“While on a trip to Berlin in the spring of 1789,
Mozart performed for the accomplished cellist and great patron of music, Frederick William II, King of Prussia, who asked him to compose a set of six quartets. But on his return to Vienna on June 4, circumstances made it extremely hard for Mozart to get to work, even though he knew the King would have paid him well. Mozart’s letters speak of the physical pain he was suffering from rheumatism, toothaches, headaches, and insomnia. Further, his wife’s agony with a foot condition at the same time that she was pregnant for the fifth time added to his worries. And to compound matters, he was desperately short of money….And when he tried to promote a series of concerts to get back on his feet, he sold a grand total of one subscription! Is it any wonder that he was despondent and had little enthusiasm for writing the quartets?
“…..Following a hiatus just short of a year, Mozart wrote two more quartets, in B flat major (K.589) and in F Major (K.590), in May and June 1790 — the last quartets he ever composed. Since he was not occupied with other projects, it would seem that his his deteriorating physical condition and dejection prevented him from completing the six quartets for the king. eager for immediate income, Mozart sold the three complete quartets to a publisher and later complained that he had had ‘to dispose of the quartets (all toilsome work) for a mockery of a fee, only to lay my hands on some money to keep myself going.’ Although originally published during such a difficult period, the three graceful and happy ‘Prussian’ Quartets, as they are called, betray little of Mozart’s difficult straits…
This quartet (K.589) was written when Mozart was just thirty-four years old, but it sounds like the work of someone at a much later stage of life.”
– Melvin Berger, 1985
Bela Bartok: String Quartet No. 4 in C Major (1928)
Béla Bartók started out to be a concert pianist playing the classics. His friendship with Zoltán Kodály led to a fascination with the folk music of his native Hungary. As Bartók’s compositional voice emerged, it incorporated the influences of Classical-era music, Debussy and the Impressionists, and the modal scales and asymmetrical rhythms of East European folk music.
Bartók’s String Quartet No. 4 is designed in what is called “arch form.” The first movement relates to the fifth, the second to the fourth, and the third movement stands alone. In the forceful opening Allegro, the instruments weave themes together—playing the melodies one after another, or joining in duets, or uniting to play together almost percussively. The second movement (Prestissimo, con sordino) is played entirely with mutes on the strings. From within the continuous flitting motion other patterns emerge: strummed chords, subtle duets, glissandos, the nasal sound of sul ponticello (near the bridge) playing, and a final brief pizzicato (plucked) section.
The third movement (Non troppo lento) is the centerpiece, providing the contrast of a slower tempo as well as a less strident, more melody-driven style. The upper instruments play one note at a time to build a six-note chord (double-stopped, with each playing two notes). With this droning accompaniment, the cello sings a Balkan aria. The song is taken up by other voices, and the movement ends with a high violin solo fading into nothingness.
Where the second movement was muted, the fourth (Allegretto pizzicato) creates a similar effect with plucked strings throughout. This technique—”Bartók pizzicato,” where the string is plucked with such force that it hits the instrument’s neck—provides drama and accentuation. The finale (Allegro molto) rounds out the arch form with the same dynamic propulsion as the first movement. Irregular meters and offbeat accents evoke the folk music of Bartok’s beloved Romania, as do the exotic scales and melodies. The piece ends with a high wispy call and a final, decisive unison.
– Miriam Villchur Berg, 2010
Franz Schubert: String Quartet in D Minor, “Death and the Maiden”
Franz Schubert followed the musical forms and conventions of the Classical Viennese school, but employed the bold harmonies and emotional expressiveness of the Romantic composers. He did not provide any literary or textual explanations for his chamber or orchestral music except in the case of the String Quartet in D Minor, D. 810, titled “Death and the Maiden.” The quartet takes its name from the theme of the second movement, which is based on Schubert’s setting of a poem by Matthias Claudius. The poem (and Schubert’s song) describes an encounter between Death and a young girl — Death is portrayed as a seducer; the girl tries to reject his advances but finally succumbs with resignation. Schubert’s writings from the period convey his preoccupation with his poor health. It is possible that he chose this dark song as the basis for this quartet in order to express his inner turmoil about the possibility of his own death. The entire piece portrays the confrontation with death as an heroic struggle.
The opening measures of the Allegro establish an intense rhythmic figure—a long note followed by three very short notes (triplets) and another long. This triplet figure occurs in various forms throughout the movement and creates a feeling of agitation and anticipation. The descending minor scale figure adds to the mysterious quality. The heart of the quartet is in the Andante, five variations on the “Death and the Maiden” song. After presenting the theme unadorned, Schubert puts the melody in triplets with a high descant. The second variation gives the cello the lead. The third starts with vigorous sforzati (sharp accents) on every beat, while the fourth is soft and legato with the theme subdued and the first violin playing high embellishments. In the last variation, the melody is once again emphasized, with dramatic changes in volume. The movement ends with a short coda.
The Scherzo (Allegro molto) uses syncopations to create a driving rhythm. This is contrasted by a central Trio, with one of Schubert’s signature sweet melodies, followed by a repeat of the opening scherzo. The mood of the Finale (Presto) is in the style of the Italian dance known as the tarantella. This dance, with its fast and violent steps, was thought to protect the dancer from the poison of a tarantula’s bite and is thus a kind of dance of death. The tarantella is contrasted with passages of long notes in a grand melody in the major mode, introduced with all the instruments together. The coda is marked prestissimo (as fast as possible), continuing the rhythmic intensity of the quartet up to the very last note. Each time it seems to end, it starts again, refusing to give up the ghost.
– Miriam Villchur Berg, 2015
Text of the song, “Der Tod und Das Maedchen”, D.531,
composed by Schubert (1817) after the poem by Matthias Claudius (1740-1815)
The Maiden:
“Oh! leave me! Prithee, leave me! thou grisly man of bone!
For life is sweet, is pleasant.
Go! leave me now alone!
Go! leave me now alone!”
Death:
“Give me thy hand, oh! maiden fair to see,
For I’m a friend, hath ne’er distress’d thee.
Take courage now, and very soon
Within mine arms shalt softly rest thee!”
