String Quartet No. 12 (Dvorák)
Encyclopedia
The American string quartet, opus 96 in F major, is the 12th string quartet composed by Antonín Dvořák
. It was written in 1893, during Dvořák's visit to the United States. Dvořák wrote that the quartet - one of the most popular in the chamber music repertoire - is influenced by American folk music. Some analysts have tried to identify specifically American folk motifs in the quartet, though many consider these attempts as mere speculation. Whatever the influence of American music on the quartet, the quartet itself has served as a model for later American composers.
. He spent his vacation in the town of Spillville, Iowa
, which was home to a Czech immigrant community. He composed the quartet shortly after the New World Symphony
, completing the manuscript in only three days. "As for my new Symphony, the F major String Quartet and the Quintet (composed here in Spillville) – I should never have written these works 'just so' if I hadn't seen America," wrote Dvořák in a letter in 1893. In his description of the New World symphony, Dvořák was more specific: "As to my opinion, I think that the influence of this country (it means the folk songs that are Negro, Indian, Irish, etc.) is to be seen, and that this [the symphony] and all other works written in America differ very much from my earlier works, as much in colour as in character...".
Listeners have tried to identify specific American motifs in the quartet. Some have claimed that the theme of the second movement is based on a Negro spiritual, or perhaps on a Kickapoo Indian tune, which Dvořák heard during his sojourn at Spillville. Others have heard suggestions of a locomotive in the last movement, recalling Dvořák's love of railroads. The association with Negro spiritual music led to the quartet's original nickname, the "Nigger" Quartet.
Most analysts, however, fail to see specific American influences in the quartet. "In fact the only American thing about the work is that it was written there," writes Paul Griffiths. "The specific American qualities of the so-called "American" Quartet are not easily identifiable," writes Lucy Miller. "...Better to look upon the subtitle as simply one assigned to the work because of its composition during Dvořák's American tour."
The one confirmed musical reference in the quartet is to the song of the scarlet tanager
. Dvořák was annoyed by this bird's insistent chattering, and transcribed its song in his notebook. The song appears as a high, interrupting strain in the first violin part in the third movement.
is scored for the usual complement of two violin
s, viola
, and cello
, and comprises four movements
:
A characteristic, unifying element throughout the quartet is the use of the pentatonic scale
. This scale gives the whole quartet its open, simple character, a character that is frequently identified with American folk music.
A typical performance lasts around 30 minutes.
in Boston in January 1894.
While the influence of American folk song is not explicit in the quartet, the impact of Dvořák's quartet on later American compositions is clear. Following Dvořák, a number of American composers turned their hands to the string quartet genre, including John Knowles Paine
, Horatio Parker
, George Whitefield Chadwick
, and Arthur Foote
. "The extensive use of folk-songs in 20th century American music and the 'wide-open-spaces' atmosphere of 'Western' film scores may have at least some of their origins" in Dvořák's new American style, writes Butterworth.
Antonín Dvorák
Antonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer of late Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák’s own style is sometimes called "romantic-classicist synthesis". His works include symphonic, choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and many...
. It was written in 1893, during Dvořák's visit to the United States. Dvořák wrote that the quartet - one of the most popular in the chamber music repertoire - is influenced by American folk music. Some analysts have tried to identify specifically American folk motifs in the quartet, though many consider these attempts as mere speculation. Whatever the influence of American music on the quartet, the quartet itself has served as a model for later American composers.
Composition
Dvořák composed the Quartet in 1893 during a summer vacation from his teaching post in New YorkNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He spent his vacation in the town of Spillville, Iowa
Spillville, Iowa
Spillville is a city in Winneshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 386 at the 2000 census. It is located in Calmar Township, about west of Calmar and about southwest of Decorah, the county seat.-History:...
, which was home to a Czech immigrant community. He composed the quartet shortly after the New World Symphony
Symphony No. 9 (Dvorák)
The Symphony No. 9 in E Minor "From the New World", Op. 95, B. 178 , popularly known as the New World Symphony, was composed by Antonín Dvořák in 1893 during his visit to the United States from 1892 to 1895. It is by far his most popular symphony, and one of the most popular in the modern repertoire...
, completing the manuscript in only three days. "As for my new Symphony, the F major String Quartet and the Quintet (composed here in Spillville) – I should never have written these works 'just so' if I hadn't seen America," wrote Dvořák in a letter in 1893. In his description of the New World symphony, Dvořák was more specific: "As to my opinion, I think that the influence of this country (it means the folk songs that are Negro, Indian, Irish, etc.) is to be seen, and that this [the symphony] and all other works written in America differ very much from my earlier works, as much in colour as in character...".
Listeners have tried to identify specific American motifs in the quartet. Some have claimed that the theme of the second movement is based on a Negro spiritual, or perhaps on a Kickapoo Indian tune, which Dvořák heard during his sojourn at Spillville. Others have heard suggestions of a locomotive in the last movement, recalling Dvořák's love of railroads. The association with Negro spiritual music led to the quartet's original nickname, the "Nigger" Quartet.
Most analysts, however, fail to see specific American influences in the quartet. "In fact the only American thing about the work is that it was written there," writes Paul Griffiths. "The specific American qualities of the so-called "American" Quartet are not easily identifiable," writes Lucy Miller. "...Better to look upon the subtitle as simply one assigned to the work because of its composition during Dvořák's American tour."
The one confirmed musical reference in the quartet is to the song of the scarlet tanager
Scarlet Tanager
The Scarlet Tanager is a medium-sized American songbird. Formerly placed in the tanager family , it and other members of its genus are now classified in the cardinal family . The species's plumage and vocalizations are similar to other members of the cardinal family.-Description:Adults have pale...
. Dvořák was annoyed by this bird's insistent chattering, and transcribed its song in his notebook. The song appears as a high, interrupting strain in the first violin part in the third movement.
Structure
The QuartetString quartet
A string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string players – usually two violin players, a violist and a cellist – or a piece written to be performed by such a group...
is scored for the usual complement of two violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
s, viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
, and cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
, and comprises four movements
Movement (music)
A movement is a self-contained part of a musical composition or musical form. While individual or selected movements from a composition are sometimes performed separately, a performance of the complete work requires all the movements to be performed in succession...
:
- Allegro ma non troppo
- Lento
- Molto vivace
- Finale : vivace ma non troppo
A characteristic, unifying element throughout the quartet is the use of the pentatonic scale
Pentatonic scale
A pentatonic scale is a musical scale with five notes per octave in contrast to a heptatonic scale such as the major scale and minor scale...
. This scale gives the whole quartet its open, simple character, a character that is frequently identified with American folk music.
| The opening theme of the quartet is purely pentatonic, played by the viola, with a rippling F major chord in the accompanying instruments. This same F major chord continues without harmonic change throughout the first 14 measures of the piece. The movement then goes into a bridge, developing harmonically, but still with the open, triadic sense of openness and simplicity. | |
| The second theme, in A major, is also primarily pentatonic, but ornamented with melisma Melisma Melisma, in music, is the singing of a single syllable of text while moving between several different notes in succession. Music sung in this style is referred to as melismatic, as opposed to syllabic, where each syllable of text is matched to a single note.-History:Music of ancient cultures used... tic elements reminiscent of Gypsy or Czech music. The movement moves to a development section that is much denser harmonically and much more dramatic in tempo and color. |
|
| The development ends with a fugato section that leads into the recapulation. | |
| After the first theme is restated in the recapitulation, there is a cello solo that bridges to the second theme. |
| The theme of the second movement is the that interpreters have most tried to associate with a Negro spiritual or with an American Indian tune. The simple melody, with the pulsing accompaniment in second violin and viola, does indeed recall spirituals or Indian ritual music. It is written using the same pentatonic scale as the first movement, but in the minor (D minor) rather than the major. The theme is introduced in the first violin, and repeated in the cello. Dvořák develops this thematic material in an extended middle section, then repeats the theme in the cello with an even thinner accompaniment that is alternately bowed and pizzicato. |
| The third movement is a variant of the traditional scherzo. It has the form ABABA: the A section is a sprightly, somewhat quirky tune, full of off-beats and cross-rhythms. The song of the scarlet tanager appears high in the first violin. | |
| The B section is actually a variation of the main scherzo theme, played in minor, at half tempo, and more lyrical. In its first appearance it is a legato line, while in the second appearance the lyrical theme is played in triplets, giving it a more pulsing character. |
| The final movement is in a traditional rondo form, ABACABA. Again, the main melody is pentatonic. | |
| The B section is more lyrical, but continues in the spirit of the first theme. | |
| The C section is a chorale theme. |
A typical performance lasts around 30 minutes.
Performance and influence
Dvořák first played through the quartet with his student Josef Jan Kovarik on second violin, and Kovarik's two children on viola and cello. The first public performance was by the Kneisel quartetKneisel quartet
The Kneisel Quartet was a string quartet musical ensemble established in Boston, USA in 1885. It existed until 1917, and in its time became recognised as the leading string quartet in the United States. It also performed in Europe.-Personnel:...
in Boston in January 1894.
While the influence of American folk song is not explicit in the quartet, the impact of Dvořák's quartet on later American compositions is clear. Following Dvořák, a number of American composers turned their hands to the string quartet genre, including John Knowles Paine
John Knowles Paine
John Knowles Paine , was the first American-born composer to achieve fame for large-scale orchestral music.-Life:He studied organ, orchestration, and composition in Germany and toured in Europe for three years...
, Horatio Parker
Horatio Parker
Horatio William Parker was an American composer, organist and teacher. He was a central figure in musical life in New Haven, Connecticut in the late 19th century, and is best remembered as the teacher of Charles Ives....
, George Whitefield Chadwick
George Whitefield Chadwick
George Whitefield Chadwick was an American composer. Along with Horatio Parker, Amy Beach, Arthur Foote, and Edward MacDowell, he was a representative composer of what can be called the New England School of American composers of the late 19th century—the generation before Charles Ives...
, and Arthur Foote
Arthur Foote
Arthur William Foote was an American classical composer, and a member of the "Boston Six." The other five were George Whitefield Chadwick, Amy Beach, Edward MacDowell, John Knowles Paine, and Horatio Parker.The modern tendency is to view Foote’s music as “Romantic” and “European” in light of the...
. "The extensive use of folk-songs in 20th century American music and the 'wide-open-spaces' atmosphere of 'Western' film scores may have at least some of their origins" in Dvořák's new American style, writes Butterworth.
External links
- thinkquest.org
- Performance of the quartet by the Seraphina quartet (Caeli Smith and Sabrina Tabby, violins; Madeline Smith, viola; Genevieve Tabby, cello) at Wikimedia Commons:
- The Seraphina quartet plays the American quartet on YouTube.