The String Quartets of Beethoven

The String Quartets of Beethoven
Author: William Kinderman
Publisher: University of Illinois Press
Total Pages: 361
Release: 2010-10-01
Genre: Music
ISBN: 0252091620

"We do not understand music--it understands us." This aphorism by Theodor W. Adorno expresses the quandary and the fascination many listeners have felt in approaching Beethoven's late quartets. No group of compositions occupies a more central position in chamber music, yet the meaning of these works continues to stimulate debate. William Kinderman's The String Quartets of Beethoven stands as the most detailed and comprehensive exploration of the subject. It collects new work by leading international scholars who draw on a variety of historical sources and analytical approaches to offer fresh insights into the aesthetics of the quartets, probing expressive and structural features that have hitherto received little attention. This volume also includes an appendix with updated information on the chronology and sources of the quartets and a detailed bibliography.

Complete String Quartets

Complete String Quartets
Author: Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky
Publisher: Courier Corporation
Total Pages: 243
Release: 1994-01-01
Genre: Music
ISBN: 048628333X

Although the string quartet was a rarely used form in 19th-century Russia, Tchaikovsky and Borodin both produced superb, inventive compositions in the genre. Tchaikovsky's "String Quartet No. 1" in D, Op. 11, is notable for its imaginative freshness and world-famous "Andante cantabile" movement. His "Quartet No. 2" in F, Op. 22, displays remarkable fluency and skilled craftsmanship, while "Quartet No. 3" in F-flat Minor, Op. 30, combines austerity with deeply felt intensity and vigor. Borodin's two string quartets are characterized by his impeccable craftsmanship and expert understanding and use of his instruments. The popular "String Quartet" No. 2 is especially known for the luxuriant richness of its third movement "Nocturne." Now all five works are available in this handsome, inexpensive edition. Reprinted from authoritative scores.

The Four and the One

The Four and the One
Author: David Rounds
Publisher:
Total Pages: 222
Release: 1999
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN:

Spotlighting the four women of the Lafayette Quartet, a leading Canadian ensemble, Rounds offers both a comprehensive history of the beloved instrumental form and an inside view of the complex world of professional quartet players, revealing the exultation and heatache that are the performing artists' daily fare. A treat for every music lover, whether player, listener or composer.

Beethoven for a Later Age

Beethoven for a Later Age
Author: Edward Dusinberre
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Total Pages: 145
Release: 2016-01-19
Genre: Music
ISBN: 0571317154

'They are not for you but for a later age!' Ludwig van Beethoven, on the Opus 59 quartets. Tackling the Beethoven quartets is a rite of passage that has shaped the Takács Quartet's work together for over forty years. Using the history of the composition and first performances of the quartets as the backbone to his story, Edward Dusinberre, first violinist of the Takács since 1993 - recounts the life of the Quartet from its inception in Hungary, through emigration to the US and its present-day life as one of the world's renowned string quartets. He also describes what it was like for him, as a young man fresh out of the Juilliard School, to join the Quartet as its first non-Hungarian member - an exhilarating challenge. Beethoven for a Later Age takes the reader inside the life of a quartet, vividly showing how four people enjoy making music together over a long period of time. The key, the author argues, is in balancing continuity with change and experimentation - a theme that also lies at the heart of Beethoven's remarkable compositions.

The Cambridge Companion to the String Quartet

The Cambridge Companion to the String Quartet
Author: Robin Stowell
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 672
Release: 2003-11-13
Genre: Music
ISBN: 1139826549

This Companion offers a concise and authoritative survey of the string quartet by eleven chamber music specialists. Its fifteen carefully structured chapters provide coverage of a stimulating range of perspectives previously unavailable in one volume. It focuses on four main areas: the social and musical background to the quartet's development; the most celebrated ensembles; string quartet playing, including aspects of contemporary and historical performing practice; and the mainstream repertory, including significant 'mixed ensemble' compositions involving string quartet. Various musical and pictorial illustrations and informative appendixes, including a chronology of the most significant works, complete this indispensable guide. Written for all string quartet enthusiasts, this Companion will enrich readers' understanding of the history of the genre, the context and significance of quartets as cultural phenomena, and the musical, technical and interpretative problems of chamber music performance. It will also enhance their experience of listening to quartets in performance and on recordings.

The Beethoven Quartet Companion

The Beethoven Quartet Companion
Author: Robert Winter
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Total Pages: 324
Release: 1994
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780520082113

"Reading The Beethoven Quartet Companion made me want to listen to the quartets again from a new sociological as well as musical perspective. It is an invaluable guide not only for professional and amateur musicians but also for anyone who is curious about culture and wants to find out more."--Yo-Yo Ma "These essays are the most readable, useful, and well-informed commentary available today on these masterworks. Michael Steinberg's 'program notes' to each quartet, directed at once to the musical beginner and to the expert, are as eloquent and persuasive as popular writing about music can get. . . . His essays are followed by equally expert and accessible contributions by other masters on The Master, providing literate music lovers with the context and equipment for a richer enjoyment and clearer understanding of these sixteen unique conversations among two violins, a viola, and a cello."--David Littlejohn, author of The Ultimate Art: Essays Around and About Opera "A fine collection of essays to assist the music lover in the seemingly endless quest to illuminate the Beethoven string quartets."--Arnold Steinhardt, The Guarneri String Quartet "This book delivers on the implied promise of its title--it provides a lively, readable, and wide-ranging introduction to the quartets. Readers at many levels of experience will find it profitable."--Lewis Lockwood, author of Beethoven: Studies in the Creative Process

Complete String Quartets

Complete String Quartets
Author: Ludwig van Beethoven
Publisher: Performer's Edition
Total Pages: 342
Release: 2009-12-30
Genre: Music
ISBN: 1450518125

Beethoven followed in the footsteps of Haydn, father of the string quartet, and created what is now regarded as one of the finest collections of masterworks in the string quartet genre. From the early quartets, reminiscent of some of Mozart's quartets, to the soaring and emotional late quartets, these works have become favorites of both performers and audiences around the world. This collections includes the full scores for all 16 string quartets as well as the Grosse Fuge. Early String Quartets: String Quartet No. 1 in F Major (Op. 18, No. 1) String Quartet No. 2 in G Major (Op. 18, No. 2) String Quartet No. 3 in D Major (Op. 18, No. 3) String Quartet No. 4 in C minor (Op. 18, No 4) String Quartet No. 5 in A Major (Op. 18, No. 5) String Quartet No. 6 in Bb Major (Op. 18, No. 6) Middle String Quartets: String Quartet No. 7 in F Major (Op. 59, No. 1) String Quartet No. 8 in E minor (Op. 59, No. 2) String Quartet No. 9 in C Major (Op. 59, No. 3) String Quartet No. 10 in Eb Major "Harp" (Op. 74) String Quartet No. 11 in F minor "Serioso" (Op. 95) Late String Quartets: String Quartet No. 12 in Eb Major (Op. 129) String Quartet No. 13 in Bb Major (Op. 130) String Quartet No. 14 in C# minor (Op. 131) String Quartet No. 15 in A minor (Op. 132) String Quartet No. 16 in F Major (Op. 135) Grosse Fuge (Op. 133)

Cultivating String Quartets in Beethoven's Vienna

Cultivating String Quartets in Beethoven's Vienna
Author: Nancy November
Publisher:
Total Pages: 258
Release: 2017
Genre: Music
ISBN: 9781783272327

The first detailed contextual study of chamber music in Beethoven's Vienna, at a time when the string quartet reigned supreme among the different chamber genres