The Four-Movement Quartet

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Do curso por Curtis Institute of Music

O Mundo do Quarteto de Cordas

282 ratings

Curtis Institute of Music

O Mundo do Quarteto de Cordas

282 ratings

Arnold Steinhardt, first violin of the internationally acclaimed Guarneri String Quartet, invites music listeners to the world of the string quartet repertoire and ensemble. Journey with him and interpretive analysis instructor Mia Chung through the history and features of quartet music, colored by stories of legendary quartets and insights from the stage. This season's Curtis courses are sponsored by Linda Richardson in loving memory of her husband, Dr. Paul Richardson.

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The Founders: Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven

We begin exploring string quartets during the Classical Era, when balanced structure emphasized variety, contrast, and drama. Discover the starting point of four democratic and personal string voices—and, before long, its development—with Haydn (Op. 33, No. 2, "The Joke"), Mozart (K. 465, "Dissonance"), and Beethoven (Op. 18, No. 1; Op. 130; and Op. 131). There was a dramatic change in performance from Beethoven's time to our own era. How did that happen?

The Four-Movement Quartet5:10

Haydn's Joke6:15

Mozart's "Wrong" Notes8:17

Conheça os instrutores

Arnold Steinhardt
Performance Faculty
Dr. Mia Chung
Instructor of Interpretive Analysis
Musical Studies

Welcome to the "Story" portion of Program Two.

In this segment, Arnold

and I will journey with you

through three exemplary string quartets by Haydn,

Mozart, and Beethoven, three Classical composers who lived in

or were from Vienna. These selections reveal important

string quartet developments as well as key personality traits of

these composers. We begin our journey

with Franz Joseph Haydn, who lived from 1732-1809.

Haydn created the classical string quartet in the late 1750s.

He is referred to as the "father" of the string quartet

because his 68 quartets establish

the genre, which back then was associated with private

or semi-private performances

in the aristocratic salon or middle-class parlor.

He codified the four-movement approach

to the modern string quartet, which presents a balance

of moods and tempos. Composers have used

or modified this approach over the last two centuries.

The four movements are as follows:

the first movement

is typically the most substantial movement in sonata form

and also fast, or in "allegro" tempo.

The second movement

is slow and emotive, and comes in a variety of forms like

theme and variations, sonata form with no development,

or an ABA ternary form.

Next is the third movement ,

which is a minuet and trio.

It's inspired by a dance meter in three.

The order of the second and third movements can be switched,

so don't be puzzled if you see the minuet and trio

before the slow movement.

To close off the work, we have a fourth and final movement

which is typically in rondo form or variant thereof,

and it's very upbeat in feel.

I encourage you to consult the short video called "Learning

Library" in the supplementary resources

for a more detailed explanation of these formal terms.

Now, Haydn lived

and composed during a time of great stylistic change.

During his childhood and youth, Baroque traditions

(think JS Bach) were still alive

and well. But by the end of his life,

the stability of the Classical style as represented by his own

mature works and those of Mozart,

were being challenged by Beethoven,

who ushered in the Romantic era.

Adapting to stylistic changes was at the heart

of Haydn's early years. He had to come to terms

with the old and the new. How would Haydn

bring the two together? On the one hand,

he was influenced by the serious and grand counterpoint

of the Baroque era, which was gradually

coming to a close. At the same time,

he was absorbing the lighter more entertaining spirit

of the galant style from the Pre- Classical era.

In the Baroque period, composers treated the parts equally

through contrapuntal textures like fugues

and canons, where the parts are in active conversation with each other

through strict imitation. Let's listen

to an example of this.

[MUSIC]

The newer galant style favored a chordal

or homophonic texture where the melody

reigns supreme. The phrasing here in the gallant style is shorter,

symmetrical, clearly articulated, and elegant.

Now this texture placed importance on the melody,

while the other parts provide harmonic support.

Let's listen to the opening

of the first movement from Haydn's "Joke" quartet

to get a feel for homophonic texture.

[MUSIC]

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