The Austrian composer

Arnold Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (, ; ; 13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian-American composer, music theorist, teacher, writer, and painter. He is widely considered one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. He was as ...

published four

string quartet The term string quartet can refer to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two violinist ...

s, distributed over his lifetime: String Quartet No. 1 in D minor, Op. 7 (1905), String Quartet No. 2 in F minor, Op. 10 (1908), String Quartet No. 3, Op. 30 (1927), and the String Quartet No. 4, Op. 37 (1936). In addition to these, he wrote several other works for string quartet which were not published. The most notable was his early String Quartet in D major (1897). There was also a Presto in C major (c. 1895), a Scherzo in F major (1897), and later a Four-part Mirror Canon in A major (c. 1933). Finally, several string quartets exist in fragmentary form. These include String Quartet in F major (before 1897), String Quartet in D minor (1904), String Quartet in C major (after 1904), String Quartet Movement (1926), String Quartet (1926), String Quartet in C major (after 1927) and String Quartet No. 5 (1949). Schoenberg also wrote a Concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra in B major (1933): a recomposition of a work by the

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including ...

composer

George Frideric Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque music, Baroque composer well known for his opera#Baroque era, operas, oratorios, anthems, concerto grosso, concerti grossi, ...

String Quartet in D major

This string quartet in four movements is Schoenberg's earliest extant work of large scale: average duration of recorded performances is about 27 minutes. Completed in 1897, it was premiered privately on March 17, 1898, and publicly later that same year on December 20 in Vienna. It was published posthumously in 1966 (Faber Music, London). Schoenberg's friend

Alexander von Zemlinsky Alexander Zemlinsky or Alexander von Zemlinsky (14 October 1871 – 15 March 1942) was an Austrian composer, conductor, and teacher. Biography Early life Zemlinsky was born in Vienna to a highly diverse family. Zemlinsky's grandfather, Anton S ...

gave him much advice and criticism during the composition of this work. Zemlinsky even showed an early draft of it to

Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped wit ...

, whom Schoenberg very much admired. It was given the old master's approval. The string quartet is in four movements: The original second movement was the

Scherzo A scherzo (, , ; plural scherzos or scherzi), in western classical music, is a short composition – sometimes a movement from a larger work such as a symphony or a sonata. The precise definition has varied over the years, but scherzo often re ...

in F which now exists as a separate piece. Schoenberg substituted the Intermezzo at Zemlinsky's suggestion.

String Quartet No. 1, op. 7

A large work consisting of one movement which lasts longer than 45 minutes, Schoenberg's First String Quartet was his first assured masterpiece, and it was the real beginning of his reputation as a composer. Begun in the summer of 1904 and completed in September 1905, this quartet is remarkable for its density and intensity of

orchestration Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra (or, more loosely, for any musical ensemble, such as a concert band) or of adapting music composed for another medium for an orchestra. Also called "instrumentation", orch ...

with only four instruments. Unlike his later works, this work is tonal, bearing the key of D minor, though it stretches this to its limit with the thoroughly

extended tonality Tonality is the arrangement of pitches and/or chords of a musical work in a hierarchy of perceived relations, stabilities, attractions and directionality. In this hierarchy, the single pitch or triadic chord with the greatest stability is cal ...

of late Romantic music, such as the quartal harmony pictured at right . It also carries a small collection of

themes Theme or themes may refer to: * Theme (arts), the unifying subject or idea of the type of visual work * Theme (Byzantine district), an administrative district in the Byzantine Empire governed by a Strategos * Theme (computing), a custom graphical ...

which appear again and again in many different guises. Besides his extension of tonality and tight motivic structure, Schoenberg makes use of another innovation, which he called "musical prose." Instead of balanced

phrase In syntax and grammar, a phrase is a group of words or singular word acting as a grammatical unit. For instance, the English expression "the very happy squirrel" is a noun phrase which contains the adjective phrase "very happy". Phrases can consi ...

structures typical of string quartet writing up to that period, he favored asymmetrical phrases that build themselves into larger cohesive groups. According to Schoenberg, when he showed the score to

Gustav Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and the modernism ...

, the composer exclaimed: "I have conducted the most difficult scores of

Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

; I have written complicated music myself in scores of up to thirty staves and more; yet here is a score of not more than four staves, and I am unable to read them."

String Quartet No. 2, op. 10

This work in four movements was written during a very emotional time in Schoenberg's life. Though it bears the dedication "to my wife", it was written during Mathilde Schoenberg's affair with their friend and neighbour, artist Richard Gerstl, in 1908. It was first performed by the

Rosé Quartet The Rosé Quartet was a string quartet formed by Arnold Rosé in 1882. It was active for 55 years, until 1938. Members Its members changed over time. Rosé was first violin throughout. Julius Egghard Jr. played the second violin at first; t ...

and the soprano Marie Gutheil-Schoder. The second movement quotes the Viennese folk song, "

O du lieber Augustin "" ("Oh, you dear Augustin") is a popular Viennese song, first published about 1800. It is said to refer to the balladeer Marx Augustin and his brush with death in 1679. Augustin himself is sometimes named as the author, but the origin is uncl ...

". The third and fourth movements are quite unusual for a string quartet, as they also include a soprano singer, using poetry written by

Stefan George Stefan Anton George (; 12 July 18684 December 1933) was a German symbolist poet and a translator of Dante Alighieri, William Shakespeare, Hesiod, and Charles Baudelaire. He is also known for his role as leader of the highly influential literary ...

. On setting George, Schoenberg himself later wrote, "I was inspired by poems of Stefan George, the German poet, to compose music to some of his poems and, surprisingly, without any expectation on my part, these songs showed a style quite different from everything I had written before. … New sounds were produced, a new kind of melody appeared, a new approach to expression of moods and characters was discovered." The string quartet is in four movements:

Text

The latter two movements of the Second String Quartet are set to poems from

's collection ''Der siebente Ring'' (The Seventh Ring), which was published in 1907. Litanei Tief ist die trauer die mich umdüstert, Ein tret ich wieder, Herr! in dein haus. Lang war die reise, matt sind die glieder, Leer sind die schreine, voll nur die qual. Durstende zunge darbt nach dem weine. Hart war gestritten, starr ist mein arm. Gönne die ruhe schwankenden schritten, Hungrigem gaume bröckle dein brot! Schwach ist mein atem rufend dem traume, Hohl sind die hände, fiebernd der mund. Leih deine kühle, lösche die brände. Tilge das hoffen, sende das licht! Gluten im herzen lodern noch offen, Innerst im grunde wacht noch ein schrei. Töte das sehnen, schliesse die wunde! Nimm mir die liebe, gib mir dein glück! Litany Deep is the sadness that gloomily comes over me, Again I step, Lord, in your house. Long was the journey, my limbs are weary, The shrines are empty, only anguish is full. My thirsty tongue desires wine. The battle was hard, my arm is stiff. Grudge peace to my staggering steps, for my hungry gums break your bread! Weak is my breath, calling the dream, my hands are hollow, my mouth fevers. Lend your coolness, douse the fires, rub out hope, send the light! Still active flames are glowing inside my heart; in my deepest insides a cry awakens. Kill the longing, close the wound! Take love away from me, and give me your happiness! Entrückung Ich fühle luft von anderem planeten. Mir blassen durch das dunkel die gesichter Die freundlich eben noch sich zu mir drehten. Und bäum und wege die ich liebte fahlen Dass ich sie kaum mehr kenne und du lichter Geliebter schatten—rufer meiner qualen— Bist nun erloschen ganz in tiefern gluten Um nach dem taumel streitenden getobes Mit einem frommen schauer anzumuten. Ich löse mich in tönen, kreisend, webend, Ungründigen danks und unbenamten lobes Dem grossen atem wunschlos mich ergebend. Mich überfährt ein ungestümes wehen Im rausch der weihe wo inbrünstige schreie In staub geworfner beterinnen flehen: Dann seh ich wie sich duftige nebel lüpfen In einer sonnerfüllten klaren freie Die nur umfängt auf fernsten bergesschlüpfen. Der boden schüffert weiss und weich wie molke. Ich steige über schluchten ungeheuer. Ich fühle wie ich über letzter wolke In einem meer kristallnen glanzes schwimme— Ich bin ein funke nur vom heiligen feuer Ich bin ein dröhnen nur der heiligen stimme. Rapture I feel air from another planet. The faces that once turned to me in friendship Pale in the darkness before me. And trees and paths that I once loved fade away So that I scarcely recognize them, and you bright Beloved shadow—summoner of my anguish— Are now extinguished completely in deeper flames In order, after the frenzy of warring confusion, To reappear in a pious display of awe. I lose myself in tones, circling, weaving, With unfathomable thanks and unnamable praise; Bereft of desire, I surrender myself to the great breath. A tempestuous wind overwhelms me In the ecstasy of consecration where the fervent cries Of women praying in the dust implore: Then I see a filmy mist rising In a sun-filled, open expanse That includes only the farthest mountain retreats. The land looks white and smooth like whey. I climb over enormous ravines. I feel like I am swimming above the furthest cloud In a sea of crystal radiance— I am only a spark of the holy fire I am only a whisper of the holy voice.

String Quartet No. 3, op. 30

Schoenberg's Third String Quartet dates from 1927, after he had worked out the basic principles of his

twelve-tone technique The twelve-tone technique—also known as dodecaphony, twelve-tone serialism, and (in British usage) twelve-note composition—is a method of musical composition first devised by Austrian composer Josef Matthias Hauer, who published his "law o ...

. Schoenberg had followed the "fundamental classicistic procedure" by modeling this work on

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wo ...

's String Quartet in A minor, Op. 29, without intending in any way to recall Schubert's composition. There is evidence that Schoenberg regarded his 12-tone sets—independent of rhythm and register—as motivic in the commonly understood sense, and this has been demonstrated with particular reference to the second movement of this quartet.Peles, Stephen. "Interpretations of Sets in Multiple Dimensions: Notes on the Second Movement of Arnold Schoenberg's String Quartet Number 3". ''

Perspectives of New Music ''Perspectives of New Music'' (PNM) is a peer-reviewed academic journal specializing in music theory and analysis. It was established in 1962 by Arthur Berger and Benjamin Boretz (who were its initial editors-in-chief). ''Perspectives'' was firs ...

'', 22, nos. 1 & 2 (Fall/Winter 1983 – Spring/Summer 1984): 303–52. pp. 303–304. The piece was commissioned by Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge on March 2, 1927, though the work had already been completed by this time, and its première was given in Vienna on September 19, 1927, by the

Kolisch Quartet The Kolisch Quartet was a string quartet musical ensemble founded in Vienna, originally (early 1920s) as the New Vienna String Quartet for the performance of Schoenberg's works, and (by 1927) settling to the form in which it was later known. It ha ...

. The string quartet is in four movements:

String Quartet No. 4, op. 37

The Fourth String Quartet of 1936 is very much representative of Schoenberg's late style. The slow movement opens with a long unison

recitative Recitative (, also known by its Italian name "''recitativo''" ()) is a style of delivery (much used in operas, oratorios, and cantatas) in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms and delivery of ordinary speech. Recitative does not repeat ...

in all four instruments while the finale has the character of a march, similar to the last movement of Schoenberg's Violin Concerto written about the same time. The string quartet is in four movements:

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Schoenberg, Arnold Compositions for string quartet

String quartets The term string quartet can refer to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two violinist ...

Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (, ; ; 13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian-American composer, music theorist, teacher, writer, and painter. He is widely considered one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. He was as ...

Classical musical works published posthumously Compositions that use extended techniques 1905 compositions 1908 compositions 1927 compositions 1936 compositions