What makes up string quartet

The following purely chance circumstance had led him to try his luck at the composition of quartets. Haydn, then eighteen years old, took up this proposal, and so originated his first quartet which, immediately it appeared, received such general approval that Haydn took courage to work further in this form. Haydn went on to write nine other quartets around this time. These works were published as his Op. They have five movements and take the form: fast movement, minuet and trio I, slow movement, minuet and trio II, and fast finale.

As Finscher notes, they draw stylistically on the Austrian divertimento tradition. Haydn then ceased to write quartets for a number of years, but took up the genre again in with the 18 quartets of Ops.

These are written in a form that became established as standard both for Haydn and for other composers, namely four movements, consisting of a fast movement, a slow movement, a minuet and trio and a fast finale see below.

Another prominent instrumental genre that originates in the Classical era is the string quartet. String quartets were the most popular genre of chamber music in the Classical era and are always written for the same four instruments: two violins, one viola, and one cello.

As with the Symphony, Haydn plays a critical role in elevating the genre to the position of prominence it enjoyed in the 18th century and beyond. Figure 1. A string quartet in performance. From left to right—violin 1, violin 2, viola, cello. A string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string players—two violin players, a viola player and a cellist—or a piece written to be performed by such a group.

The string quartet is one of the most prominent chamber ensembles in classical music, with most major composers, from the mid to late 18th century onwards, writing string quartets. The string quartet was developed into its current form by the Austrian composer Joseph Haydn, with his works in the s establishing the genre.

With four parts to play with, a composer working in anything like the classical key system has enough lines to fashion a full argument, but none to spare for padding. The closely related characters of the four instruments, moreover, while they cover in combination an ample compass of pitch, do not lend themselves to indulgence in purely colouristic effects.

Thus, where the composer of symphonies commands the means for textural enrichment beyond the call of his harmonic discourse, and where the concerto medium offers the further resource of personal characterization and drama in the individual-pitted-against-the-mass vein, the writer of string quartets must perforce concentrate on the bare bones of musical logic.

Thus, in many ways the string quartet is pre-eminently the dialectical form of instrumental music, the one most naturally suited to the activity of logical disputation and philosophical enquiry. Quartet composition flourished in the Classical era, with Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert following Haydn in each writing a number of quartets. In the 21st century it remains an important and refined musical form. While the contents might be a bit technical for many, the list of featured composers and quartets is valuable in itself.

The book title Intimate Voices references this string quartet. The Four and the One David Rounds wrote a beautiful book "in praise of string quartets", as his subtitle proclaims. For the layman, the book covers many wonderful apsects of the genre and features the Canadian Lafayette Quartet as a case study of string quartet performers in real life and behind the scenes. Rounds has assembled his own compelling listener's guide which he has marvelously published on the web.

Cambridge Companion Published in as part of a larger series of Cambridge Companions on music, this collection of essays by a number of scholars edited by Robin Stowell is a valuable book on the string quartet. It discusses a number of topics including a short but fascinating history of celebrated string quartet ensembles, the expansion of technical resources and a consideration at program and reception histories at different times and places.

Beethoven Quartet Companion Beethoven's string quartets are central to the genre particularly given Beethoven's dedication to the string quartet through out his life and his various creative periods yielding an epic "cycle" that revolutionized the genre.

Robert Winter's book includes a variety of essays by different authors covering various aspects of Beethoven's achievement and legacy.

Chamber Music Listener's Guide A wonderful book by James Keller on chamber music in general with "program notes" little essays covering a broad selection of the "canon.

Guide to Chamber Music Another, slightly older but warmly familiar general chamber music guide with program notes by Melvin Berger. The string quartets discussed in Bergers's book are listed here. Wikipedia The wikipedia string quartet page is a starting place.

Often, it is not the inline content itself but the links, references and pointers to futher information that offer interesting depth. For sound reinforcement, they doubled the string parts to make an octet. Still, the essential sound and muscle of the string quartet defines this tune.

Elvis and the Juliet Letters Years ago, the Brodsky Quartet also partnered with singer songwriter Elvis Costello creating the rather compelling collection titled the Juliet Letters.

If you know Mozart's string quartets well, you will be constantly delighted. Spanish Mozart There was an early 19th century Spanish composer named Arriaga whom his compatriots called the "Spanish Mozart".

Arriaga was clearly a supremely gifted composer and managed three really good string quartets before he died at the age of 20, forever young. Not Haydn For years a set of 6 string quartets were happily attributed to Haydn, the great founding father. Relatively recent scholarship determined that these were actually composed by an Austrian Monk named Hoffstetter.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Hoffstetter's quartets even contain a "greatest hit" for string quartet: the serenade, once, famously ascribed to Haydn. Listen to the entire quartet here. Be hear now. The Shortest String Quartet Webern's 6 Bagatelles are likely the shortest as well as famous, infamous and influential. The complete set of 6 micro-quartets lasts under 4 minutes. You do the math. The term "bagatelle" is commonly assigned to short, individual pieces with no thematic connection.

The term means "a trifle. The music itself is far more concise than any words so I won't say more. Before the Fall Before his rather fearsome modern masterpieces, Webern, began in a lush, late romantic style much like his mentor Arnold Schoenberg. It is fascinating to here where these composers started, and where they ended up.

Ruth Crawford Seeger, One of the first, really great early Modernist quartets by an American was written by a woman composer, Ruth Crawford Seeger. It is original, fierce, influential. It influenced Elliott Carter among others.

There are numerous incredible women composers of string quartet music stretching back to the midth century to Fanny Mendelssohn, Felix's sister. The 20th Century features some really substantial cycles from individual composers. Look it up! Darius Milhaud composed prodigiously for the string quartet including 2 individual quartets that can also be played together at the same time making an octet.

A performance of all three would make an interesting concert. Here is quartet one. Here is quartet two. Here they are combined as an octet. Beethoven's Great Fugue All of Beethoven, but especially his late string quartets, display his extreme dual nature, stretched along a bipolarity between brutal, violent force on the edge of chaos and serene, sublime, if not transcendent peace. This is Beethoven perhaps at his most challenging, a piece Stravinsky called "the first piece of modern music, forever modern.

Through the achievements of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, it has come to symbolise the loftiest form of discourse in instrumental music.

Need any more be said? Well, yes.