trend in piano technique that he saw as a break from his earlier Post-romantic writing.
"[2] Though Bartók does not quote from folk melodies in this composition, he makes extensive use of other folk-like elements, such as a Romanian Ardeleana rhythm in the first movement.