Notes
String Quartet in B-flat major Op 18 No 6
Allegro con brio
Adagio ma non troppo
Scherzo: Allegro
Adagio ‘La Malinconia’ - Allegretto quasi allegro
Ludvig van Beethoven (1770-1827) moved from his home town of Bonn to the musical centre of Vienna in 1792, and worked hard to establish his reputation as a virtuoso pianist and innovative composer. Both Haydn and Mozart before him had published string quartets in sets of six, and in 1801 Beethoven followed suit, with his Opus 18 quartets. Although they follow the conventions of the day, these quartets also give an indication of Beethoven's individuality, which eventually resulted in his ground-breaking late quartets.
The Quartet in B flat was the second last of the set to be written, and opens in a light-hearted manner, with the first theme presented jointly by the first violin and cello. This theme dominates the movement. The following Adagio is in E flat, and is the only movement not in the home key. It is in three-part form, and the two violins lead the melodic texture. Syncopation and rhythmic complexity are features of the effervescent Scherzo, which provides a moment of lightness before the remarkable finale. Beethoven himself gave it the title 'La Malinconia' [The Melancholy], and the slow introduction reflects this, as it moves through a variety of remote keys. The main section of the movement dispels any feeling of gloom, as it dances along, though the melancholic music seems to be never far from the surface.
Notes: Jane Dawson
Notes
String Quartet in E-flat Major, Op 74 ‘Harp’
Poco Adagio - Allegro
Adagio ma non troppo
Presto - attacca
Allegretto con Variazioni
Throughout his life, Beethoven relied on wealthy patrons for financial support. Prince Lobkowitz, to whom the Quartet in E flat major is dedicated, was one of the composer's leading patrons. In 1809 he joined two fellow patrons, Archduke Rudolph and Prince Kinsky, in promising Beethoven an income for life, provided he remained in Vienna. This quartet was written that year and published in 1810.
The slow introduction to the first movement contains startling dynamic contrasts before the music settles into the Allegro, in which the principal theme initially suggests the subdominant key. A pizzicato figuration that appears shortly afterwars is the origin of the work's nickname of the 'Harp' Quartet. The central development section begins with chords that echo the opening of the Allegro, and a series of arpeggios heralds the return of the main thematic material in the recapitulation.
The slow movement, in the subdominant key of A flat major features principal theme of great beauty, which returns in varied form between contrasting episodes. The movement dies away at the end, giving the opening of the C minor third movement even more force. It is in the form of a fast scherzo, with an even rapider contrapuntal trio which appears twice. The final appearance of the scherzo leads without a break to the final movement, which is a set of variations.