The Classical Music Book

159

worthy of a concerto, while Op. 74,

known as the “Harp” quartet, has

movements in both the heroic and

classical moods.

The late period

Between 1813–1816, Beethoven

experienced major emotional

upheavals, from financial troubles

to the struggle to gain custody

of his nephew. These years saw

a decline in his production, with

those works Beethoven did produce

showing him to be struggling to

develop his style further. However,

he emerged from these years of

refinement with unparalleled ability

to imagine melodies, forms, and

harmonies that would serve him

well during his late period.

Beethoven’s indifference to

contemporary social conventions

and his passionate belief in his

own ideas created a unique set

of circumstances that would lead

to the composition of his five late

quartets. He was determined to

push the boundaries of composition

to new limits; having successfully

extended the length and developed

the structure of the conventional

forms in concerti, symphonies,

sonatas, and chamber works, he

was ready to experiment further.

Opus 131 (1826) is the most

unorthodox of Beethoven’s five late

quartets, all written in 1825–1826.

Its seven movements, ranging from

14 minutes to less than one minute,

totaling around 40 minutes and

performed without a break, are in

an unconventional sequence that

at the time seemed unlikely to

succeed as a major work.

Conventional quartets follow a

four-movement formula: they begin

with an allegro in sonata form, in

the tonic key; they slow down in

the second movement; they employ

a minuet and trio as the third

movement; and they end in rondo

form. In Op. 131, however, the first

movement—a sombre, extended

fugue (a piece in which a melody is

strictly imitated by the other

voices)—is followed by a very short

dance in the second movement.

The third movement (just 11

measures) concludes with a florid

solo harking back to an earlier

musical period, while the fourth

presents a powerful theme and ❯❯

ROMANTIC 1810 –1920

Music as self-expression

The cultural and literary world

of Germany and the small states

that surrounded it at the time

of Beethoven’s birth were

strongly influenced by the Sturm

und Drang (Storm and Stress)

movement. Led by the poet and

philosopher Johann Gottfried

von Herder, it was expounded

by writers and artists, such as

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

and Friedrich Schiller. The

movement emphasized national

identities, language, and arts,

and placed a high value on

personal freedom and heroic

resistance to oppressors. It

advocated a synthesis of

Romantic, Classical, and

Enlightenment ideas.

Like literature and art, the

musical world began to reflect

these ideals, giving them

expression in symphonies and

vocal music, with Beethoven

himself later setting Schiller’s

poem An die Freude (“Ode to

Joy”) in his Ninth Symphony.

Variations on a theme in the fourth movement

Violins Cello

Subsequent variations share the developing

theme between the different instruments, in

varying time signatures.

The theme is

first played in a

dialogue between

the first and

second violins.

In the first

variation, the

theme is played

by the lowest

three instruments.

In the second

variation, the

tempo is faster,

and the melody

alternates between

the high phrases

of the first

violin and the

low phrases in

the cello.

See also: Haydn’s String Quartet in C major, Op. 54 122–125 ■ “Eroica” Symphony 138–141 ■ Brahms’s Symphony

No. 1 188–189 ■ Pierrot lunaire 240–245 ■ Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony 274–279

Violin 1 Violin 1

Violin 2 Violin 2

US_156-161_Beethoven_Op_131.indd 159 26/03/18 1:00 PM