Leoš Janáček Leoš Janáček (, baptised Leo Eugen Janáček; 3 July 1854 – 12 August 1928) was a Czech composer, musical theorist, folklorist, publicist, and teacher. He was inspired by Moravian and other Slavic musics, including Eastern European fol ...

wrote two string quartets. String Quartet No. 2, "Intimate Letters", was written in 1928. It has been referred to as Janáček's "manifesto on love".

Background

The "Intimate Letters" quartet was the second to be composed after a request from the Bohemian Quartet who, in 1923, requested Janáček to compose two string quartets for them. The first was the "Kreutzer Sonata" quartet. Unusually for a classical work, the nickname "Intimate Letters" ("''Listy důvěrné''" in

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places * Czech, ...

) was given by the

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

, as it was inspired by his long and spiritual friendship with

Kamila Stösslová Kamila Stösslová ( née Neumannová; 1891–1935) was a Czech woman. The composer Leoš Janáček, upon meeting her in 1917 in the Moravian resort town of Luhačovice, fell deeply in love with her, despite the fact that both of them were marr ...

, a married woman 38 years his junior. The composition was intended to reflect the character of their relationship as revealed in more than 700 letters they exchanged with each other: :"''You stand behind every note, you, living, forceful, loving. The fragrance of your body, the glow of your kisses – no, really of mine. Those notes of mine kiss all of you. They call for you passionately...''" The première of the work took place on 11 September 1928, a month after Janáček died. The composition was performed by the Moravian Quartet.

Structure

It consists of four movements: # Andante - Con moto - Allegro # Adagio - Vivace # Moderato - Andante - Adagio # Allegro - Andante - Adagio The

viola The viola ( , also , ) is a string instrument that is bow (music), bowed, plucked, or played with varying techniques. Slightly larger than a violin, it has a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of ...

assumes a prominent role throughout the composition, as this instrument is intended to personify Kamila. The viola part was originally written for a

viola d'amore The viola d'amore (; Italian for "viol of love") is a 7- or 6- stringed musical instrument with sympathetic strings used chiefly in the baroque period. It is played under the chin in the same manner as the violin. Structure and sound The viol ...

, however the conventional viola was substituted when Janáček found the viola d'amore did not match the texture.

Milan Škampa Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

of the

Smetana Quartet The Smetana Quartet ( cs, Smetanovo kvarteto) was a Czech string quartet that was in existence from 1945 to 1989. Personnel 1st violin * Václav Neumann (1920-1995), from 1943 to 1945 * Jaroslav Rybenský, from 1945 to 1947 * Jiří Novák (192 ...

has interpreted the third "letter", or movement, as a lullaby for the son that Janáček and Kamila Stösslová never had together. The work is essentially tonal albeit not in the traditional sense. For example, the work closes with six D-flat major

chords Chord may refer to: * Chord (music), an aggregate of musical pitches sounded simultaneously ** Guitar chord a chord played on a guitar, which has a particular tuning * Chord (geometry), a line segment joining two points on a curve * Chord (as ...

( Janáček's favourite chord), but with the added dissonance of an E-flat.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:String Quartet No. 2 (Janacek) Chamber music by Leoš Janáček Janacek 2 1928 compositions