String Quartet No. 2 (Tchaikovsky)

Last updated

The String Quartet No. 2 in F major, Op. 22, by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, was composed between December 1873 and January 1874. It premiered on 22 March 1874. [1]

Contents

In October 1874, Tchaikovsky got on record as considering it his finest work: "I regard it as my best work; no other piece has poured forth from me so simply and easily. I wrote it almost at one sitting." (from letter to his brother Modest, quoted in reference [2] ). Also, later (quoted in the chapter '1879-1881'), "I wrote that music (Vakula) with affection and with delight, just as I did... the Second Quartet" (from letter to Nadezhda von Meck, ibid).

Structure

The string quartet is in four movements:

  1. Adagio – Moderato assai, quasi andantino (F major)
  2. Allegro giusto (D♭ major)
  3. Andante ma non tanto (F minor)
  4. Allegro con moto (F major)

The first movement starts with an 18-bar slow introduction without key signature in 6
8 time, with the character almost of a cadenza with increasingly rococo embellishment. This leads to the main body in 4
4 time.

The second movement is in a mixed meter. It mostly follows a pattern of 2 bars of 6
8 + 1 bar of 9
8 pattern, occasionally augmented to 3+1 and 4+1. After that, there is a A major middle section in 3
4 marked l'istesso tempo , followed by a return to the asymmetrical 2+1 complex tempo. As tension mounts at the end, the pattern is stretched to 14+1.

The third movement is in 3
4 time with a middle section marked pochissimo più moto.

The fourth movement is in 3
4 and is relatively uncomplicated.

Premiere and reports of its reception

From reference [3] (page 83): ‘The Quartet Op 22 was played by F. Laub, I. Grjymali, V. Fitzenhagen, and Y.-G. Gerber, at A. Rubinstein’s house. According to Kashkin, Rubinstein "with his usual bluntness declared that the style was not that of chamber music and that he could not understand it". The performers and other guests- Kashkin, Hubert, and Albrecht- were delighted with it.’

Also (ibid, p88) ‘Modest Tchaikovsky wrote a long letter to his brother on 24 October 1874, after having heard a rehearsal of the second quartet at the Davydovs and the first public performance. At the rehearsal Davydov said it was Tchaikovsky’s best work; Auer said that it had the force of Beethoven (according to Modest the only composer many Russians would listen to); Malozemova wanted to send a congratulatory telegram. During rehearsal Auer and Davydov disagreed over the tempo of the Scherzo, the former wanting it faster, the latter slower. In the end Davydov’s views prevailed and Modest found the slower tempo at the concert less than convincing. However, the slow movement was played marvellously, so that some of the audience called out ‘bis’ at its conclusion. The finale was absolutely convincing. Modest heard Rimsky-Korsakov unreservedly praising the work to Cui, as also the Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaievich to whom it was dedicated, and Count Litke.’

Tchaikovsky replied to Modest in a letter (29 October 1874): "I am glad that you, Malozemova and all those who sympathise, liked my quartet; I regard it as my best composition; none of my works flowed out of me so simply and easily. I wrote it practically at one go and was astonished that the public did not like it, for I find that compositions written spontaneously have every chance of success."

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">String sextet</span>

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. Most string sextets have been written for an ensemble consisting of two violins, two violas, and two cellos.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Trio in A minor, Op. 50, was written in Rome between December 1881 and late January 1882. It is subtitled À la mémoire d’un grand artiste [In memory of a great artist], in reference to Nikolai Rubinstein, his close friend and mentor, who had died on 23 March 1881. It is scored for piano, violin, and cello.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's String Quartet No. 1 in D major Op. 11 was the first of his three completed string quartets that were published during his lifetime. An earlier attempt had been abandoned after the first movement was completed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Symphony No. 3 (Tchaikovsky)</span>

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 3 in D major, Op. 29, was written in 1875. He began it at Vladimir Shilovsky's estate at Ussovo on 5 June and finished on 1 August at Verbovka. Dedicated to Shilovsky, the work is unique in Tchaikovsky's symphonic output in two ways: it is the only one of his seven symphonies in a major key ; and it is the only one to contain five movements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piano Concerto No. 2 (Tchaikovsky)</span>

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 2 in G major, Op. 44, was written in 1879–1880 and dedicated to Nikolai Rubinstein, who had insisted he perform it at the premiere as a way of making up for his harsh criticism of Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto. But Rubinstein never played it, as he died in March 1881, and the work has never attained much popularity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">String Quartet No. 3 (Tchaikovsky)</span>

The String Quartet No. 3 in E♭ minor, Op. 30, by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, was composed in 1876, and is the last of his three string quartets. It was written as a memorial for Ferdinand Laub.

<i>Andante and Finale</i>

The Andante and Finale is a composition for piano and orchestra that was reworked by Sergei Taneyev from sketches by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky for the abandoned latter movements of his single-movement Piano Concerto No. 3 in E-flat, Op. 75.

The String Sextet in D minor "Souvenir de Florence", Op. 70, is a string sextet scored for 2 violins, 2 violas, and 2 cellos composed in the summer of 1890 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Tchaikovsky dedicated the work to the St. Petersburg Chamber Music Society in response to his becoming an Honorary Member. The work, in the traditional four-movement form, was titled "Souvenir de Florence" because the composer sketched one of the work's principal themes while visiting Florence, Italy, where he composed The Queen of Spades. The work was revised between December 1891 and January 1892, before being premiered in 1892. It is the only string sextet by the composer.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Symphony in E-flat was commenced after Symphony No. 5, and was intended initially to be the composer's next symphony. Tchaikovsky abandoned this work in 1892, only to reuse the first movement in the single-movement Third Piano Concerto, Op. 75, first performed and published after his death in 1895. Two other movements were reworked for piano and orchestra by Sergei Taneyev as the Andante and Finale, which was published as Tchaikovsky's Op. posth. 79 in 1897.

<i>Souvenir de Hapsal</i>

Souvenir de Hapsal, Op. 2, is a suite of three pieces for piano by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. It was his first cycle of piano pieces and it was composed in 1867.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed his Orchestral Suite No. 3 in G, Op. 55 in 1884, writing it concurrently with his Concert Fantasia in G, Op. 56, for piano and orchestra. The originally intended opening movement of the suite, Contrastes, instead became the closing movement of the fantasia. Both works were also intended initially as more mainstream compositions than they became; the fantasia was intended as a piano concerto, while the suite was conceived as a symphony.

Orchestral Suite No. 1 in D minor is an orchestral suite, Op. 43, written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1878 and 1879. It was premiered on December 20, 1879 at a Russian Musical Society concert in Moscow, conducted by Nikolai Rubinstein. The piece is dedicated to Tchaikovsky's patroness, Nadezhda von Meck.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky</span>

While the contributions of the Russian nationalistic group The Five were important in their own right in developing an independent Russian voice and consciousness in classical music, the compositions of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky became dominant in 19th century Russia, with Tchaikovsky becoming known both in and outside Russia as its greatest musical talent. His formal conservatory training allowed him to write works with Western-oriented attitudes and techniques, showcasing a wide range and breadth of technique from a poised "Classical" form simulating 18th century Rococo elegance to a style more characteristic of Russian nationalists or a musical idiom expressly to channel his own overwrought emotions.

The Grand Piano Sonata in G major, Op. 37, was written by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1878. Though initially received with critical acclaim, the sonata has struggled to maintain a solid position in the modern repertoire. Nevertheless, the sonata has been recorded numerous times and is recognized as one of the composer's masterworks. It is dedicated to Karl Klindworth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aleksandr Verzhbilovich</span>

Aleksandr Valerianovich Verzhbilovich was a Russian classical cellist of Polish descent.

Variations on a Theme by Tchaikovsky, Op. 35a, a piece for string orchestra by Anton Arensky, started out as the slow movement of his String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 35, for the unusual scoring of violin, viola, and 2 cellos. It was written in 1894, the year after the death of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, in a tribute to that composer. It is based on the theme from the song "Legend", the fifth of Tchaikovsky's Sixteen Children's Songs, Op. 54.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tchaikovsky State House-Museum</span>

The Tchaikovsky House-Museum was the country home in Klin, 85 kilometers northwest of Moscow where Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky lived from May 1892 until his death in 1893. His last major work, the 6th Symphony, was written there. The house is now a museum.

The Sérénade mélancolique in B-flat minor for violin and orchestra, Op. 26, was written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in February 1875. It was his first work for violin and orchestra, and was written immediately after completing the Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor.

The Quartet Movement in B♭ major, TH 110, also referred to as String Quartet in B♭ major or String Quartet Movement in B♭ major, by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is believed to be the only surviving movement of his first attempt to compose a string quartet.

References

  1. ↑ String Quartet No. 2 in F major, Op. 22 - Pyotr Tchaikovsky earsense.org
  2. ↑ Tchaikovsky, a self Portrait by Alexandra Orlova, OUP, 1990, ISBN   0-19-315319-X
  3. ↑ An Autobiography of Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Letters to his Family Tr Galina von Meck with notes by Percy M Young - Stein & Day 1973/1981/1982 ISBN   0-8128-6167-1
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.