String Quartet No. 12 (Beethoven): Difference between revisions
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The first movement is interrupted several times — just before the development of the [[sonata form]] begins, and when that section is almost but not quite over — by the Maestoso which opened the work. |
The first movement is interrupted several times — just before the development of the [[sonata form]] begins, and when that section is almost but not quite over — by the Maestoso which opened the work. |
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The immense second movement is in the [[subdominant]] key of [[A-flat major]]. It consists of a set of six [[Variation (music)|variations]] and a [[coda (music)|coda]]. The first |
The immense second movement is in the [[subdominant]] key of [[A-flat major]]. It consists of a set of six [[Variation (music)|variations]] and a [[coda (music)|coda]]. The first variation is in 12/8 meter with darker harmonies and quick changes in dynamics. The second variation increases the tempo to ''andante con moto'' but shortens the meter to 4/4. Here the viola and cello are ''[[pizzicato]]'' with the two violins engaging in a dialogue. The third variation shifts to the remote [[submediant]] key of [[E major]] and the tempo shifts to a hymn-like ''adagio molto espressivo''. The fourth variation returns to 12/8 meter and drops a half-step to the [[dominant (music)|dominant]] key of [[E flat major]]. This variation has a codetta which transitions the key to [[D flat major]] in preparation for the next variation. The fifth variation is ''sotto voce'' and has been called a "mysterious episode" and begins in D flat major and transitions to [[C sharp minor]] (the enharmonic equivalent to D flat minor). The recapitulatory sixth variation returns to 12/8 meter, presents only half of the theme and connects directly to the coda.<ref name=wintermartin>{{cite book |last= Steinberg |first= Michael | editor=Robert Winter, Robert Martin | title= The Beethoven Quartet Companion | pages = 216-227 | publisher= University of California Press | year= 1994 | isbn= 0-520-08211-7}}</ref> |
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The penultimate variation recapitulates the theme after a contrasting section in the submediant, while the final variation restores the tonic and basic thematic material after an episode in the subdominant. Beethoven based this tonal progression on the finale of the [[Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven)|Ninth Symphony]] (Op. 125) where the orchestral double fugue episode in [[B flat]] is followed by the "grand" variation for full orchestra and choir in [[D major]], followed by the "Seid umschlungen" episode in [[G major]], which moves into the choral double [[fugue]] in the tonic D major. |
The penultimate variation recapitulates the theme after a contrasting section in the submediant, while the final variation restores the tonic and basic thematic material after an episode in the subdominant. Beethoven based this tonal progression on the finale of the [[Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven)|Ninth Symphony]] (Op. 125) where the orchestral double fugue episode in [[B flat]] is followed by the "grand" variation for full orchestra and choir in [[D major]], followed by the "Seid umschlungen" episode in [[G major]], which moves into the choral double [[fugue]] in the tonic D major. |
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Revision as of 15:36, 19 September 2009
The String Quartet No. 12 in E-flat major, Op. 127, by Ludwig van Beethoven, was completed in 1825. It is the first of Beethoven's late quartets. There are four movements:
- Maestoso — Allegro
- Adagio, ma non troppo e molto cantabile
- Scherzando vivace
- Allegro
The first movement is interrupted several times — just before the development of the sonata form begins, and when that section is almost but not quite over — by the Maestoso which opened the work.
The immense second movement is in the subdominant key of A-flat major. It consists of a set of six variations and a coda. The first variation is in 12/8 meter with darker harmonies and quick changes in dynamics. The second variation increases the tempo to andante con moto but shortens the meter to 4/4. Here the viola and cello are pizzicato with the two violins engaging in a dialogue. The third variation shifts to the remote submediant key of E major and the tempo shifts to a hymn-like adagio molto espressivo. The fourth variation returns to 12/8 meter and drops a half-step to the dominant key of E flat major. This variation has a codetta which transitions the key to D flat major in preparation for the next variation. The fifth variation is sotto voce and has been called a "mysterious episode" and begins in D flat major and transitions to C sharp minor (the enharmonic equivalent to D flat minor). The recapitulatory sixth variation returns to 12/8 meter, presents only half of the theme and connects directly to the coda.[1]
The penultimate variation recapitulates the theme after a contrasting section in the submediant, while the final variation restores the tonic and basic thematic material after an episode in the subdominant. Beethoven based this tonal progression on the finale of the Ninth Symphony (Op. 125) where the orchestral double fugue episode in B flat is followed by the "grand" variation for full orchestra and choir in D major, followed by the "Seid umschlungen" episode in G major, which moves into the choral double fugue in the tonic D major.
- Op. 127: A flat -> E (lowered submediant) - penultimate variation -> D flat (subdominant) -> final variation
- Op. 125: D -> B flat (lowered submediant) - penultimate variation -> G (subdominant) -> final variation
The scherzo's trio is a Presto of a kind Beethoven did not use very often, though it is similar in sound and phrasing to some of his bagatelles from the contemporary Op. 126 set.
Beethoven initially planned two additional movements, one between the first and second, and another between the third and fourth.
Notes
- ^ Steinberg, Michael (1994). Robert Winter, Robert Martin (ed.). The Beethoven Quartet Companion. University of California Press. pp. 216–227. ISBN 0-520-08211-7.