String Quartet No. 2 (Mendelssohn)

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The String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 13, was composed by Felix Mendelssohn in 1827.

Contents 1 Movements 2 Analysis 3 Media 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Movements

Like all of Mendelssohn's string quartets, this work has four movements:

1. Adagio – Allegro vivace
2. Adagio non lento
3. Intermezzo: Allegretto con moto – Allegro di molto
4. Presto – Adagio non lento

A typical performance lasts about 20 minutes.

[edit] Analysis

This quartet, written when Mendelssohn was only 18, is the young composer's tribute to Beethoven. Many features of the quartet are quotes or paraphrases of Beethoven's middle and late quartets. Mendelssohn gave the quartet a subtitle, "Ist de wahr?" (Is it true?), which recalls the title Beethoven wrote on the last movement of his Op. 135 string quartet "Muss es sein?" (Must it be?)^[1] The Adagio movement has a middle slow, fugal section which is modelled after the fugal middle section of the slow movement of Beethoven's Op. 95. And the final movement of Beethoven's Op. 132 quartet is a prototype for Mendelssohn's last movement: it begins with a cadenza interlude in the first violin, leading into a fast, melodic movement with a driving bass line in the cello which is a close copy of the cello part of Op. 132.

[edit] Media

[edit] References

1. ^ For a complete analysis of this quartet, see Griffiths, Paul (1985). The String Quartet: a History. Thames and Hudson. ISBN 0-500-27383-9. .

[edit] External links

String Quartet No. 2 was available at the International Music Score Library Project.

v • d • e Chamber music by Felix Mendelssohn String quartets String Quartet No. 1 in E flat major, Op. 12 · String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 13 · String Quartet No. 3 in D major, Op. 44, No. 1 · String Quartet No. 4 in E minor, Op. 44, No. 2 · String Quartet No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 44, No. 3 · String Quartet No. 6 in F minor, Op. 80 · Four Pieces for String Quartet, Op. 81 · String Quartet in E flat major (1823) String quintets and octets String Quintet No. 1 in A major, Op. 18 · String Quintet No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 87 · Octet in E flat major, Op. 20 String sonatas Cello Sonata No. 1 in B flat major, Op. 45 · Cello Sonata No. 2 in D major, Op. 58 · Viola Sonata in C minor (1823-4) · Violin Sonata in F minor, Op. 4 · Violin Sonata in F major (1820) · Violin Sonata in F major (1838) Piano trios, quartets and sextets Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 49 · Piano Trio No. 2 in C minor, Op. 66 · Piano Quartet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 1 · Piano Quartet No. 2 in F minor, Op. 2 · Piano Quartet No. 3 in B minor, Op. 3 · Piano Quartet in D minor (1821) · Piano Sextet in D major, Op. 110 Works for clarinet Clarinet Sonata in E flat major (1824) · Concert Piece No. 1 in F minor, Op. 113 · Concert Piece No. 2 in D minor, Op. 114 List of compositions by Felix Mendelssohn