String Quartet Part 3: Mendelssohn Hensel to Villa-Lobos

We’ve talked about the history of the string quartet and its origins with Haydn in the Classical era (click here for that post). Then we explored some string quartets from composers like Mozart, Tchaikovsky, and Shostakovich (that post can be found here). For the third part in this series, I want to introduce you to some unique (and possibly lesser known) string quartets, starting with one of the most important female composers of the Romantic era.

Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel (1805-1847)

Even though Mendelssohn Hensel wrote over 400 pieces of music, she was very much suppressed as a composer because of her gender. However, modern interest in her has risen because she was actually an amazing composer. She only wrote one string quartet, but it’s full of complex beauty.

String Quartet in E-flat Major

Composed in 1834, this seemingly understated work packs in the emotion. The piece opens with several short musical ideas that are passed around the instruments like echoes, and the first movement is full of tension as a result of the changing harmonies and dramatic melody. The second movement is reminiscent of Baroque styling with its lilting and precise rhythms. The third movement is full of longing, while the final movement is bursting with energy.

Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904)

Yes, Dvořák‘s 12th string quartet is one of the most famous in the chamber repertoire. He composed it during his summer in America in 1893, and the work pulls from African-American and Native American folk music ideas.

String Quartet No. 12 in F major, Op. 96 “American”

The first movement opens with the cheerful, folk-like theme in the viola. The beautiful slow movement certainly recalls a combination of African-American spirituals and Native American ritual music. The third movement incorporates a bird-song motif in the high register of the first violin, and the final movement bursts out of a folk-dance theme before settling into a Czech-style hymn.

Bedřich Smetana( 1824-1884)

Smetana‘s first string quartet is an autobiography, and it was the first piece of chamber music to tell such an intimate story. Composed in 1876, Smetana was just beginning to accept his encroaching deafness. He described the work as “more or less a private composition, and therefore deliberately written for four instruments conversing among themselves about the things that torture me, and no more.”

String Quartet No. 1 in E minor, “From my Life”

The first movement captures Smetana’s romantic ideals through a dramatic beginning and a prominent viola solo. Smetana said, “The first movement depicts my youthful leanings toward art, the Romantic atmosphere, the inexpressible yearning for something I could neither express nor define, and also a kind of warning of my future misfortune.”

The second movement is reminiscent of happy childhood memories: “the joyful days of youth when [Smetana] composed dance tunes and was known everywhere as a passionate lover of dancing.” 

The composer said of the third movement: …”[it] reminds me of the happiness of my first love, the girl who later became my faithful wife.” This movement is a sort of theme and variations on two melodies with episodes of new music between each section.

The work ends with a journey into Smetana’s purpose in life as a composer – only to be interrupted by deafness (listen for the high, sustained E that represents the ringing in his ears before he lost his hearing). “The long, insistent note in the finale…is the fateful ringing in my ears of the high-pitched tones which, in 1874, announced the beginning of my deafness,” Smetana concluded.

Quotes found here.

Akira Nishimura (b. 1953)

Nishimura‘s music combines aspects of Asian traditional music, religion, and aesthetics to push the boundaries of contemporary music. His 2nd string quartet might not be enjoyable for everyone to listen to, but it demonstrates the string quartet’s ability to push you out of your comfort zone.

String Quartet No. 2, “Pulse of the Lights”

Nishimura composed this work in 1992, and boy is it completely modern (no more Haydn). The first movement starts with an explosion of dissonance coupled with unique instructions to the performers (such as direction to play specific notes behind the bridge of the instrument). The first two minutes or so are eerie – like a swarm of demon fireflies on Halloween – before settling into a strangely haunting chorale-like theme. The second movement incorporates the bursts of dissonance with counterpoint to create interesting effects (check out the section beginning at 10:46 for an example). The whole work is just bizarre, but it’s a valuable addition to this list of string quartets due to its innovative nature.

Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959)

To conclude this post, here is a string quartet by Brazilian composer Villa-Lobos. One of the best-known South American composers, he wrote over 2000 works during his lifetime, including 17 string quartets.

String Quartet No. 6, “Brazilian”

Composed in 1938, Villa-Lobos’s 6th string quartet incorporates elements of popular Brazilian music. It is regarded as his most nationalistic string quartet. (Read here for more on nationalism.) The first movement presents four contrasting sections to create a unique atmosphere. The second movement draws inspiration from the Brazilian genre known as the choro (an instrumental work full of virtuosity, improvisation, syncopation, counterpoint, and subtle modulations). The third movement combines counterpoint with atonality and Brazilian thematic ideas. The finale is full of energy and contrasting textures.