Sergei Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, ...

's String Quartet No. 2 in F Major, Op. 92 (1941) was first performed by the

Beethoven Quartet The Beethoven Quartet (russian: Струнный квартет имени Бетховена, ''Strunnyĭ kvartet imeni Betkhovena'') was a string quartet founded between 1922 and 1923 by graduates of the Moscow Conservatory: violinists Dmitri Tsy ...

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

on 7 April 1942. A later concert in Moscow, on 5 September 1942, was delayed by a

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

air raid and started late. Prokofiev thought it "an extremely turbulent success." The string quartet, lasting for 20–25 minutes, is in three movements.

Background

Prokofiev, along with other Soviet artists, was evacuated from the major cities when the Nazis broke their

non-aggression pact A non-aggression pact or neutrality pact is a treaty between two or more states/countries that includes a promise by the signatories not to engage in military action against each other. Such treaties may be described by other names, such as a tr ...

and invaded the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

in 1941. On August 8, 1941, Prokofiev traveled to Nalchik with other artists, among them his friend, musician

Nikolai Myaskovsky Nikolai Yakovlevich Myaskovsky or Miaskovsky or Miaskowsky (russian: Никола́й Я́ковлевич Мяско́вский; pl, Mikołaj Miąskowski, syn Jakóbowy; 20 April 18818 August 1950), was a Russian and Soviet composer. He is som ...

, actors, such as Anton Chekhov's widow, and others. Prokofiev stayed in the town of Nalchik, the provincial capital of the Kabardino-Balkar Autonomous SSR, in the

North Caucasus The North Caucasus, ( ady, Темыр Къафкъас, Temır Qafqas; kbd, Ишхъэрэ Къаукъаз, İṩxhərə Qauqaz; ce, Къилбаседа Кавказ, Q̇ilbaseda Kavkaz; , os, Цӕгат Кавказ, Cægat Kavkaz, inh, ...

, about 900 miles south of Moscow (bordered by the European Russia, Turkey, and the Black and Caspian Seas). During this stay, Prokofiev was told by a government official to write a quartet using Kabardino-Balkar folk themesBaron, John H. (1998). , p. 401 and wrote this string quartet, with themes based on folk tunes, rhythms and textures. This quartet, along with the first, has entered the repertory of many

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 ...

Movements

#'' Allegro sostenuto'' #'' Adagio'' #'' Allegro''

Analysis

Prokofiev utilized Kabardino-Balkar folk themes in his string quartet, while at the same retaining his unique style of harmonization. The folk music character is made evident by the string quartet's imitation of oriental plucked and percussion instruments, combined with resourceful use of sonic effects. The background accompaniment in the second movement attempts to imitate the playing of the

kamancheh The kamancheh (also kamānche or kamāncha) ( fa, کمانچه, az, kamança, hy, Քամանչա, ku, کەمانچە ,kemançe) is an Iranian bowed string instrument used in Persian, Azerbaijani, Armenian, Kurdish, Georgian, Turkmen, a ...

, a stringed instrument played by Caucasians.

, Prokofiev's close friend, wrote two works on Kabardino-Balkar themes, his 23rd symphony and 7th string quartet. The symphony shares a theme with the finale of Prokofiev's quartet.

Recommended Recordings

*Prokofiev: String Quartets Nos. 1 and 2; Cello Sonata / Aurora Quartet / 1994 / Naxos Records *Shostakovich: String Quartets Nos. 3 and No. 7; Prokofiev: String Quartet No. 2 / The Kopelman Quartet / Nimbus Records

References

External links

Prokofiev's String Quartet No. 2 on Classical Connect.
*
Video - Prokofiev String Quartet No 2 - Complete (22:24).
*

Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, p ...