String Quartet No. 14 (Schubert)

Death and the Maiden is the title of the String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, op post office, D 810 by Franz Schubert. Schubert Quartet for two violins, a viola and a cello composed in 1824, a private performance took place in the Vienna apartment of Hofkapellsängers Joseph Barth on February 1, 1826. It was published posthumously in 1829 by Verlag Josef Czerny. The first public performance was played in March 1833 by Karl Moser in Berlin. The work belongs next to the Quartet Movement in C minor, D 703 and the two string quartets in A minor, D 804 and op.29, also called "Rosamunde" Quartet, and G major, D 887 or Op.161 in the group of late Schubert quartets.

The four movements are held in minor. The second movement, Andante con moto, is a series of variations on the introduction to Schubert's 1817 job created art song Death and the Maiden, which goes back to an eponymous poem by Matthias Claudius. This also gave the quartet the epithet and makes it a prominent example of the well-known since the Renaissance motifs of death and girls.

Background

Biographical was the creation of the String Quartet in Schubert's most difficult time. He intended to gain a foothold in Vienna and - like Mozart - to be recognized as an opera composer. After numerous attempts since 1814, the now 26 -year-old wanted in 1823 with three operas force the breakthrough. It failed because the libretti were considered poor, and his music did not hit the public taste. At the same time he became seriously ill with syphilis and neurasthenia. This crisis-ridden life circumstances form the backdrop for the composition, but they do not explain their recognized high artistic level.

Shaping

As absolute music, the Quartet in D minor has programmatic nothing to do with the title. This means that herein is not about death or the girls are portrayed musically, but the process is designed purely under national laws and musical expressions, as for example in a symphony. The string quartet is composed of four different long sentences that take together about 41 minutes when all repetitions are played.

First Set

With the exception of the second sentence, the sentences are determined by the " tragic voltage sphere between being and passing away. [ ... ] Even the fourteen bars indicate initiation with their speaking a result of booming on and exhortation, quieter, banger question beklommenem meditation as it epigrammatic to the deeply serious mood of the whole. Memorable occurs even here the restless driving triplet motif in appearance, which dominates the first movement widely considered moving element. " To the first sentence is the sonata form based, but no extra implementing part because the exposition and recapitulation have this built in, because after presentation of the topics begin the manufacturing process. Strikingly, for the alleged pianissimo first theme (mm. 15-19) does not matter, it does not occur until after the shortened Oktavwiederholung and hidden in the 2nd violin shortly after the beginning of the recapitulation on ( T. 152 ), and then finally in the coda ( T. 311). In addition to the triplet motif of the introduction, which already supports the first topic in the broken sentence and will be processed in addition, then the second issue is determined ( T. 62-65 ) the sentence. In ever new formulations and contexts, it travels through the four instruments that equal rights to participate in the processing. Here, Schubert develops, changes of volume, pitch, harmony new expression variations between rugged ( unison) and delicately smooth. Once a short flash of new motif ( T. 102) joins added, once the second theme in the recapitulation is reduced to the accompanying figure, on which a little tune with the characteristic Eineinhalbtonschritt the harmonic minor scale ( T. 187) rises. This is the thematic work place in blocks of rugged caesuras ( fortissimo unison) are separated. The first 40 bars of the movement have no equivalent at the beginning of the recapitulation, the other sections can be found partly identical and partly transposed and sentence technically changed, but in the same course and duration, in the recapitulation. The coda ( T.299 ) " via woe derivative dissonances, thoughtful sustained chords and a return to the initial development of the first theme finally to a weary sinking down in gloom and sorrow. "

Second sentence

The subject takes the first part of the eight-bar introduction of the song "Death and the Maiden", a two equal halves eight-bar period. In the second part of two further periods are added, the first forms the central part of the theme and the second to the beginning of rounds through melodic covers the topic. The topic is pianissimo as asserted in the template in the chordal writing. In the first variation, the bass voice of the issue in the Pizzicato represents the middle voices fill the chords with triplet repeated notes on the 1st violin and figured triads and suspensions using a refined related to the Pavanenrhythmus rhythm model. The second variation increases volume, shortness of note values ​​(inner accelerando ) and expression, the latter in a high cello melody that receives the Pavanenrhythmus in every second clock, which is located in octaves and double beats in the viola, this harmony supporting tones punctures in the second violin and triad arpeggios in semiquavers in the first violin. The highpoint of the increase is the third variation, the fortissimo unison and reached a very rugged expression of the theme again with doubled note values ​​of Pavanenrhythmus. Later in the middle voices maintain this new version of Pavanenrhythmus, while the outer voices to play small melodic phrases or complementary to each other set chords. The fourth variation directs the energy has built up with the Tender by use of key changes to G major, pianissimo in the volume, a supple melody in the two lower voices who take the subject in the original rhythmic shape and some melodic twists again. Later involved in the second violin, while the first to unobtrusive triplets configured. These can be found in the first part of the fifth variation in the bass, while the middle voices articulate the issue as in the variation and the first violin sixteenth usually presented as repeated notes. This already results in an increase in the solid in the second subspace upheld chordal repetitions in sixteenths of the three upper voices, the cello takes up the theme easily configured. After a reconciliation with the triplets first Violin lying on the chords coda begins prayer -like in triple piano with the slightly changed homophonic themes formulation of the beginning. In summary, Schubert wins the subject in the sense of absolute music many variants expression and compositional finesse from, but not in the semantic sense of the death ( of the song ) numerous facets, which is also not in the string quartet task indeed.

Third set

The hard, edgy scherzo ( allegro molto forte unison violins ) is an eight-bar period, which varies in the second part of the Scherzo finds in the two lower voices, to which the upper voices intermittently in semitones below downwards, which is the passus duriusculus which has been established since the Renaissance as an expression of pain or anguish in the music. Contrast is " delicate and lovely singing trio " with his move to Major, pianissimo and largely homophonic euphony a stark contrast, the (two periods) emanating from a 16 -bar melody. As a result of the capos of the scherzo, the original attitude is resumed.

Fourth proposition

" In the Presto finale the dark, threatening forces dominate again, but still moving, still more exciting than in the first set, the field. Unison put the four instruments with the restless then hurrying D minor main theme. It determines the overall character of the whole movement, the image of hunting conjures up increasingly. " It consists of two piano presented eight-bar periods, the first half is identical and whose second half leads initially to f, after a new then back to the root d the third clock is cleaved immediately after the presentation topics and used as an accompanying motif in the first violin, viola and cello during record the topic in imitatorischem voice onset. In the course of the manufacturing process and the subject is an independent, constitutive element. The second subject (bar 88) forms a stark contrast to the first, which abruptly stops before hunting movement by its compact homophonic, the jammed rhythmic movement ( only one long beep per clock ), fortissimo and the sforzato that it is a gruff expression. However, usually the processing is based on the main theme, in blocks whose frenzied movement is stopped repeatedly by hard fortissimo turning points that recall in their chordal to the second issue. The following is a guide through like processing of the first theme. In the epilogue ( T. 252), the cleaved motif forms from the main theme, the accompaniment for a slightly ungarisierende melody in the first violin. The structure of the block corresponding to the first sentence: After exposure, which is already recording the performance through continuous thematic work, the recapitulation appears in the same plant, but of course, vary in detail. The coda begins in T. 651 with the resumption of the first theme in its original form, then prestissimo from bar 707 to end in a Stretta, which in turn increases the hunting movement from pianissimo to triple forte and both the sentence and the Quartet closes at the summit point full of energy.

The analysis shows that Franz Schubert, despite precarious circumstances with this quartet a compositionally rich masterpiece succeeded. The almost continuous tense tone and bundled energy may be seen to its crisis directly related, the technical sophistication and emotional penetration point far beyond.