fbpx
Wikipedia

Late string quartets (Beethoven)

April 26, 2024

Ludwig van Beethoven's late string quartets are:

Manuscript of Beethoven's Große Fuge, arranged for piano four hands

These six works are Beethoven's last major completed compositions. Extremely complex and largely misunderstood by musicians and audiences of Beethoven's day, the late quartets are now widely considered to be among the greatest musical compositions of all time,[1][2][3] and have inspired many later composers.

Overview edit

Prince Nikolai Galitzin commissioned the first three quartets (12, 13 and 15) and in a letter dated 9 November 1822, offered to pay Beethoven "what you think proper" for them. Beethoven replied on 25 January 1823 with his price of 50 ducats for each opus.[4] He composed the quartets in the sequence 12, 15, 13, 14, 16, writing 13 and 15 simultaneously.[5]

Beethoven wrote these last quartets in failing health. In April 1825, he was bedridden and remained ill for about a month. His recovery from the illness inspired the modal slow movement of the Fifteenth Quartet, which Beethoven called "Holy song of thanks (Heiliger Dankgesang) to the divinity, from one made well". He went on to complete the quartets now numbered Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Sixteenth. The last work Beethoven completed was the substitute final movement of the thirteenth quartet, which replaced the extremely difficult Große Fuge.[6]

The "ABC" quartets edit

Opp. 132, 130 and 131 are sometimes called the "ABC" quartets because of their keys: A minor, B♭ major, and C♯ minor. They are thematically linked by the four notes of the harmonic minor scale's second tetrachord. In his notes for the Quartetto Italiano's recording of all six quartets, A. David Hogarth writes:[7]

What obviously intrigued Beethoven was the wide interval of a tone and a half between notes 2 and 3 [of example A]. In different permutations, the four notes play an important role in all three quartets and each work has a distinctive motto which also appears in companion works. The opening motto of op. 132, which ultimately reappears in op. 131's finale, consists of the first four notes of the opening bars (see example B).

The subject of the "Grosse Fuge” finale of the B-flat major, op. 130 follows the same pattern with the rising sixth between notes 1 and 3 increased from minor to major (see example C).

Op. 131, the masterwork of the three, opens with a fugue and the subject's opening phrase (transposed) is as example D. (As such this motto is already predicted in the trio of op. 132's second movement.) The key notes from which these mottoes are built finally appear thematically in their original scale form in the finale of op. 131.

Beethoven's sketchbooks prove clearly that these permutations were not coincidental. Even if they were there would be other coincidences to explain – the ABC sequence of keys, for instance, and the fact that the quartets have successively five, six, and seven movements.)

It could be argued that op. 131 is a six-movement work for the third "movement" is only 10 bars long and has the same A major key signature as its successor. Some critics, notably Vincent d'Indy, regard it simply as an introduction. But the tonality of the 10 bars is clearly B minor and if we note the tonal centres of the first four movements we get the familiar pattern of op. 132 and the "Grosse Fuge" (see example E). The keys of the remaining movements complete a cyclic progression back to C-sharp minor.

Beethoven's "obsession at that time with the upper four notes of the harmonic minor scale" (Hogarth) predates these works. For an early example, see the first movement of his string trio, opus 9, no. 3.

Appraisal edit

Beethoven's late quartets went far beyond the comprehension of musicians and audiences of his time. One musician said, "we know there is something there, but we do not know what it is." Composer Louis Spohr called them "indecipherable, uncorrected horrors".

Opinion has changed considerably from the time of their first bewildered reception: these six quartets (including the Große Fuge) are widely considered to be among the greatest musical compositions of all time.[8] The Frankfurt School philosopher Theodor W. Adorno, in particular, thought highly of them,[9] and Igor Stravinsky called the Große Fuge "an absolutely contemporary piece of music that will be contemporary forever".[10] Their forms and ideas inspired and continue to inspire musicians and composers, such as Richard Wagner and Béla Bartók. Wagner said that Op. 131's first movement "reveals the most melancholy sentiment expressed in music".[11] Schubert's last musical wish was to hear Op. 131, which he did on 14 November 1828, five days before his death.[12] Afterward, he remarked, "After this, what is left for us to write?"[13] Beethoven also considered Op. 131 his most perfect single work.[14]

Other versions edit

Arturo Toscanini and Felix Weingartner, among others, transcribed some of the late quartets for string orchestra.

Recordings edit

Ensembles that have recorded the complete late Beethoven quartets include:

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Beethoven's String Quartets: John Suchet's guide to the music". Classic FM (UK). Retrieved September 29, 2017. The five Late Quartets, written in the final years of [Beethoven's] life, transcend anything he or anyone else had ever composed.
  2. ^ Ross, Alex (October 20, 2014). "Deus Ex Musica". The New Yorker. Retrieved September 29, 2017. ...generations of listeners have hailed [his late string quartets] as a pinnacle of Western civilization...
  3. ^ Rockwell, John (1983-07-10). "Recordings; Beethoven Quartets Pose the Challenge of Greatness". The New York Times. Retrieved 2017-12-02.
  4. ^ Life of Beethoven by Alexander Wheelock Thayer, p. 447
  5. ^ Cf. Beethoven House Bonn, Skizzenblatt zu den Streichquartetten op. 130 und op. 132.
  6. ^ Cf. Beethoven House Bonn, Fugue for 2 violins, viola and violoncello (B-flat major) op. 133.
  7. ^ See Die Späten Streichquartette Und Grosse Fuge, Op. 133 , Philips label 6707 008 .
  8. ^ Morris, Edmund. Beethoven: The Universal Composer. New York: Atlas Books / HarperCollins, 2005. ISBN 0-06-075974-7
  9. ^ Beethoven: The Philosophy of Music by Theodor W. Adorno, pp. 123-162
  10. ^ Miller, Lucy, Adams to Zemlinsky (2006) Concert Artists Guild, ISBN 1-892862-09-3, p. 44.
  11. ^ Berger, Melvin (2001). Guide to Chamber Music, p. 67, Mineola, NY: Dover Publications. ISBN 0-486-41879-0
  12. ^ Winter, Robert (1994). The Beethoven quartet companion. University of California Press. p. 245. ISBN 978-0-520-20420-1. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
  13. ^ Woolfe, Zachary (8 August 2011). "At Mozart Festival, Dvorak and Others Shine". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  14. ^ Morris, Edmund (2010). Beethoven: The Universal Composer. HarperCollins. p. 213. ISBN 978-0-06-075975-9. Retrieved 3 August 2011.

Further reading edit

  • Vernon, David. Beethoven: The String Quartets. Edinburgh: Candle Row Press, 2023. ISBN 978-1739659929.

April 26, 2024
late, string, quartets, beethoven, ludwig, beethoven, late, string, quartets, manuscript, beethoven, große, fuge, arranged, piano, four, hands, opus, string, quartet, major, 1825, opus, string, quartet, major, 1825, opus, string, quartet, minor, 1826, opus, st. Ludwig van Beethoven s late string quartets are Manuscript of Beethoven s Grosse Fuge arranged for piano four hands Opus 127 String Quartet No 12 in E major 1825 Opus 130 String Quartet No 13 in B major 1825 Opus 131 String Quartet No 14 in C minor 1826 Opus 132 String Quartet No 15 in A minor 1825 Opus 133 Grosse Fuge in B major 1825 originally the finale to Op 130 it also exists in a piano four hands transcription Op 134 Opus 135 String Quartet No 16 in F major 1826 These six works are Beethoven s last major completed compositions Extremely complex and largely misunderstood by musicians and audiences of Beethoven s day the late quartets are now widely considered to be among the greatest musical compositions of all time 1 2 3 and have inspired many later composers Contents 1 Overview 2 The ABC quartets 3 Appraisal 4 Other versions 5 Recordings 6 See also 7 References 8 Further readingOverview editPrince Nikolai Galitzin commissioned the first three quartets 12 13 and 15 and in a letter dated 9 November 1822 offered to pay Beethoven what you think proper for them Beethoven replied on 25 January 1823 with his price of 50 ducats for each opus 4 He composed the quartets in the sequence 12 15 13 14 16 writing 13 and 15 simultaneously 5 Beethoven wrote these last quartets in failing health In April 1825 he was bedridden and remained ill for about a month His recovery from the illness inspired the modal slow movement of the Fifteenth Quartet which Beethoven called Holy song of thanks Heiliger Dankgesang to the divinity from one made well He went on to complete the quartets now numbered Thirteenth Fourteenth and Sixteenth The last work Beethoven completed was the substitute final movement of the thirteenth quartet which replaced the extremely difficult Grosse Fuge 6 The ABC quartets editOpp 132 130 and 131 are sometimes called the ABC quartets because of their keys A minor B major and C minor They are thematically linked by the four notes of the harmonic minor scale s second tetrachord In his notes for the Quartetto Italiano s recording of all six quartets A David Hogarth writes 7 What obviously intrigued Beethoven was the wide interval of a tone and a half between notes 2 and 3 of example A In different permutations the four notes play an important role in all three quartets and each work has a distinctive motto which also appears in companion works The opening motto of op 132 which ultimately reappears in op 131 s finale consists of the first four notes of the opening bars see example B The subject of the Grosse Fuge finale of the B flat major op 130 follows the same pattern with the rising sixth between notes 1 and 3 increased from minor to major see example C Op 131 the masterwork of the three opens with a fugue and the subject s opening phrase transposed is as example D As such this motto is already predicted in the trio of op 132 s second movement The key notes from which these mottoes are built finally appear thematically in their original scale form in the finale of op 131 Beethoven s sketchbooks prove clearly that these permutations were not coincidental Even if they were there would be other coincidences to explain the ABC sequence of keys for instance and the fact that the quartets have successively five six and seven movements It could be argued that op 131 is a six movement work for the third movement is only 10 bars long and has the same A major key signature as its successor Some critics notably Vincent d Indy regard it simply as an introduction But the tonality of the 10 bars is clearly B minor and if we note the tonal centres of the first four movements we get the familiar pattern of op 132 and the Grosse Fuge see example E The keys of the remaining movements complete a cyclic progression back to C sharp minor Beethoven s obsession at that time with the upper four notes of the harmonic minor scale Hogarth predates these works For an early example see the first movement of his string trio opus 9 no 3 Appraisal editBeethoven s late quartets went far beyond the comprehension of musicians and audiences of his time One musician said we know there is something there but we do not know what it is Composer Louis Spohr called them indecipherable uncorrected horrors Opinion has changed considerably from the time of their first bewildered reception these six quartets including the Grosse Fuge are widely considered to be among the greatest musical compositions of all time 8 The Frankfurt School philosopher Theodor W Adorno in particular thought highly of them 9 and Igor Stravinsky called the Grosse Fuge an absolutely contemporary piece of music that will be contemporary forever 10 Their forms and ideas inspired and continue to inspire musicians and composers such as Richard Wagner and Bela Bartok Wagner said that Op 131 s first movement reveals the most melancholy sentiment expressed in music 11 Schubert s last musical wish was to hear Op 131 which he did on 14 November 1828 five days before his death 12 Afterward he remarked After this what is left for us to write 13 Beethoven also considered Op 131 his most perfect single work 14 Other versions editArturo Toscanini and Felix Weingartner among others transcribed some of the late quartets for string orchestra Recordings editEnsembles that have recorded the complete late Beethoven quartets include Alban Berg Quartett EMI studio early 80s Alban Berg Quartet EMI rec live 1989 Alexander String Quartet Arte Nova Alexander String Quartet Foghorn Classics Amadeus Quartet DG Artemis Quartet Virgin Classics Barylli Quartet Beethoven Quartet Melodiya rec 1951 1972 Belcea Quartet Borodin Quartet Chandos Brentano String Quartet Aeon rec 2012 Budapest String Quartet Bridge rec 1941 1960 Budapest String Quartet Sony rec 1958 1961 Busch Quartet various labels rec 1933 1941 no Grosse Fuge Cleveland Quartet RCA Red seal 1970s Cleveland Quartet Telarc 1990s Colorado Quartet Parnassus rec 2004 2006 Ehnes Quartet Onyx Classics 2020 2022 Emerson String Quartet DG Endellion Quartet Warner Classics 2005 2006 Fine Arts Quartet Everest Concert Disc rec 1960 1965 Gewandhaus Quartett New Classical Adventure rec live 1985 1998 Guarneri Quartet RCA Red Seal Philips Hagen Quartett DG Hollywood String Quartet Testament Hungarian Quartet 1953 mono EMI Hungarian Quartet 1960s stereo EMI Juilliard String Quartet CBS studio late 1960s Juilliard String Quartet CBS rec live 1982 Kodaly Quartet Naxos LaSalle Quartet DG reissued on Brilliant Classics Leipziger Streichquartett MDG Lindsays ASV Lydian String Quartet Centaur Medici String Quartet Nimbus Melos Quartett DG Orford String Quartet Delos Orion String Quartet Koch Classics 2008 Penderecki String Quartet Marquis 2013 Petersen Quartett Capriccio Prazak Quartet Praga Quatuor Mosaiques Naive Quartetto Italiano Decca Smetana Quartet Supraphon Suske Quartett Berlin Classics Takacs Quartet Decca 2005 Talich Quartet Calliope Taneyev Quartet Boheme Tokyo String Quartet RCA Red Seal 1993 Tokyo String Quartet Harmonia Mundi 2010 Vanbrugh Quartet Intim Musik 1996 Vermeer Quartet Teldec rec 1984 1989 Vegh Quartet 1952 Les Discophiles Francais Music amp Arts Vegh Quartet 1972 Telefunken Naive Astree Wihan Quartet Nimbus Yale Quartet VanguardSee also editList of compositions by Ludwig van Beethoven String Quartets Nos 1 6 Op 18 String Quartets Nos 7 9 Op 59 Rasumovsky A Late QuartetReferences edit Beethoven s String Quartets John Suchet s guide to the music Classic FM UK Retrieved September 29 2017 The five Late Quartets written in the final years of Beethoven s life transcend anything he or anyone else had ever composed Ross Alex October 20 2014 Deus Ex Musica The New Yorker Retrieved September 29 2017 generations of listeners have hailed his late string quartets as a pinnacle of Western civilization Rockwell John 1983 07 10 Recordings Beethoven Quartets Pose the Challenge of Greatness The New York Times Retrieved 2017 12 02 Life of Beethoven by Alexander Wheelock Thayer p 447 Cf Beethoven House Bonn Skizzenblatt zu den Streichquartetten op 130 und op 132 Cf Beethoven House Bonn Fugue for 2 violins viola and violoncello B flat major op 133 See Die Spaten Streichquartette Und Grosse Fuge Op 133 Philips label 6707 008 Morris Edmund Beethoven The Universal Composer New York Atlas Books HarperCollins 2005 ISBN 0 06 075974 7 Beethoven The Philosophy of Music by Theodor W Adorno pp 123 162 Miller Lucy Adams to Zemlinsky 2006 Concert Artists Guild ISBN 1 892862 09 3 p 44 Berger Melvin 2001 Guide to Chamber Music p 67 Mineola NY Dover Publications ISBN 0 486 41879 0 Winter Robert 1994 The Beethoven quartet companion University of California Press p 245 ISBN 978 0 520 20420 1 Retrieved 4 August 2011 Woolfe Zachary 8 August 2011 At Mozart Festival Dvorak and Others Shine The New York Times Retrieved 4 May 2013 Morris Edmund 2010 Beethoven The Universal Composer HarperCollins p 213 ISBN 978 0 06 075975 9 Retrieved 3 August 2011 Further reading editVernon David Beethoven The String Quartets Edinburgh Candle Row Press 2023 ISBN 978 1739659929 Portal nbsp Classical music Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Late string quartets Beethoven amp oldid 1210889660, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.