A journey into what it is, how it works, how to listen, and why the combination has inspired so many brilliant compositions.

The string quartet has been a fruitful vessel; a combination through which composers showcase their brilliance. Haydn was my catalyst. Well, he was EVERYONE's catalyst. He was the Father of the String Quartet.

The first movement of a string quartet I listened to with any attention was on a classical favourites anthology CD that we kept in the rack hidden in the centre console of the family car in my early teens. It was the finale of Haydn's famed Sunrise quartet (op 76 no 4). I cannot remember the name of the anthology or which quartet played it, but I was so jazzed everytime it played.

A few years later, one fateful Faculty Tuesday noonhour recital in Grusin hall at the University of Colorado at Boulder's College of Music, I had the honour of witnessing the Takács Quartet performing Beethoven's c# minor string quartet (Op 131). Now, I have heard a good handful of recordings of the quartet and a slightly more modest handful of live performances since then but, I must admit, NONE have ever been so connected, so in the moment, so honest, so real. At once, transparent and rich. I wept.

Since then, I've been enchanted by the string quartets of Schubert, Mendelssohn, Dvorak, Bartók, Ravel, Shostakovich, Martinu, Britten, Villa Lobos, Hindemith, Bloch, Carter, Glass, Schnittke...

What is it about two violins, viola, and 'cello? I will provide you with some resources to help you form an opinion or two.

We begin with an elementary introduction to the string quartet. Examples from Haydn, Mozart, Schubert, Wolf. Charming, novel, along the lines of Bernstein's Young People's Concerts but not so indepth.

 

Listening to Good Music: The String Quartet, featuring the Fine Arts Quartet (1955, Encyclopedia Brittanica)

 

 

If you have ever wondered about what goes on behind the scenes, grab a snack, a libation, and a comfy chair. This intimate portrait of an internationally renowned professional quartet's daily grind exposes the glamour and the nitty gritty of how they survive.

 

In the Mainstream: The Cleveland Quartet (1983, Dokumenta)

 

For keen listeners, our next selection features one of the most famous quartets of all time being played and picked apart with deep passion. The Alban Berg Quartet coaches the Artemis Quartet in their interpretation of Schubert's Death and the Maiden quartet. As an added bonus, the documentary also includes a performance of the famed Lied from soprano Julia Varady with baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau at the piano.

 

Death and the Maiden: The Alban Berg Quartet, Artemis Quartet, Julia Varady & Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (1996, EMI)

 

And finally, modern technology allows the Emerson Quartet to play with themselves.

 

Emerson String Quartet: Mendelssohn - The Octet (2005, Deutsche Grammophon)

Part I:

 

Part II:

 

Tune in every Wednesday for another episode of Mid-week Musicology on Classic107.com!