The Juilliard String Quartet performing in 1963.

A string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string instruments — usually two violins, a viola and cello — or a piece written to be performed by such a group. The string quartet is one of the most prominent chamber ensembles in classical music. The Juilliard String Quartet, resident quartet of the Library of Congress. ... The Juilliard String Quartet, resident quartet of the Library of Congress. ... The Juilliard String Quartet is a classical music string quartet founded in 1946 at the Juilliard School in New York. ... A musical ensemble is a group of two or more musicians who perform instrumental or vocal music. ... A string instrument (or stringed instrument) is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. ... For the Anne Rice novel, see Violin (novel). ... For other uses, see Viola (disambiguation). ... This article is about the stringed musical instrument. ... Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. ... This article is about Western art music from 1000 AD to the present. ...

Background

Although any combination of four string instruments can literally be called a "string quartet", in practice the term refers to a group consisting of two violins (the "first", which usually plays the melody line in the higher register of notes, and the "second" violin, which plays lower notes in harmony), one viola and one cello. Should a composer create music for four other string instruments — for instance, three violins and a bass, or violin, viola, cello and guitar — the instrumentation is indicated specifically. The standard string quartet is widely seen as one of the most important forms in chamber music, with most major composers, from the late 18th century onwards, writing string quartets. For the Anne Rice novel, see Violin (novel). ... For other uses, see Viola (disambiguation). ... This article is about the stringed musical instrument. ... Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ...

A composition for four players of stringed instruments may be in any form, but traditionally, the term String Quartet (with or without a subtitle) was usually in four movements, with a large-scale structure similar to that of a symphony. The outer movements were typically fast, the inner movements in classical quartet consisting of a slow movement and a dance movement of some sort (e.g., minuet, scherzo, furiant), in either order. Despite some notable examples to the contrary, the twentieth century saw this structure being increasingly abandoned by composers, although substantial modifications to the typical structure were already achieved in Beethoven's later quartets. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A minuet, sometimes spelled menuet, is a social dance of French origin for two persons, usually in 3/4 time. ... A scherzo (plural scherzi) is a name given to a piece of music or a movement from a larger piece such as a symphony. ...

Many other chamber groups can be seen as modifications of the string quartet, such as the piano quintet, which is a string quartet with an added piano; the string quintet, which is a string quartet with an extra viola, cello or double bass; the string trio, which contains one violin, a viola, and a cello; and the piano quartet, a string quartet with one of the violins replaced by a piano. A piano quintet is a chamber musical ensemble made up of one piano and four other instruments, or the name of a piece written for such a group. ... Pianoforte redirects here. ... A string quintet is an ensemble of five string instrument players or a piece written for such a combination. ... A string trio is a group of three string instruments or a piece written for such a group. ... A piano quartet is a musical ensemble consisting of a piano and three other instruments, or a piece written for such a group. ...

History

The form first came to be used after the middle of the 18th century. Joseph Haydn's first works for string quartet have five movements and resemble the divertimento (a title which they carried in some editions) or serenade, but the opus 9 quartets of 1769–70 are in the form which was to become standard both for Haydn and for other composers: four movements; a fast movement, a slow movement, a minuet and trio and a fast finale. Because his example helped codify a form that originated in the Baroque suite, Haydn is often referred to as "the father of the string quartet." Haydn occasionally played his quartets on social occasions in an impromptu quartet ensemble of which Mozart was also a member. (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Haydn redirects here. ... Divertimento is a music genre, with most of its examples stemming from the 18th century. ... Serenade by Judith Leyster. ... In music, a suite is an organized set of instrumental or orchestral pieces normally performed at a single sitting, as a separate musical performance, not accompanying an opera, ballet, or theater-piece. ... “Mozart” redirects here. ...

Ever since Haydn's day, the string quartet has been prestigious, and considered a true test of the classical composer's art. This may be partly due to the fact that the palette of sound is more restricted than with orchestral music, forcing the music to stand more on its own rather than relying on tonal color; or from the inherently contrapuntal tendency in music written for four equal instruments. For other uses, see Orchestra (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Counterpoint (disambiguation). ...

Quartet composition flourished in the Classical era, with both Mozart and Beethoven writing famous series of quartets to set alongside Haydn's. A slight slackening in the pace of quartet composition occurred in the 19th century; here, a curious phenomenon was seen in composers who wrote only one quartet, perhaps to show that they could fully command this hallowed genre. With the onset of the Modern era of classical music, the quartet returned to full popularity among composers, and played a key role in the development of Arnold Schoenberg, Bela Bartok, and Dmitri Shostakovich especially. Most recently, the quartets of Elliot Carter, which span the length of his long and illustrious career, have been highly admired. The Classical period in Western music occurred from about 1730 through 1820, despite considerable overlap at both ends with preceding and following periods, as is true for all musical eras. ... “Mozart” redirects here. ... “Beethoven” redirects here. ... Arnold Schoenberg, Los Angeles, 1948 Arnold Schoenberg (pronounced [ˈaːrnÉ”lt ˈʃøːnbÉ›rk]) (13 September 1874 – 13 July 1951) was an Austrian and later American composer, associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School. ... B la Bart k (March 25, 1881 – September 26, 1945) was a composer, pianist and collector of East European folk music. ... Dmitri Shostakovich in 1942 Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich   (Russian: , Dmitrij Dmitrievič Å ostakovič) (September 25 [O.S. September 12] 1906 – August 9, 1975) was a Russian composer of the Soviet period. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ...

Important string quartets

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Some of the most popular or widely acclaimed works for string quartet written between the 18th century and the 1980s, include: Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ...

• Joseph Haydn's 68 string quartets, especially the inventive Op. 33 set of six and the six late Erdody Quartets, Op. 76.
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's 23 string quartets: the six he dedicated to Haydn in particular (K. 387, 421, 428, 458, 464, 465, Opus 10) are often considered to be among the best of the "classical" quartet form.
• The sixteen quartets of Ludwig van Beethoven are highly acclaimed and considered the most perfect among string quartets^{[citation needed]}. The String Quartets Nos. 1-6, Opus 18 are thought to demonstrate his total mastery of the classical string quartet as developed by Haydn and Mozart. The next three, the Razumovsky Quartets greatly expanded the form and incorporated a new degree of emotional sensitivity and drama. These were followed by Opus 74 "Harp" and Opus 95 "Serioso". Finally, the late quartets, which include his last five quartets and the Große Fuge, are the composer's last completed works. Though these works are widely considered to be among the greatest musical compositions ever written, their uncompromising intellectual complexity and their apparent rejection of the romantic pathos which pervades Beethoven's middle period both ensure that they remain considerably less popular than the Razumovsky quartets^{[citation needed]}.
• Franz Schubert's String Quartet No. 14 in D Minor "Death and the Maiden". Also his String Quartet No. 13 in A Minor "Rosamunde" and his final String Quartet No. 15 in G Major
• The six string quartets of Felix Mendelssohn, including his final String Quartet No. 6 composed after the death of his sister
• The three string quartets of Robert Schumann
• Peter Tchaikovsky's String Quartet No. 1 in D Major, Op. 11, especially the second movement "Andante cantabile."
• Bedřich Smetana's String Quartet No. 1 in E Minor "From my Life"
• The three quartets by Johannes Brahms
• Antonín Dvořák's "American" String Quartet No. 12 in F Major
• Alexander Borodin's String Quartet No. 2 in D Major, especially the third movement "Notturno."
• Claude Debussy's String Quartet in G Minor, op. 10
• The four string quartets by Arnold Schoenberg
• Maurice Ravel's String Quartet in F Major
• Jean Sibelius's Quartet in D minor "Voces intimae", Op.56
• Leoš Janáček's String Quartet No. 1 "Kreutzer Sonata", inspired by Tolstoy's The Kreutzer Sonata, which in turn was inspired by Beethoven's Violin Sonata No. 9, the "Kreutzer Sonata."
• Frank Bridge's String Quartet No. 3
• The six string quartets by Béla Bartók
• Alban Berg's Lyric Suite, originally composed for string quartet
• Anton Webern's early Five Movements for String Quartet, Op. 5 and later serial String Quartet, op. 28
• The eight surviving string quartets by Bohuslav Martinů (Nos. 1-7 and the unnumbered "Three Horsemen") as well as his Concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra
• The two string quartets by Sergei Prokofiev, the first one being commissioned by the Library of Congress
• The fifteen string quartets of Dmitri Shostakovich, especially String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 110
• Elliott Carter's five string quartets are among the most widely acclaimed series in recent years
• Samuel Barber's String Quartet Op. 11, especially the second movement, which is commonly heard in its string orchestra arrangement, the Adagio for Strings
• György Ligeti's String Quartet No. 2 (1968)
• Henri Dutilleux's Ainsi la Nuit (1976)

Haydn redirects here. ... “Mozart” redirects here. ... “Beethoven” redirects here. ... Ludwig van Beethovens Opus 18, published in 1801 by T. Mollo et Comp in Vienna, consisted of his first six string quartets. ... The three Rasumovsky (or: Razumovsky) String Quartets, Opus 59, are the quartets Ludwig van Beethoven wrote in 1805-1806, as a result of a commission by prince Andreas Razumovsky: String Quartet No. ... Beethoven composed two more quartets between the three Rasumovsky quartets (1806) and the set of last string quartets he composed in the last years of his life (1825-1826): String Quartet No. ... The following set is generally referred to as Beethovens late string quartets, including the Grosse Fuge (which also exists in a piano transcription, opus 134): Opus 127: String Quartet No. ... The Große Fuge is a single-movement composition for string quartet by Ludwig van Beethoven famous for its extreme technical demands on the players as well as for its unrelentingly introspective nature, even by the standards of his late period. ... Schubert redirects here. ... The Death and the Maiden Quartet, written in 1824 by Franz Schubert, just after the composer became aware of his ruined health, and D. 810 in Otto Erich Deutschs thematic catalog of Schuberts works, is a string quartet in four movements: Allegro, in D minor and common time... The String Quartet No. ... The String Quartet No. ... Felix Mendelssohn wrote six numbered string quartets which were published during his lifetime: String Quartet No. ... Portrait of Mendelssohn by the English miniaturist James Warren Childe (1778-1862), 1839 Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, born and generally known as Felix Mendelssohn (February 3, 1809 – November 4, 1847) is a German composer, pianist and conductor of the early Romantic period. ... The String Quartet No. ... For other persons named Robert Schumann, see Robert Schumann (disambiguation). ... “Tchaikovsky” redirects here. ... String Quartet No. ... Portrait of BedÅ™ich Smetana BedÅ™ich Smetana (pronounced ; 2 March 1824 - 12 May 1884) was a Czech composer. ... BedÅ™ich Smetanas String Quartet No. ... Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (May 7, 1833 – April 3, 1897) was a German composer of the Romantic period. ... Antonín Dvořák Antonín Leopold Dvořák ( , (often pronounced in English as ) ; September 8, 1841 – May 1, 1904) was a Czech composer of Romantic music, who employed the idioms and melodies of the folk music of his native Bohemia and Moravia. ... The String Quartet No. ... Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin (Russian: , Aleksandr Porfirevič Borodin) (31 Oct. ... The String Quartet No. ... Claude Debussy, photo by Félix Nadar, 1908. ... Claude Debussy wrote his sole String Quartet in G minor, opus 10 in 1893. ... The Austrian composer Arnold Schönberg published four string quartets, distributed over his lifetime. ... Arnold Schoenberg, Los Angeles, 1948 Arnold Schoenberg (pronounced [ˈaːrnÉ”lt ˈʃøːnbÉ›rk]) (13 September 1874 – 13 July 1951) was an Austrian and later American composer, associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School. ... Maurice Ravel. ... Ravel completed his Quartet in F major in early April of 1903 at the age of 28. ... Sibelius redirects here. ... LeoÅ¡ Janáček in 1928 LeoÅ¡ Janáček ( ; July 3, 1854 in Hukvaldy, Moravia, then Austrian empire – August 12, 1928 in Ostrava, then Czechoslovakia) was a Czech composer. ... Coat of arms of the Tolstoy family Tolstoy, or Tolstoi (Russian: ) is a prominent family of Russian nobility, descending from one Andrey Kharitonovich Tolstoy (i. ... The Kreutzer Sonata is a novella by Leo Tolstoy, published in 1889 and promptly censored by the Russian authorities. ... “Beethoven” redirects here. ... Violin Sonata No. ... Frank Bridge (February 26, 1879 – January 10, 1941) was an English composer. ... The Hungarian composer Béla Bartók wrote six string quartets, each for the usual force of two violins, viola and cello. ... Bartok redirects here. ... Bust of Alban Berg at Schiefling, Carinthia, Austria Alban Maria Johannes Berg (February 9, 1885 – December 24, 1935) was an Austrian composer. ... Lyric Suite is a six-movement work for string quartet written by Alban Berg between 1925 and 1926. ... Anton Webern (December 3, 1883 – September 15, 1945) was an Austrian composer and conductor. ... For other uses of serial or serialism, see Serial (disambiguation). ... The String Quartet by Anton Webern is written for the standard string quartet group of two violins, viola and cello. ... Portrait of Martinů Bohuslav Martinů ( ; December 8, 1890—August 28, 1959) was a prolific Bohemian Czech composer, who wrote six symphonies, 15 operas, 14 ballet scores and a large body of orchestral, chamber, vocal and instrumental works. ... Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev (Russian: , Sergej Sergejevič Prokofijev; April 27 (April 151 O.S.), 1891–March 5, 1953) was a Russian and Soviet composer who mastered numerous musical genres and came to be admired as one of the greatest composers of the 20th century. ... Sergei Prokofiev wrote his String Quartet No. ... Dmitri Shostakovich in 1942 Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich   (Russian: , Dmitrij Dmitrievič Å ostakovič) (September 25 [O.S. September 12] 1906 – August 9, 1975) was a Russian composer of the Soviet period. ... The String Quartet No. ... Elliott Cook Carter, Jr. ... Samuel Barber, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1944 Samuel Osborne Barber II (March 9, 1910 – January 23, 1981) was an American composer of classical music ranging from orchestral, to opera, choral, and piano music. ... Samuel Barber, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1944 Adagio for Strings is a work for string orchestra, arranged by the American composer Samuel Barber from his first string quartet. ... “Ligeti” redirects here. ... György Ligetis String Quartet No. ... Henri Dutilleux (born January 22, 1916 in Angers, France) is one of the most important French composers of the second half of the 20th century, producing work in the tradition of Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy, and Albert Roussel, but in a style distinctly his own. ...

String quartets (ensembles)

For the purposes of performance, groups of string players sometimes group together to make ad hoc string quartets. Other groups continue playing together for many years, sometimes changing their members but retaining their name. Well-known string quartets can be found on the list of string quartet ensembles.

String Quartet Form

Perhaps the most influential of all String Quartet composers, Haydn, set out the main form for the String Quartet.

• 1st movement: Sonata Form, Allegro and in the tonic key,
• 2nd movement: Slow, in the Subdominant Key,
• 3rd movement: Minuet and Trio, in the Tonic Key,
• 4th movement: Sonata-Rondo form, in the Tonic Key.

(In the 19th century and onwards, this structure, tonal and otherwise, was increasingly abandoned.)

See also

• String trio
• String sextet
• String quintet
• List of string quartet composers
• List of string quartet ensembles

A string trio is a group of three string instruments or a piece written for such a group. ... In classical music, a string sextet is a composition written for six string instruments, or a group of six musicians who perform such a composition. ... A string quintet is an ensemble of five string instrument players or a piece written for such a combination. ... // Giovanni Battista Sammartini (ca. ...

Further reading

• David Blum (1986). The Art of Quartet Playing: The Guarneri Quartet in Conversation with David Blum, New York: Alfred A. Knopf Inc. ISBN 0-394-53985-0,
• Arnold Steinhardt (1998).Indivisible by four, Farrar, Straus Giroux. ISBN 0-374-52700-8
• Edith Eisler (2000). 21st-Century String Quartets, String Letter Publishing. ISBN 1-890490-15-6
• Paul Griffiths (1983). The String Quartet: A History, New York: Thames and Hudson. ISBN 0-500-01311-X
• David Rounds (1999), The Four & the One: In Praise of String Quartets, Fort Bragg, CA: Lost Coast Press. ISBN 1-882897-26-9.
• Robin Stowell, ed (2003) The Cambridge Companion to the String Quartet, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-00042-4. A general guide to the history of string quartet ensembles, their repertory, and performance.

Arnold Steinhardt is a violinist who is best known as the first violin of the Guarneri String Quartet. ...

External links

• Official site of the Russian string Quartet "SKAZ"
• Greg Sandow - Introducing String Quartets
• A brief history of the development of the String Quartet up to Beethoven
• Beethoven's string quartets
• Art of the States: string quartet works for string quartet by American composers
• String Quartet Sound-bites from lesser known composers E.G. Onslow, Viotti, Rheinberger, Gretchaninov, A.Taneyev, Kiel, Busoni & many more.