Saturday, June 05, 2010

Some Suggestions About Listening to Beethoven String Quartets

A lot has been said and written about the sublime nature of Beethoven's late string quartets, but it seems that some people interested in listening to them might not know how to begin to appreciate or even understand the qualities that make them great. Some people might find it intimidating when someone like Cornel West casually tosses his love for Beethoven's late string quartets into his discussions about philosophy. "Understanding" a logical argument is very different from "understanding" a piece of music, because music strives to organize emotion and emotional experience in time. It would be interesting to hear a discussion about Beethoven between Cornel West and someone like Maynard Solomon. West might end up appearing to those "in the know" like the way Leonard Bernstein appeared when he attempted to talk about linguistics.

For string players the Beethoven String Quartets are like what the Pentateuch is to theologians: a constant source of study and wonder. Each one is like a complicated person who becomes an intimate friend. We all know that the more you try to understand the people closest to you, the more of a mystery they become. When you throw love into the mix, it is nearly impossible to really "know" somebody. By the same reasoning, it is nearly impossible to "know" any of the Beethoven Quartets, but it is sure compelling to keep trying. My purpose here is not to provide analysis and insight. It is simply to make an introduction and suggest a listening order. It is similar to the order that I use to introduce his quartets to my students, and it is extremely personal.

The best way to "understand" Beethoven's later quartets is by becoming familiar with his earlier quartets. One thing to bear in mind is that the six quartets of Opus 18, Beethoven's first set of quartets, are not "less mature" Beethoven. They do use many of the 18th-century conventions used by Mozart and Haydn, and the Opus 18 Quartets do show Mozart's and Haydn's influence, but they are not, by any stretch of the imagination, imitations. Not being able to "better" either Mozart or Haydn, Beethoven re-invented the string quartet with his Opus 18. He began his string-quartet-composing life at the age of 30, and he ended it at the age of 56 with his final Quartet, Opus 135, six months before he died.

The six Opus 18 Quartets are all in four movements. They were written at the turn of the century (18th to 19th), and each one lasts about 25 minutes (following the conventions of the time). The fourth Quartet of the opus (not following the conventions of the time) has two movements in ternary form, a Scherzo and a Minuet, and the third Quartet doesn't have a movement in ternary form at all.

I would begin listening with Opus 18, but I would start with #4, the very intense Quartet in C minor. Next I would listen to Opus 18 #1 in F major, leaving the rest of the opus for later listening. I would next suggest listening to the third of the Opus 59 Quartets, but I would first listen to the Mozart Quartet K 465 (the "Dissonance Quartet"), the last of the six string quartets that Mozart dedicated to Haydn. Beethoven's Opus 59 #3 is an out-and-out tribute to the Mozart. Listen to the introduction of the Mozart, then listen to the introduction of the Beethoven. You may not know how to put it into words, or how to analyze it, but you will understand the relationship immediately.

The other two Opus 59 Quartets are a bit longer than the Opus 18 Quartets, and they incorporate some very exciting Russian folk material. I would listen to #2 before listening to #1, but that's just personal (it's the order in which I first learned them). Go on to Opus 74, the "Harp" Quartet, and notice how, like two of the Opus 59 Quartets, the line between the third and fourth movements blurs. The tempo changes, but there is no pause between movements. Go back and listen to the rest of the Opus 18 Quartets. You will notice a distinct difference in style from the Opus 59 Quartets and the Opus 74, but you will not notice a change in quality: all of Beethoven's string quartets are masterpieces.

Now it's time for Opus 95, the "Serioso" Quartet. Written in 1810, and clocking in at 20 minutes, it is the shortest of the quartets. It is also one of the most intense, because there is just so much packed into those 20 minutes. There is also a bit of shape shifting going on here, with a sudden connection between the second and third movements, several abrupt changes in key, and a final movement that seems to have several different personalities. We have now arrived in the world of late Beethoven.

At this point, I would advise people new to this to start from the "back of the book." Opus 135 is only 26 minutes long, it's in the key of F major, and, aside from the final movement (called "Der schwer gefasste Entschluss"), it follows the shape of the quartets in Opus 18. I would advise listening to it with the score. Even if you don't read music, you will appreciate having it for the last movement. Go back and listen to Opus 18 #1 (here's the score), and then listen to Opus 95 again.

Beethoven wrote the Opus 127 Quartet in 1824, after taking a 14-year hiatus from string quartet writing. This piece sounds like the polar opposite of the Opus 95 "Serioso" Quartet, the last string quartet he wrote before his hiatus (during which he wrote his later Piano Sonatas and his 9th Symphony). Opus 127 is as expansive as the Opus 95 is contracted, and for me it marks Beethoven's leap from the more concrete to the more abstract in quartet writing.

Now it's time for Opus 132 in A minor. It takes 42 minutes or so, and there are a lot of tempo changes, key changes, and even more changes of mood. Allow yourself to hold onto the reins of the movement segments that seem to follow the laws of gravity, and allow yourself to be suspended when the music suspends you. The logic behind the structure of this one is all Beethoven's. You can't second guess him (even if you are playing). Sometimes when listening to this piece you can't even remember where you have been.

Opus 131, in C-sharp minor, is a deeply serious work. Unlike anything we have heard in this particular order, it begins with a really long Adagio that serves as an introduction to a very short Allegro. During the piece's 37 minutes or so, it changes tempo thirteen times, and all of the movements are played "attacca" or without a pause between them, so it can be really difficult to keep track of where you are. The fourth movement, which is divided into several sections, and has the only repeat mark in the whole quartet, is almost a quartet within a quartet. You might recognize the fifth movement has a motive that Beethoven quotes in the last movement of his last quartet, Opus 135. If this quartet boggles your mind, you are not alone. You have generations of equally-boggled listeners. After repeated hearings, it often comes out as a real favorite.

Now we have arrived at Opus 130, which, complete with the Grosse Fugue, takes more than 50 minutes to perform. After listening to Opus 131 you should find this six-movement Quartet rather tuneful and easy to follow. It begins with a slow introduction (if you have heard any of the earlier Quartets of Mendelssohn, you will find it strangely familiar), and continues tunefully along. After the loveliest of Cavatinas, Beethoven tops this quartet off with a 16-minute fugue that is almost as difficult to follow by ear (or by score) as it is to play. This is one of the movements that scares listeners away from late Beethoven. I first heard it when I was in a class with David Diamond at Juilliard, and I didn't know what to make of it. Now I love it, but it has taken a long for that love to develop. It took me more than twenty years just be able to follow the workings of the counterpoint, so don't despair.

Beethoven's audience didn't like the Fugue, and his publisher suggested that the piece should be published with an alternative Finale. The Grosse Fugue was published as a separate opus (133). My preferred way of listening to this piece is with both the Fugue and the Finale!

I own many sets of Beethoven Quartets, so I can make a few recommendations:

The Borodin set on Chandos is one of my current favorites, as is the Alban Berg's set, which has also been recorded on DVD. The Leipzig String Quartet also has an excellent set. The Vegh Quartet's 1952 set is exceptional, as is the Quartetto Italiano's set. I like the Colorado Quartet's set a lot (they observe all of Beethoven's repeats), and I like the Eroica Quartet's set (they use 19th century instruments).

My favorite recording of Opus 130 (with the Grosse Fugue) is the 1984 Vermeer Quartet recording on Teldec. I don't know if it is still available on CD, but I did find an LP on ebay.

There are a lot more Beethoven Quartet performances on YouTube, and all the scores are available (for free) right here.

2019 UPDATE: Stephen Malinowinski and the Alexander String Quartet have made a complete cycle of Beethoven Quartets with graphical score animations (so you can see the score in colored animation as you listen) which is available on this YouTube page.

26 comments:

Bill@deepkimchee said...

Elaine, we were able to recently pick up the complete set of Quartets by the Vermeer on CD (Brian loves studying with Shmuel Askkenasi), on Ebay I think. So they're still out there.

Ed Chang said...

Fantastic article! I loved the Op 18 and 59 quartets immediately. Op 74 & 95 took just a bit longer and the late quartets get the least play, yet I LOVE Op 133, the Grosse Fugue. Seeing it live helped immensely.
Anyways I'll be doing a post on Op 59.1 on my Beethoven blog in a few days...I did the "Heiliger Dankgesang" last week.

http://lvbandmore.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

Thanks for this well-written and remarkably unassuming commentary on the Beethoven string quartets. I am just getting started on them, and I am very happy to have your input! :D

Anonymous said...

I have now listened to the first movement of Opus 18, No. 1 a couple of times through. I smile at the dialogue therein between the rigid and the flowing, the stodgy and the free-spirited. Who wins this debate? A third party called passion? :D Great stuff!!!

Anonymous said...

Here are some more reactions to Opus 18, No. 1: Movement 1: extreme playfulness; joyful instruments chasing after each other; with breaths of whimsy. Movement 2: pensive at first, then forceful, then pensive again, then forceful. No simple feelings here. Movement 3: a dance feel, but far from a straightforward Haydn-like minuet, this is off-beat, bent, stretched, smeared, then falling back into old familiar lines. Movement 4: exuberant sound

Anonymous said...

I listened all this evening to the Op. 18 No. 1, mostly on You Tube, which has movements 1, 2, and 4 with the AB Quartet. And suddenly I craved a calmer sound, and turned to Haydn Op. 76, No. 60, Movement 2...ahhh such calm, such expanding, full-bodied peacefulness, such pleasing, round sound, such reassuring and heart-warming familiarity, all is right with the world when there is Haydn's glowing light a-shinin' on me. This Beethoven stuff is going to take some getting used to...:D

Anonymous said...

More reaction to Op. 18 movement 2: I have never been afraid of sadness and longing...as long as they are kept sweet. Movement 2 of Op. 18 begins in that sweetly sad and longing way. I open to it. And it sings to me. But at the 4th minute of this piece, the sadness begins to turn into something downright frightening. The HEAT, the INTENSITY, the PASSION of the sadness introduces something difficult for my naturally timid system to accommodate. At 5 minutes and 30 seconds (of the AB rendering) the repeated blasts from the second violin and viola while the first violin continues with the sad theme is deeply shocking, off-putting, difficult, scary. Now I am on my guard even though the piece returns to the "straightness" of its beginning; now I am anticipating more jarring blasts of "ugly" raw passion...I am edgy-feeling. And at 8:05, we begin one more journey into hell. Now the movement is finished, and I am left marveling at the depth of raw, painful feeling it contains. What truthful revelation of broken soul it represents. And I see that I need it. I need to be dug.

Elaine Fine said...

Anonymous: It seems that you are bringing a great deal of yourself into your Beethoven experience.

You might try listening to different performances of the same movement (by different quartets), and see if the balances of your reactions change in any way.

Anonymous said...

is it improper to bring so much of myself into the experience of music? i am not a musical professional and don't know what is proper or preferred? i am open to advice...

Elaine Fine said...

There is no proper or preferred when listening to music! Perhaps it might be a good idea to keep a private listening journal, and keep track of your reactions to various quartets over time. It might be personally revealing. There is nothing wrong (or improper) about using Beethoven (or any music) as a means for emotional growth.

I would take a journal book and divide it equally among the Beethoven Quartets--perhaps allowing 20 pages or so for each one. Date your listening entries, and write your responses. The next time you listen to a particular quartet, begin with a fresh page--and don't peek at your previous reaction. Eventually you will have a document that allows you to see how you have grown as a listener, and how much of your response is subjectively "of the moment" (nothing wrong with that), and how much of your response has to do with the particular performance.

After playing and listening to these quartets for many years (particularly Opus 18), my experience always changes with each listening. I'm always aware of new things.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for this excellent guide.

I love the Razumovsky Quartets and, after several listenings, I have come to enjoy the Opus 127. But the other late quarters have been a bit beyond me so far.

This encouraged me to acquire the other string quartets and so work through your recommendations and I was found a complete set of the Quartets recorded by the Medici String Quartet on Amazon for £10 (hope these live up to the billing). Now looking to explore these masterpieces in more depth.

More power to you!

Dr John Eaton

Anonymous said...

I really enjoy the Busch Quartet's interpretation of the late string quartets. Especially Op. 131.

Anonymous said...

Why in the world would anyone be intimidated by Cornel West?



Chris said...

Good article! BTW Let's not put Cornell West down - we can't know his listening habits or his degree of erudition on this subject. After all, all he said was that he got intense aesthetic enjoyment from late Beethoven - op 111, the final piano sonata(if its the same interview you are referring to).

Judd said...

I agree with Chris. This is a really helpful piece, but I don't really agree with the premise in the first paragraph that "understanding" music has anything to do with loving it. I've been listening to the late quartets since college, and I don't have any idea what is really going on there, I just think they are beautiful and weird. Just because Cornell West is an academic doesn't mean he has to take any more of an intellectual approach to music than I do. Certainly learning about form and structure would allow me to listen to them differently; I'm not sure I wouldn't necessarily enjoy them more, though. In a way, intellectualizing them might make me enjoy them LESS.

Elaine Fine said...

Would you love a friend or a family member less if you understood more of that person's history or motivations?

Steve said...

Am following your suggestions as to how to listen to the quartets. Valuable information - really enriching my experience. Thank you.

dmr said...

This is a wonderful post and exactly what I was looking for. Thanks so much, just grabbed a copy of the Borodin Quartet set and plan to start listening to the quartets. (Actually Op. 18, No. 4 was previously the only one I really liked - I think I made the mistake of trying to jump straight from it to Op. 131!)

Anonymous said...

This is great. Thank you so much!

Anonymous said...

What about the old Busch recordings, and the Takacs?

Elaine Fine said...

The old Busch recordings are wonderful, but they are not so accessible for people new to Beethoven Quartets. A novice could be bothered by the audible shifts in position (as I once was), and could be confused by the sometimes weak inner voices (a result of the early recording technologies). Lately I have been listening to the Alban Berg Quartet, and they have a great set of. DVDs (some of which you can watch with lower fidelity on YouTube.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for this post, Elaine. Since you didn't respond to the previous Anonymous poster about the Takacs Quartet's version, I'm wondering if you haven't heard them. I love their recordings of the late Quartets (haven't heard their recordings of the earlier Quartets) and would love to hear your take on how they compare with others. For me, what they do is magic, but I admit I am not familiar with many other versions. Thank you.

Elaine Fine said...

I love the way they play! Their quartet was really the star of the otherwise disappointing movie "Copying Beethoven."

Robert Turoff said...

Thanks, Elaine Fine, more than you imagine.
Robert Turoff

Elaine Fine said...

Thanks for pointing out that misspelling, Anonymous!

Anonymous said...

Wonderful article. Thank you!! I always love hearing the Beethoven quartets and I also have your favorite recordings too. The Telarc Cleveland Quartet recordings are quite special so you should give them a listen. Thanks again for the wonderful survey!!