janzen@angora.DEC (Tom J. LMO4-2/B5 279-5421) (10/23/85)
Here is an incomplete bibliography of string quartets. My resources included my score collection, the harvard dictionary of Music, the Oxford Companion to Music, Ewen's Dictionary of Composers and their Music, The Edition Peters Contemporary Music Catalogue, and my record collection. I see in the paper that there is a new books about this: Griffiths, The String Quartet, a History String quartets for Violin I, Violin II, Viola, and Cello Early contributors to the ensemble (not to the modern form and rhetoric) Allegri (1582-1652); Scarllatii (1659-1725); Tartini (1692-1770); Sammartini (1701-1775); F X Richter (1709-1789) The generation of Haydn: Pugnani,Boccherini (102 quartets),Canales, Stamitz,Gyrowetz (60 quartets) Franz Joseph Haydn wrote 83 quartets. Op 1, Op 2 are in suite form. Op 3 (1-6) are a transition to true balanced, interative writing. #5's serenade is famous. Haydn Opus 5 #2 Op 20:1-6 Sun Quartets artsy balanced quartets. Op 33:1-6 The Mozart-influenced "Russian Quartets" Op 33 called Gli scherzi becuase the usual minuet was replaced with a scherzo. -2 "The Joke " has 2 and 4 bar rests to catch talkers in the audience #3 Called "The Bird" for the grace notes. The slow movement is very moving 1787 Op 50:1-6 "Prussian Quartets." Second subjects are varations of the first subjects in the first movements. -4 has a fugue as a finale -6 "The Frog" (repeated notes ) 1790 Op 54,55,64 (12 qtts in total) Tost Quartets for Johann Tost Op 64-#5 "The Lark" 1799 Op 76 1-6 for count Erdody 1799 The best most serious quartets he wrote. -2 best in d "Quinten", i.e., "Fifths" -3 "Emprorer" Uses the Austrian national anthem in the 2nd movement (in variation form) -5 "Largo" slow movement is amazing Mozart #1 K. 80 in G @ age 14, a suite a la Sammartini K155-160 (1773) Italy K168-173 (1773) Vienna) The "Haydn" quartetss by Mozart 1782-1785 #4 K458 Bb "Hunt " starts with horn calls 6 K 465 C Dissonant quartet ambiguous opening 1 K387 G 2 K421 d harmonically daring first movement 3 K428 Eb 5 K464 A structured K 499 D 1786 Prussian Group 1790 K575 D "cello" prminent cello K589 Bb rhythmic K 590 F Ludwig van Beethoven 1800 Op 18 1-6 Lobkowitz (prince) Op 18-2 The Compliments Op18-1 F 3- D 1806 Op 59 1-3 Rasoumovsky (Russian ambassador to Austria) -1 All 4 movements in sonata form "cello" -3 "Hero" C 1809 Op 74 Eb "Harp" Op 95 1810 "Serious" The late quartets Opus 133 November 1825 Opus 135 Oct 1826 Op 127 Eb Feb 1825 Op 130 Bb November 1825 (Grosse Fuge Op 133 was original last movement) Op 131 c# July 1826 132 a August 1825 in F Franz Schubert wrote 15 qtts in the period 1813-1826. 1824-1826: Op 29 (a) 1824 in d, "Death and the Maiden" (second movement uses his song) Op 161 in G "Satz" in c 1820 Mendelssohn Op 12, 1829 in b and 5 others Brahms wrote 3 excellent works Op 51 (1873) #1 in c #2 in a Op 67 1875 Borodin 1881 (theme used in Kismet Q in D #2 Dvorak Op 96 1893 USA 8 qtts 1874-95 Debussy g 1893 Franck 1889, in d D'Indy Op 35, 1891 Op 45 1898, Op 96, 1930 Gershwin Lullaby Arnold Schoenberg #1 1905 in d; #2 1907 F #3 Op 30 1927 #4 Op 37 1936 a favorite of misguided serial analysis students Charles Ives #1 1896, #2 1913 typical Ives; very energetic and dissonant Ravel 1903 in F Bartok #1 1908,#2 1917,#3 1927 (very modern and exploring of string technique) #4 1928, 5 1934, 6 1939 (severe and mature) Sibelius "Voces Intimae" 1909 Anton Webern 5 Pieces Opus 5 1909, Very Modern and VERY short and delicate 6 Bagatelles Op 9 1913; same comment as Opus 5. Measure time in seconds. Opus 28 (1938) String Quartet Stravinsky 3 pieces 1914; poly rhythmic, very short, direct and an interesting use of almost repetition Concertino 1920, Double Canon 1959 Janacek #1, #2 Nepomuceno #3 1956 Alban Berg Lyric Suite 1926; a masterpiece of the century; Berg's version of serialism. I heard Julliard live years ago. They weren't personally involved in what they were doing. It is very personal a work. Shostokovich Opus 57 1940? Malipiero Rispetti di Strombotti ca 1882 Leon Kirchner #1,1949; #2,1958 #3 1967 w tape, Weinberg #2 1964 Villa-Lobos #17 1957 George Crumb Black Angeles 13 images from the dark land 1970; The quartet is amplified, I think. It is a very fine work of symbolist music; it is poly-idiomatic and one of his two good works. Penderecki, 1960:1(one movement, very short, explores string sound techniques), #2 (short movement) Xenakis ST/4-1.080262. calculated in 1962 on an IBM 7090 stocastic. Elgar 1918 Hindemith wrote 7 quartets Opus 10 ca 1920 3 Op 16 1922 4 Op 22 1922 5 Op 32 1924 polytonal passages 6 1944 7 1945 Prokofieff #1, in b 1930 Opus 50 #2, in F 1941 Op 92, folk influences from the east caucases Milton Babbitt #3,#4 Ross Lee Finney #1-4 Rafael KUbelik #2,#5 Otto Luening #2,#3 Roger Reynolds #2 Seymour Shifrin #2,#3,#4,#5 Christian Wolff 1975 String Quartet Exercises Out of Songs Carter #1:1951; #2,1959; I think it one all kinds of international prizes, such as the Pulitzer. It's about 20 minutes or less long, and pretty severe and dense atonal counterpoint #3,1971 Elaine Barkin 1969 Elizabeth Maconchy No 5 1958 Ruth Porter Crawford Seeger String Quartet 1931 a modern masterpiece of innovative writing. Making new sounds out of old techniques Adler #4 Barber Op 11 Bergsma 1921 Berger 1912 Block #1-4 Bridge #3 Swell, Homage to Iran 1959 Movement Mosaic David Diamond #4 Peter Griffith One String Quartet Alois Haba (Moravian) #14 Op 94 in quartet tones; Op 98 #15 in fifth tones Imbrie #2 Ligeti #2 1968 Maw 1935 Tippett #'s 1,2,3 Reger Op 54, 74, 109, 121 Cage String Quartet in 4 parts 1950; semi tonal, slow, minimalist. also: Lutoslawski, Mayuzumi, Milhaud Tom Janzen Digital Equipment 150 Locke Marlboro MA 01752