The String Quartets
1st Quartet, Opus 18, No. 1, in F.
Allegro con brio—Adagio affettuoso ed appassionato—Scherzo—Allegro.
Composed in 1800 at the age of 30, this first set of quartets belongs to the same period as the great C minor Symphony, No. 5. The music of No. 1 is Mozartian in type, very charming, and the scoring is light and graceful. The Adagio is very beautiful, and one can feel in it the future Beethoven. Indeed we almost arrive at maturity in the episode in D flat in the Finale, where Beethoven uses the melody which he again took up in his ballet "The Men of Prometheus" and in his Third Symphony.
2nd Quartet, Opus 18, No. 2, in major.
Allegro—Adagio cantabilo—Scherzo—Allegro molto quasi Presto.
This quartet is even more like Mozart and Haydn than No. 1, except for the fact that Beethoven keeps his music in rather higher registers. The Adagio is not so Beethovenish as the slow movement of No. 1, but it contains an episode marked Allegro. The Finale is full of spirit, but it is not the Beethoven in the "unbuttoned" mood of the later works. There is some effective work for the G string on the Ist Violin, for Paganini had already cast his glamour over Europe.
3rd Quartet, Opus 18, No. 3, in D.
Allegro—Andante con moto—Allegro—Presto.
This beautiful quartet, composed a year later than the first two, already points to the maturity of the second period, especially in the first movement. The Andante opens with a lovely melody for the 2nd Violin on the G string; restraint and broadness in playing should be the player's aim here. Parry refers to the fine balance of form in this Quartet in his article in Groves' Dictionary. The Scherzo is here marked Maggiore—Minore—Maggiore. The Presto is full of Beethoven spirit and handling, in one passage in particular, having spaciousness, which is such a striking feature in the final quartets.
4th Quartet, Opus 18, No. 4, in C minor.
Allegro ma non tanto—Scherzo—Menuetto—Rondo.
Written in Beethoven's favourite key, C minor, this quartet is remarkable for its melodiousness. It has no slow movement and contains both a Scherzo and a Minuet, the former marked Andante Scherzoso quasi Allegretto and opening in a Fugato style reminiscent of the Andante of the First Symphony. Both this and the Minuet contain the characteristic Sforandi, especially that on the third beat of triple time. The Prestissimo Coda brings the Finale to a powerful conclusion.
5th Quartet, Opus 18, No. 5, in A.
Allegro—Minuet—Air and Variations—Allegro.
This quartet is chiefly remarkable for its lovely Andante and set of variations on the beautiful theme which has all the natural feeling of a genuine folk-song. The first variation is Fugato; the second has sparkling triplets for the 1st violin; the third woodland murmurs, whilst the cellos and violas occupy themselves with the melody.
The fourth is organ-like in treatment, whilst the final one starts on a boisterous scamper home. which ends, however, in a melancholy, dreamy meditation. The Finale is Mozartian.
6th Quartet, Opus 18, No. 6, in B flat.
Allegro con brio—Adagio ma non troppo—Scherzo—La Malinconia—Allegretto quasi Allegro
This favourite quartet, composed in 1800, has five movements; whereas the fourth quartet has no slow movement.
The arrangement of the five movements seems to suggest some sort of carefully-arranged 'programme;" but woe always overtook the man who dared to attach a definite story to any of the music in these pieces in Beethoven's lifetime. The opening movement, full of vitality, and asks for spiccato bowing. It is very light in texture. The first Adagio is full of graceful tunefulness, somewhat elaborate in texture, and containing many characteristic touches of expression; so too, does the Scherzo. The second slow movement Adagio, entitled by Beethoven La Malinconia (grief), is one of Beethoven's most moving pieces of music. Knowing here that he was entering into new territory, he especially marks such movements to be played with the greatest feeling piu gran delicatezza. This movement runs directly into the final Allegretto, which indeed returns to it twice, as though unable to throw off completely the bitter taste of those sad moments.
7th Quartet, Opus 59, No. 1, in F.
No. 1 of the set dedicated to Count Rasumovsky.
Allegro—Allegretto Vivace e sempre Scherzando—Adagio molto e mesto—Thème russe con Variazioni.'
This fine but difficult quartet, sometimes called the Cello Quartet on account of the prominence given to this instrument, was written in 1806. The Count himself is supposed to have played the cello, and the set of variations on the Russian song used for the Finale was a second compliment to Beethoven's noble Russian patron. Beethoven took his theme from the Prabst collection, 1815, which is not now published, having been superseded by Rimsky-Korsakoff's fine collection. The theme is found there (No. 13) marked Andante and the Russian words may be translated—
Ah, is this my fate?
And what a fate!
The technique and the subject matter is very much more advanced. The first movement contains a remarkable unison passage for the full strings, some remarkable high work for the 1st violin and some wonderful colour effects. The Allegretto is a busy, gossipy movement in B flat. The Adagio molto is a typical Beethoven Adagio. It is the real thing. It runs into the Finale through a long and difficult cadenza for the 1st Violin over a dominant pedal. The ending of the quartet contains some very full effects and is almost orchestral in style.
8th Quartet, Opus 59, No. 2, in E minor.
Allegro—Adagio—Allegretto—Finale.
The second quartet of the Rasumovsky set is even more elaborate than the first. The opening movement, though containing some dark, passionate moods akin to the Appassionata Sonata, is nevertheless happy and delicate in tone. Its technical requirements are great. opens with two strong chords, then a silent bar, which the composer fills in curiously enough in the recapitulation. The lovely long-drawn Adagio in E major is marked by Beethoven con molto di sentimento (with great feeling). Here again he is in his new territory. It is as though he said to the players, "Wake up! this is an entirely new kind of music." The playful Allegretto introduces another Slav folk-song, which can be found in Rimsky-Korsakoff's collection (No. 45). It is sacred and majestic in tone, a song of glory to the Creator. It forms the major trio portion, which is carefully welded on to the return of the opening minor movement. The Finale represents Beethoven's very happiest mood. It starts clean out of the key in C major. Seldom is Beethoven so happy as we find him here in the Finale, which although written in the sharp signature throughout, is really in the key of C major; the episodes only and the coda only just managing to restore the balance of E minor.
9th Quartet, Opus 59, No. 3 , in C major.
Introduzione—Allegro vivace—Andante con moto―Menuetto―Allegro molto (Fuge).
This, the third of the Rasumovsky set, was composed in 1806. Starting clean out of the key, a few bars of Andante intro duction gradually lean towards C major. The first movement is remarkably clear and lucid in style and finely coloured in harmony. Beethoven is in one of his happiest moods. The exquisite Andante in A minor opens with a pizzicato bass and ends in the same manner. It is a highly finished movement. The Minuet is of the stately dance order and appears in the tonic key C major. The coda to it ends on the dominant seventh, thus bringing in the remarkable spiccato Fugue which Brahms played from memory as an encore at a concert in Vienna in 1867. The Una Corda set of entries preserving the homogenuity of tone and adding greatly to the effect of the intensity of the crescendi is particularly fine.
10th Quartet, Opus 74, in E flat.
Poco adagio—Allegro—Adagio ma non troppo—Presto—Allegretto con variazione.
This remarkable quartet, composed in 1809 and dedicated to the Prince Lobkovitz, is widely known under the title of the Harp Quartet on account of the remarkable pizzacato arpeggios in the opening Allegro. A short introduction is marked sotto voce. The Allegro contains a brilliant cadenza for the Violin—Beethoven's only excursion into the virtuoso field in chamber music. The very beautiful Adagio is Beethoven at his very best, whilst the Presto Scherzo is curious in form, being arranged with varying tempi, thus, on the following plan:—Presto C minor, Più Presto-Trio C major, C minor, Presto repeated, and again the C major, finishing with the C minor. This leads without break into a set of six variations: the second, notable for its lovely viola melody; and the sixth, organ-like in character over a cello pedal-point.
11th Quartet, Opus 95, in F minor.
Allegro con brio—Allegretto ma non troppo—Allegro assai vivace ma serioso—Allegretto agitato.
This quartet is dedicated to Count Zmeskal, Beethoven's willing secretary and man of affairs. Here in this work which stands on the border line between Beethoven's second and third styles, we have the gruff and brooding Beethoven. The somewhat short opening movement is full of intense feeling. The Allegretto is calm and religious, ethereal in tone and contains a fine fugato passage. The third movement, which takes the place of a Scherzo, is dark in feeling and pervaded with gloom. A short Larghetto introduction leads into the Finale agitated and restless in character, but ending with a brilliant gleam of sunshine.
12th Quartet, Opus 127, in E flat.
Dedicated to Count Nicolas von Galitzen.
Maestoso—Allegro—Adagio—Scherzando vivace—Finale.
Although probably published before his death, this quartet is generally classed with the posthumous ones which represent fully Beethoven's third style. Although all these quartets contain many orchestral effects, yet he never exceeds the limits of the true string quartet style. To say that string quartet writing is only an imperfectly filled-in sketch of orchestral idium is not correct; otherwise, when Beethoven had four instruments at his disposal, would he have written some of those spacious passages for three, or even two instruments only?
The opening movement has a double subject— the Maestoso introduction accompanying the Allegro subject on every appearance. The Adagio is dreamy in mood and has a touching Andante episode, also a striking excursion to E major before the final return. The Scherzando vivace, which must not be taken too quickly, is also a striking example of Beethoven's characteristic contrapuntal writing and contains a passage in Beethoven's famous Ritmo di tre battute (Rhythm of three bars); another instance of this occurs in the Ninth Symphony. The tempo is constantly changing throughout and the highly dramatic music, free in style, settles down more into a lyric and rhythmic style for the Finale, the long coda of which is extremely characteristic, starting right away from the key.
13th Quartet, Opus 130, in B flat.
Dedicated to Count Nicolas von Galitzen.
Adagio ma non troppo—Allegro—Presto—Andante con moto―Danza alla tedesca―Cavatina―Finale.
This quartet, written in 1825, is one of Beethoven's longest, and contains six movements. The opening piece carries its Adagio introduction through all the appearances of the Allegro subject. The second subject is of wonderful beauty. The development section very short. The unusual Presto in B flat minor very succinct; is the nearest approach to Brahms. The Andante is really a Scherzo treated like an Andante in form. The third movement is cast in the rhythm of a German country dance; the theme is varied on its reappearance. The famous Cavatina has a remarkable beklemmt (fear) episode and a wonderful Bebung chord at the close. The lovely second subject of The Finale has been used by Borodin as a theme in the Finale of his Second Quartet. There is a very proper little Fugue in the development portion. The original Finale was published separately as Opus 133; it is a terrificly long-drawn Fugue and is regarded as almost incomprehensible by even the most ardent admirers of Beethoven's third style.
14th Quartet, Opus 131, in C sharp minor.
Published in 1827.
Adagio—Allegro molto vivace—Allegro moderato—Andante—Presto.
Although marked off in separate movements, this quartet is practically one long continuous piece. It opens with a mystic Fugue, organ-like in character and contains several fine enharmonic changes of key. At the Allegro molto vivace the tonality is lifted a semitone. This movement is light in character and simple in texture, almost Mozartian. An air with variations is approached by a recitative and introduction. This is followed by a Presto, where Beethoven appears in one of his joking moods. The tempo here alters continually, then comes a short Adagio section, a lamentation broken off by one of Beethoven's gruff shrugs, and the last movement opens with a clearly marked theme in happy mood. Strongly contrasted portions occur from time to time, but the work ends triumphantly.
15th Quartet, Opus 132, in A minor.
Assai sostenuto—Allegro Allegro—Allegro tanto—Molto adagio—Andante—Alla marcia—Allegro appassionata.
The opening movement is on the same lines as that of the preceding quartet. Moods change constantly and the development is of the freest kind; there are two parts to the second subject, one a vivacious little figure, two a short singing phrase. The Allegro in A major is in terary form and takes the place of the Scherzo. Then follows that remarkable movement in the Lydian mode headed "A convalescent's sacred song of thanksgiving to the divinity." This interesting modal piece was written after the composer's illness. The variations of it alternate with the Andante in D major, thus producing striking contrasts of key colour. The final Allegro is in free Sonata form.
16th Quartet, Opus 135, in F major.
Allegretto—Vivace—Lento assai—Grave ma non troppo tratto.
This quartet is on a much smaller scale. The opening movement, whilst characteristic of the third period, is easily comprehended. The subject of the slow movement is one of Beethoven's most beautiful melodies, and the Finale commences with the famous musical motto—
"Must it be?
It must be"
founded on a little altercation with his cook.
The movement is characterised by some very perverse part-writing.
These final quartets present many problems, even to the most profound students of Beethoven's works.