There are 150 Mikrokosmos in total. Hungarian composer and pianist Béla Bartók originally conceived the work as a teaching aid to help his young students master the piano. The pieces progress in difficulty, starting with simple folk-like melodies and harmonies progressing to more complex pieces that incorporate advanced techniques such as chromaticism and counterpoint.
While many of the individual Mikrokosmos are quite short, some span several pages and require advanced technical skill to perform. Nevertheless, they remain accessible to less experienced players thanks to Bartók’s clear and concise writing style.