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String Quintet (Schubert)

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Franz Schubert in 1875 oil painting by Wilhelm August Rieder

The String Quintet in C major, D. 956, op. posth. 163, is a piece of chamber music written by Franz Schubert. It was composed during the summer of 1828, two months before his death, and is Schubert's final chamber work.[1] The Quintet was first performed on 17 November 1850 at the Musikverein in Vienna; it was published in 1853. The work is considered one of the greatest chamber music compositions ever written.[2] [3]

Analysis and discussion

The work holds the distinction of being the only full-fledged string quintet in Schubert's vast oeuvre. It also stands out for its somewhat unconventional instrumentation, employing two cellos instead of the customary two violas. Most other string quintets follow the example of Mozart and call for an ensemble consisting of the four standard instruments of the string quartet (two violins, viola, and cello), plus a second viola. Schubert, like composer and cellist Luigi Boccherini before him, decided to replace the second viola with an additional cello, thereby enhancing the richness of the quintet texture's lower register. However, Schubert's use of the second cello is very different from Boccherini's, for Boccherini essentially uses the additional cello to create an additional viola line.[4]

The work consists of four movements:

  1. Allegro ma non troppo
  2. Adagio
  3. Scherzo. Presto – Trio. Andante sostenuto
  4. Allegretto

In common with other late works (eg. the Symphony in C major, D. 944, the Piano sonata in B-flat major, D. 960, etc.), the opening movement is broadly expansive, accounting for more than one-third of the total length of the piece. The second movement is in three-part ABA (ternary) form. The outer sections, in E Major, are of an otherworldly tranquility. The central section is intensely turbulent; it breaks in on the tranquility almost cruelly, in the unrelated key of F Minor. When the opening music returns, there is a running 32nd note passage in the second cello which seems to have been motivated by the turbulence that came before it. In the last three measures of the movement, Schubert somehow contrives to tie the entire movement together harmonically with a quick, brilliant modulation to the F minor of the middle section and an immediate return to E Major. The Scherzo is symphonic and large-scaled, with the open strings of the lower instruments exploited in an innovative manner to create a volume of sound which seems beyond the capabilities of five stringed instruments. The middle section, or trio of this movement is an unearthly slow march which seems to predict the sound world of Gustav Mahler. The last movement is an exuberant rondo with clear Hungarian influences.

While it was thought by earlier critics to lack the polish appropriate to a work of high-classical art music, it has grown steadily in reputation. Current consensus holds that the Quintet represents a high point in the entire chamber repertoire;[5][6][7][8] the work is regarded as deeply sublime, with moments of unique transcendental beauty. It incorporates many unusual technical features, including the final two notes: the flat supertonic (also known as the Neopolitan chord) and the tonic, played forte in all parts.

The second movement's plaintive mood makes it popular as background music for pensive or nocturnal scenes in film. Examples include Nocturne Indien, Conspiracy, The Human Stain and Jim Jarmusch's The Limits of Control. Also, Episode 21 from the Inspector Morse television series (Dead on Time) draws extensively from this quintet, as do certain episodes in Desmond Morris' BBC series The Human Animal.

Influences

Schubert's string quintet was inspired by Mozart's K. 515 quintet and Beethoven's Quintet Op. 29, written in the same key, as well as similar quintets by George Onslow. The instrumentation is reminiscent of Onslow, who used a double bass in some of his quintets.[4] The opening theme of Schubert's work has retained many of the characteristics of the Mozart quintet's opening theme, such as decorative turns, irregular phrase lengths, and rising staccato arpeggios (the latter appear only in Schubert's recapitulation).[9]

In turn, Schubert's work inspired Brahms in the writing of his Piano Quintet. The third movement of Brahms's quintet, written in C minor/major, ends in the same manner as Schubert's finale, with strong emphasis on the flat supertonic, D flat.[10]

Historical context and significance

The string quintet was completed sometime in September or early October 1828, but it was not published until 1883 or 1884.[4] Schubert submitted it to one of his publishers for consideration, saying that "finally I have written a quintet for 2 violins, 1 viola, and 2 violoncello... the quintet rehearsal will only begin in the next few days. Should any of these compositions by any chance commend themselves to you, please let me know.".[11] Probst replied, asking only to see some of Schubert's vocal works and requesting more popular piano music. Even at this very late stage in Schubert's career, it is obvious that he was regarded as a composer who mainly focused on songs and piano pieces, and was definitely not taken seriously as a chamber music composer.[12]

The violinist Joseph Saunders had the second theme of the first movement carved on his tombstone, and Artur Rubinstein’s wish is to have the second movement played at his funeral.

It is also interesting to note that this piece was composed mere months before Schubert died. For John Reed, the very last chord of the piece anticipates this, ending with a C major chord against a dissonant D-flat.[12]"As Browning's Abt Vogler put it, 'Hark, I have dared and done, for my resting place is found, The C major of this life; so, and now I will try to sleep." [12]

References

  1. ^ Maurice J.E. Brown, "Franz (Peter) Schubert", Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians Vol. 16, 1980, pp. 771.
  2. ^ http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best-classic-chamber.html
  3. ^ http://www.classical.net/music/recs/reviews/d/drm07710a.php
  4. ^ a b c Einstein, Alfred (1951). Schubert: A Musical Portrait. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 291.
  5. ^ Way, Joseph. "Sierra Chamber Society Program Notes". Retrieved 28 March 2011.
  6. ^ Chris Woodstra (2006). All music guide to classical music: the definitive guide to classical music. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 1210. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ "Schubert: String Quintet in C". EMI Classics. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
  8. ^ Schiller, Jennifer (2006). Camilla Urso: Pioneer violinist (1840--1902). University of Kentucky. p. 113.
  9. ^ Charles Rosen, "Schubert and the example of Mozart", in Brian Newbould [ed.], Schubert the Progressive: History, Performance Practice, Analysis, 2003, Ashgate Publishing.
  10. ^ James Webster, "Schubert's sonata form and Brahms's first maturity (II)", 19th-Century Music 3(1), 1979, pp. 52-71.
  11. ^ Deutsch, Otto Erich (1928). Franz Schubert's Letters and Other Writings. Freeport, New York: Books for Libraries Press.
  12. ^ a b c Reed, John. Master Musicians: Schubert. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1998. p 172.
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