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What it is  Goethe famously said a string quartet is “Four rational ppl conversing.” A string quartet is the name for both the ensemble and compositions for a group of uhh four string players: two violins, a viola, and a ‘cello. When someone says ‘string quartet’ they could be referring to a performing group, i.e. “The Emerson String Quartet”; alternatively they can be referring to a composition, i.e. “Mozart’s Dissonance Quartet”. We will talk about both in this here thread. String quartets are kool because they’ve been around since like 1750 or so, and most of the major composers since then who wrote chamber music have felt ‘the call’ and decided they had to try and tackle this most serious of forms. With a few notable exceptions, the string quartet of today is basically the same as it was in the late eighteenth century. If u hear a quartet play Mozart down at the local high school auditorium, you’ll be hearing basically the same thing as Mozart’s contemporaries heard (probably played better tho, since contemporary performance standards are so high). BUT!!! Contemporary composers are still finding new and exciting ways to do stuff with this ensemble, which means it’s not quite a totally dead art form. F'r instance, peep this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sffh9spQopA Here’s a good passage from Wikipedia about the form: quote:The string quartet was developed into its current form by the Austrian composer Joseph Haydn, with his works in the 1750s establishing the genre. Ever since Haydn's day the string quartet has been considered a prestigious form and represents one of the true tests of the composer's art. 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.  Brief History The popular story of the creation of the string quartet goes like this. Haydn was employed with this rich Baron Furnberg, who lived in Weinzierl, which was not Haydn’s standard stamping ground of Vienna. Apparenty Haydn was commissioned by this dude to write some music, and wrote for whatever musicians were available, which happened to fortuitously be two violinists, a violist, and a cellist. It was hugely successful, and Haydn decided to keep on writing 'em. This wasn’t the first time music had been written for such an ensemble, but Haydn did it better, and kept on writing and improving his texture and emotional content for this form, so basically this is how the string quartet was created. Popular Composers Classical Period: Haydn – Father of the string quartet – 68ish completed quartets. The ones usually regarded as the most important are the Opus 20, Opus 33 and the Opp. 76 quartets (all three sets of six, so 18 total quartets U Must Listen To). The Op. 33, in particular, he claimed were written "in an entirely new and particular manner," and basically informed composition of quartets for the next 200 or so years (!)(!!!). Mozart – 27 quartets iirc. Last 10 are the most influential, especially the six quartets dedicated to Haydn (see above). Beethoven – 16 String quartets, plus Opus 133 which is the real ending to Opus 130, but was published separately for being too cool/difficult. All his string quartets are super important and good. Best to listen to them all. Schubert – 15 string quartets, the most performed are the last 3 or 4 (if you count the quartettsatz or w/e as a full string quartet). The most famous one is 14, subtitled “Death and the Maiden.” Romantic Period: Dvorak – 14 quartets, especially famous is the 12th, the “American” quartet, which uses Americanized themes. Grieg  – one complete quartet, two movements from an unfinished quartet. The completed quartet is apparently Grieg’s best work. I don’t know Grieg’s music at all really, but the quartet is excellent.Mendelssohn – 6 quartets, basically classical in style, good stuff, the best IMO are Ops. 12 & 13. Smetana – Two quartets, both later works. The first one has a part in the last movement where a violin plays a long solo note in a really high register, mimicking the composer’s tinnitus. Neat! Modernity & Beyond: Debussy – one quartet. It’s nice, gets played a lot, usually recorded with… Ravel – one quartet. Pretty dece, almost always recorded with the Debussy quartet, you can knock out 2 major quartet composers at once with an inexpensive investment Janacek – two quartets, written near the end of the composers life, when he was mega horny & lusting after a seventeen year old. They are both total masterpieces, def check them out!!! Bartok – 6 quartets, difficult listening, generally regarded as the best quartet cycle since Beethoven’s, altho I prefer Shostakovich. Shostakovich  – 15 quartets, most famous is the 8th, but also at least the 3rd, 9th, 12th, and 15th are masterpieces, and all of ‘em are good. A Few Cool Lesser Known Quartet Composers: Benjamin Britten – not a lesser known composer, I know, but his string quartets are not really considered a big part of his oeuvre, which is a shame because they’re insanely good. He wrote 3, the second is particularly swell, IMO Morton Feldman – American composer, wrote two quartets. Both later works, when he was interested in really long form music. His second quartet is like six hours long haha. Kevin Volans – South African composer, has one quartet that I know of, “White Man Sleeps.” Neat pseudo African influenced string quartet, very rhythmic, lots of nice melodies. Crappy Quartet Composers: Heitor Villa-Lobos – Wrote 17, they are loving all over the place. #s 7, 8 & 9 were written during WWII, and they’re good, but I haven't found much worthwhile in the other 14. Paul Hindemith – 7 quartets. Maybe I’m missing something, but these quartets are dull, dude. Ensembles  Classic – Amadeus Quartet, Busch Quartet, Borodin Quartet, The Alban Berg Quartet (pictured above) Cool contemporary – Belcea, Ebene, Pacifica, Arditti, etc. Ensembles that sometimes suck - Emerson Some links and recommendations: If you’ve never listened to a string quartet before, or really any classical music, and clicked on this thread by accident, and scrolled down this far and read all of this, then you should first listen to some easy introductory music I think. Try this Philip Glass Quartet, which is both short and pretty: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzOyo7NoSBQ A great Beethoven Quartet, the last movement in particular is hugely exciting (it starts around 23:45): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOX7vTFUnVs Schubert's Death and the Maiden: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jlzv1yUFo-A  the Alban Berg Quartet rules.My fave Shostakovich Quartet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBMa1VAIpPk If you wanna get started with the string quartet, I'd recommend that you pick up a full set of the Beethoven Quartets. They're the best cycle, I think, and lots of later composers used Beethoven as a model, consciously or not. My favorite recording is by the Alban Berg Quartet, but I've also heard good things about the Takacs. If you want to know about where to start with a particular composer or period, or where to go next, just ask, my dude. If I can't answer a question then I'm sure there's some gentle goon out there who can. In this Thread: Talk about composers of string quartets u like, your favorite ensembles, single works, questions u wanna know about the quartet form or whatever. Please please please do not talk about stuff like string quartet versions of Radiohead songs, because that is stupid.  Pictured above: a group playing garbage poo poo music, probably.
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Jan 27, 2015 00:16
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I'm a musical Philistine when it comes to highbrow stuff, so the only real exposure I've had to string quartets is the Kronos Quartet's soundtrack for the film Requiem For A Dream. I was very impressed and immediately bought the soundtrack - what else could you recommend in that vein(ha)?
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Jan 27, 2015 04:03
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JnnyThndrs posted:I'm a musical Philistine when it comes to highbrow stuff, so the only real exposure I've had to string quartets is the Kronos Quartet's soundtrack for the film Requiem For A Dream. The Kronos quartet also played on the soundtrack for The Fountain , which was also composed by Clint Mansell, also for a Darren Aronofsky film. I haven't seen Requiem in forever hours, so I don't exactly remember, but i think, comparatively, that The Fountain's soundtrack is a little mellower? The Kronos quartet is an excellent ensemble that I should've written about in the OP. Their 'thang' is that they only play music written after 1900, and have really made an effort to get commissions from lots of big time contemporary composers. Some of the stuff they do is really difficult music, but they've also worked with a few minimalist composers who, IMO, are much easier to listen to. If you like that Philip Glass quartet I posted in the OP, Kronos has done a disc of Philip Glass's quartets which is some seriously good poo poo. Here's the amazon link
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Jan 27, 2015 05:46
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A lot of Webern's string quartet's are really beautiful, this is probably my favorite one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylxPksu5fUM Anton Webern posted:To walk forever like this among the flowers, with my dearest one beside me, to feel oneself so entirely at one with the Universe, without care, free as the lark in the sky above -- Oh what splendor...when night fell (after the rain) the sky shed bitter tears but I wandered with her along a road
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Jan 27, 2015 13:31
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A human heart posted:A lot of Webern's string quartet's are really beautiful, this is probably my favorite one: This is cool. I was expecting 12 tone music, but this is like late romantic tonal. Very pretty, guess I gotta dust off the compleat Webern SQs again. you forgot the best part from the description tho: quote:The Langsamer Satz (literally "Slow Movement") originated during a hiking trip in Lower Austria that Webern took with his cousin, Wilhelmine Mörtl, who later became his wife. gross.
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Jan 27, 2015 18:56
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Q: whats better than one string quartet? A: two string quartets. well, an octet really. Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) wrote one Octet for Strings ( composed 1825), which is good. It was composed when he was just 16, which is, I think, very young to be writing masterpieces. The octet is scored for four violins, two violas, and two cellos, which, if you do the math, is two string quartets. The work is in four movements, like most pre-modern large scale chamber works. Mvt 3 is prolly the most famous, but I like the finale the best. It starts with an 8 part fugato. Here's the best youtube vid I could find, they've replaced one of the 'cellos with a double bass, because that's cool: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bF-XGzFAJYQ As good as Mendelssohn's octet is, it really gives a lot of prominence to the first violin, so at times it feels a bit like a small scale concerto for violin. A major masterpiece in the octet form, which IMO is a 'lil more balanced texturally than Mendelssohn's, is George Enescu's (1881-1955) Octet (composed 1900), completed when Enescu was just 19. I just started listening to this piece like two weeks ago, so I don't have much to say about it, except that there's a cool exotic Romanian flavour. Enescu is, IMO, a pretty difficult composer, but the Octet is a pretty straightforward work anyone should be able to enjoy. Here is the lovely Janine Jansen leading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ugv_o2XsJoE Here is a really weird example, to round things out. Darius Milhaud wrote 18 string quartets. It was apparently his lifelong ambition to write more than Beethoven (who had 16 or 17, depending on how you count them). The only complete recording of Milhaud's quartets costs like $350 on Amazon, so I haven't heard them, BUT I did do some reading about them. The coolest ones, conceptually, are quartets Nos. 14 & 15, which by themselves are regular quartets, both about 17ish minutes long. What is so mega sick about them is that they can be played individually, or you can play both at the same time! Making quartets 14 and 15, together, another Octet. Here's quartet 14, alone : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8zfAhnLj7E I couldn't find a video for 15, poo poo and here's the both of them played together, as an Octet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2b89IdsdEBA
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Jan 28, 2015 19:51
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Here is something by Beethoven (the mentioned Opus 133, what was originally the last movement of his opus 130 quartet): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEZXjW_s0Qs It's quite good.
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Jan 29, 2015 02:16
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Putting in a wholehearted recommendation for the Mandelring Quartet. They've been fairly prolific over the last decade or so, putting out the entire Shostakovich cycle, the entire Mendelssohn cycle (plus all of his other string chamber works like the Octet), both Janaceks, a healthy dose of Schubert and Brahms, and a recording of the Schumann Piano Quintet and Quartet that are basically the new reference recording for me. Whoever they have running the sound booth for all of their recordings is a wizard; the clarity of these recordings is rarely paralleled and I've heard new things in pieces I've thought I knew back to front.
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Jan 29, 2015 02:16
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this thread needs to supply me with more easy access listening! I've devoured all the videos already linked.
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Apr 3, 2015 05:57
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Yo op can I email you.
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Apr 3, 2015 06:13
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Cerepol posted:this thread needs to supply me with more easy access listening! I've devoured all the videos already linked. Here are a couple of famous & kool quartets: Bartok's fourth https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_XNfKk-Qbs Dvorak's 12th "American" Quartet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pV-kbAydcwk And here's one that's a little bit lesser known, and pretty difficult, but still neat: Schnittke Quartet No. 3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qhkSHfpDtQ Out of the stuff you've heard already posted, what did you like? I can probably point you towards some similar stuff.
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Apr 3, 2015 06:29
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logical phalluses posted:Yo op can I email you. yeah, shoot me a PM plz
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Apr 3, 2015 06:33
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Nice op, it's a lot better than the classical thread op but I dunno if it deserves its own thread. I wish more people posted in that thread so hopefully this one takes off. Anyway, I'm going through Haydn's Op.76 at the moment. Would recommend.
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Apr 3, 2015 10:24
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What CDs would this thread recommend specifically? I kind of want to pick up a box set that gives me a good sampling of the recs that the OP gave but in better quality than what the youtubes provide (youtube provides?). Is there anything like that out there?
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Apr 3, 2015 18:40
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also after https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOX7vTFUnVs I clicked thru and I'm diggin' the opening movement on this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejL43BmxL20
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Apr 3, 2015 19:19
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Any love for Henryk Gorecki? I know he's probably more regarded for his symphonies, but I really like his quartets as well. His three quartets aren't difficult to find on youtube in their entirety, so I'll just post my favourite movement from his 2nd one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95lAW93Zy_U 3:00 in. 
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Apr 4, 2015 00:17
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aldantefax posted:What CDs would this thread recommend specifically? I kind of want to pick up a box set that gives me a good sampling of the recs that the OP gave but in better quality than what the youtubes provide (youtube provides?). Is there anything like that out there? This is a good question, but I think what you're looking for might unfortunately not exist. It's possible you could find a retrospective for a group; that might cover lots of full works by different composers, but I've never seen one that's broad enough to be what it sounds like you want. Here's something that sort of qualifies, but really doesn't: Kronos Quartet Retrospective It's a selection of some of the best recordings by the Kronos Quartet (who are excellent), BUT they only cover 20th & 21st century music. If you want to hear the important works from the classical and romantic periods, I think you're going to have to bite the bullet and get some full sets for a single composer. Why not start with the best? Here's my favorite recording of the Beethoven quartets
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Apr 4, 2015 04:54
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Blurred posted:Any love for Henryk Gorecki? I know he's probably more regarded for his symphonies, but I really like his quartets as well. His three quartets aren't difficult to find on youtube in their entirety, so I'll just post my favourite movement from his 2nd one: This is especially good to listen to if you're a metalhead in your late 20's and are starting to feel self conscious about listening to Gorguts around your girlfriend's parents
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Apr 4, 2015 04:59
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You mentioned Alban Berg Quartet a few times but never mentioned Alban Berg himself. I just grabbed a 1965 mono recording of the Weller Quartet doing String Quartet Op. 3 and it's really good. It's more atonal than a sonata and I'll just copy my favourite sentence from the back of the record instead of trying to describe it myself.quote:It owes less than one might expect to Schoenberg's second quartet, itself a musical landmark, and uses a more advanced tonal language, intense and romantic, but free from cloying nostalgia. Melodically, the material undergoes far-reaching transformations, while the rhythmic features retain thier identity more fully, despite considerable complexity. The charge that Schoenberg's music lacks formal and rhythmic ingenuity - that he puts new wine into old bottles - can in no sense be levelled at Berg. Also never feel self concious about listening to Gorguts
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Apr 6, 2015 16:48
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Yo. HEY! Henri Dutilleux's quartet "Ainsi la nuit" is worth checking out if you like music that is good. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXkKurkkWGM
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Apr 11, 2015 18:58
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Op how about stretching this to include quintets as well?
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Apr 13, 2015 07:48
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opus111 posted:Op how about stretching this to include quintets as well? Here is the greatest quintet of all time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtZgIKZ_jrw The dude talking about it in the beginning says that it's basically a quartet + extry cello, so it's especially apt. If u wanna talk about Brahms, or Mozart, or whatever, and their quintets, go for it my man.
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Apr 13, 2015 15:28
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Mahler posted:Yo. HEY! I'm hella jammin' to this right now but is the beginning supposed to sound like some ladies screamin at each other wikipedia posted:It is considered one of the most important works in the genre[3][4][5] and has been called "... one of the treasures of the 20th century quartet repertoire".[6] The piece has been recorded many times by several prominent ensembles.[7] Oh, well, alright then 
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Apr 13, 2015 19:20
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david crosby posted:Here is the greatest quintet of all time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtZgIKZ_jrw I find that beethoven's quintets are actually underrated... well, as underrated as anything by him can be. But people always talk about his late quartets.not sure there's anything to talk about really, the music speaks for itself. But, I guess I'll say that as much as i love the sparseness and balance of a quartet, and overall think its the finest musical form, the fuller and broader sound of the quintet really hits the spots sometimes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_1Lq28INlE
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Apr 18, 2015 09:38
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opus111 posted:I find that beethoven's quintets are actually underrated... well, as underrated as anything by him can be. But people always talk about his late quartets.not sure there's anything to talk about really, the music speaks for itself. But, I guess I'll say that as much as i love the sparseness and balance of a quartet, and overall think its the finest musical form, the fuller and broader sound of the quintet really hits the spots sometimes. I think the Beethoven quintets are probably extremely underrated. Beethoven is my fave composer, and I've never listened to them or even heard anyone talk about them. I'm not sure what's going on there, since LVB is prolly the most important/loved chamber music composer (the only serious contenders are, i would guess, Haydn, Mozart, Schubert, and Brahms). Maybe the quintets will be 'rediscovered' in the next few years. With the real famous composers who are always being listened to, it seems like which of their works are popular is like a cyclical fashion thang. as for your point about the late quartets, I think there's a lot of stuff to talk about, even tho the music does speak for itself. Here is a cool thing I've been thinking about : the three 'middle' late quartets (Op. 130, 131 & 132 (which were composed in the order 132, 130, 131)) have a continually expanding formal structure that is unlike anything I can think of from the time, and sorta looks forward to the formal innovations of Bartok's quartets. In each Beethoven moved further from the standard four movement structure that was common, whilst still maintaining a dramatic and umm spatial balance. In Op. 132, for example, Beethoven added a fifth movement, so instead of the standard -1. Fast (sonata) - 2. Slow - 3. Fast (scherzo) - 4. Fast (rondo) formal scheme, U get this: 1. Fast (sonata) - 2. Fast (minuet & trio/scherzo) - 3. Slow - 4. Fast (march) - 5. Fast (sonata/rondo). you can look @ this structure and listen to the piece, and you'll notice that the most profound movement is in the center, and that the two outer movements (1&5) and the two inner movements (2&4) are similar structurally & in terms of complexity. This, to me, seems a lot like what Bartok later does with his quartets 4 & 5, where you have a deliberate 'arch' idea that informs the whole piece. Bartok takes it farther, with the outer and inner movements having similar thematic material, but I think you can see the framework for this idea with Beethoven. and Beethoven did this 100 years before Bartok! amazing. Beethoven added an extra movement in 130 and 131, each, so Op. 131 is a perfectly balanced seven movement work, where the central movement is like the heart, or core. Several critics think it's Beethoven's best piece (I disagree!), and the fact that they say that about something so formally daring and expansive is a testament to Beethoven's overwhelming genius.
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Apr 19, 2015 00:14
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131 is my favourite. I love 132 as well but 131 makes it seem almost old-fashioned, which is ridiculous. from the first moment i ever heard the first bar of 131 i knew I'd found a true deathbed piece. I urge you to listen to his quintets. There are only four, I believe and they're mostly transcriptions and reworkings of things like piano quintets and... his first opus piano sonata, I think? I think 29 is the only original one. opus 4 (e flat) opus 29 (c major) opus 104 (c minor) and string quintent in F major - maybe this is opus 2.
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Apr 19, 2015 01:29
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