String Quartet No. 14 (Dvorák)
Encyclopedia
The String Quartet No. 14 in A-flat major, op.
105, B.
193, was the last string quartet
completed by Antonín Dvořák
, even though it was published before his Thirteenth Quartet
(which appeared with the higher opus number 106). Dvořák finished his Fourteenth Quartet in 1895
, when he had returned to Bohemia
after his visit to America
. The gestation of the Quartet had actually begun in America and lasted six months, which was rather protracted for the composer. This Quartet marked an important point in Dvořák's development because he would devote himself almost exclusively to writing explicit program music
, namely symphonic poem
s and opera
s, afterwards.
The Quartet premiered on October 20, 1896.
Lasting just under 40 minutes, the four movements
contain the following notable features:
Opus number
An Opus number , pl. opera and opuses, abbreviated, sing. Op. and pl. Opp. refers to a number generally assigned by composers to an individual composition or set of compositions on publication, to help identify their works...
105, B.
Jarmil Burghauser
Jarmil Michael Burghauser was a Czech composer, conductor, and musicologist....
193, was the last string quartet
String 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...
completed by Antonín Dvořák
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...
, even though it was published before his Thirteenth Quartet
String Quartet No. 13 (Dvorák)
Antonín Dvořák composed his String Quartet No. 13 in G major, Op. 106, , between November and December 9, 1895. 1895 was an eventful year for him: he returned to Europe from America and his sister-in-law and first love both died. Upon finishing the String Quartet No...
(which appeared with the higher opus number 106). Dvořák finished his Fourteenth Quartet in 1895
1895 in music
- Events :* August 10 - The first ever Promenade Concert is held at the Queen's Hall in London.* December 13 - The first complete performance of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No...
, when he had returned to Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
after his visit to America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The gestation of the Quartet had actually begun in America and lasted six months, which was rather protracted for the composer. This Quartet marked an important point in Dvořák's development because he would devote himself almost exclusively to writing explicit program music
Program music
Program music or programme music is a type of art music that attempts to musically render an extra-musical narrative. The narrative itself might be offered to the audience in the form of program notes, inviting imaginative correlations with the music...
, namely symphonic poem
Symphonic poem
A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music in a single continuous section in which the content of a poem, a story or novel, a painting, a landscape or another source is illustrated or evoked. The term was first applied by Hungarian composer Franz Liszt to his 13 works in this vein...
s and opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
s, afterwards.
The Quartet premiered on October 20, 1896.
Lasting just under 40 minutes, the 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...
contain the following notable features:
- Adagio ma non troppo—Allegro appassionato: opens with a celloCelloThe 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...
solo, before the other instruments join in. - Molto vivace
- Lento e molto cantabile: the principal themeTheme (music)In music, a theme is the material, usually a recognizable melody, upon which part or all of a composition is based.-Characteristics:A theme may be perceivable as a complete musical expression in itself, separate from the work in which it is found . In contrast to an idea or motif, a theme is...
comes from a choralChoirA choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
song composed by Dvořák on Christmas DayChristmasChristmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
, 1895. - Allegro ma non troppo: the main theme would be reprised in Dvořák's symphonic poem A Hero's Song, op. 111, B. 199, in 1897. The movement begins with some anguished phrases from the cello before evolving quickly into a joyful danceDanceDance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
.