Mar 05, 2017 from the meditative first of 1909, through the rhapsodic second of 1918 and the acerbic third of 1929, to the elegiac sixth of 1939, these works reinvent the string quartet form. Moderato allegro molto capriccioso lento yeardate of composition yd of comp. The 6 string quartets novak quartet with novak, antonin, pandula, dusan on cd. Mar 28, 2011 bartok string quartets 1 6 i never owned sq recordings by any composer until i purchased the bartok s by the alban berg quartet a few months ago. As soon as i can ill go hunting for the rest of the parts. Bartok, bela string quartets nos 16 study score boosey. Bartok s cyle of six string quartets is universally considered to be one of the finest of the twentieth century. Bela bartok, hungarian composer, pianist, ethnomusicologist, and teacher, noted for the hungarian flavour of his major musical works, which include orchestral works, string quartets, piano solos, several stage works, a cantata, and a number of settings of folk songs for voice and piano. The quartet demands great technical ability from the players.
The string quartet was begun in august 1939 in saanen, switzerland, where bartok was a guest of his patron, the conductor paul sacher. It is one of six string quartets by bartok the work is in five movements. Through the fall of 1939, as bartok increasingly felt the need to leave hungary, his mothers illness. With the rhapsody for piano 1904, bartok started assigning opus numbers for the final time, this. Smith music 301c with eric ulman what does it mean to be modern. In praise of string quartets lost cost press, 1998. Imslp does not assume any sort of legal responsibility or liability for the consequences of downloading files that are not in the public domain in your country. The twentieth century saw several different musical idioms emerge, some revolutionary, others more evolutionary. Bartok called it the kernel of the work, around which the other movements are arranged. I never owned sq recordings by any composer until i purchased the bartok s by the alban berg quartet a few months ago. My reference recording remains the takacs quartet, recorded for london records in 1996, but this alban berg quartett cycle recorded from 1983 to 1986 is a fine alternative in a different style.
Bartoks six quartets are to the 20th century what beethovens cosmic late masterpieces were to the 19th. Bartok, bela piano quintet in c major score and parts. Jan 08, 2019 the outer movements of the fourth quartet are less hectoring than usual, while the middle movements viola tune has a tearful lump in its throat. Three months later bartok was in the usa and entered the work for a competition by the music fund society of philadelphia. Its more than decent, but theres something lacking in the music.
B artoks six string quartets are arguably the most. The takacs are especially responsive to bartoks sardonic humour the barrelorgan episode at the end of the fifth quartet, for example 540 and the corny burletta in the third movement of the sixth disc 1, track 11, from 147. Isabella stewart gardner museum creative commons attributionnoncommercialnoderivs 3. While the heath quartet set from last year remains a first choice, this new set makes a fine complement with its particular ethnomusical flavour and may be easier to swallow for newcomers. A listeners guide to the string quartet repertoire david. A listeners guide to the string quartet repertory the following pages were included as an appendix to my book the four and the one. Im a fan of many other bartok works, and i love his string writing for the concertos and sonatas but i cannot get into these quartets at all. Six string quartets classical music album play streams in full or download mp3 from classical archives, the largest and best organized classical music site on the web. He then submitted the piece to the anton rubinstein competition in paris, along with his freshly completed rhapsody for piano and orchestra op. Does the measure of modern reflect the extent to which. Adolf hitler came to power when he was appointed german chancellor the head of the government on january 30, 1933.
As adults i feel that generally there is no best recording. Order from your preferred classical music cd store arkivmusic. The guide offers one listeners catalogue of the best string quartets, from haydn through the 1990s. Tokyo string quartet 19751980 circa dg tokyo string quartet the second, rca set. Bartok string quartet hungarian music group britannica.
Bela viktor janos bartok 25 march 1881 26 september 1945 performers. They execute certain details in ways that give familiar passages new meaning, yet sometimes miss interpretive opportunities that other foursomes relish. Bela bartok, novak quartet 6 string quartets music. It received its premiere in vienna on 21 november 1904, played by the prill quartet headed by carl prill 18641931 with the composer at the piano. Just days later, on september 1, germany invaded poland and the war in europe began. He finished it in october of 1826, not many months before taking his last breath in march of 1827. Bartok string quartet, hungarian musical ensemble that is one of the worlds most renowned string quartets. It was founded in 1957 as the komlos quartet by graduates of the college of musical arts in budapest. The belcea quartets collective sense of character and technical polish serve bartoks quartets well, if not with ideal consistency. Unfortunately, these are the only two quartets that have entered the public domain in the united states so far. Bartoks last completed quartet exemplifies the composers continuing search for new forms, even as he sought to distill and clarify his mode of expression.
The concentration in the third quartet perhaps challenged bartok to flex his newfound powers differently, but not so differently as to abandon the fruits of the third, which was completed in september 1927. Rca vegh quartet 1950s mono set angelemi vegh quartet second stereo set mhs original records vaolis. Bartok the six string quartets takacs quartet download. This is a 2 cd set containing all 6 string quartets of bela bartok, played by the novak quartet. Im not sure whether its the music itself, the performances, the sound quality or what. It was the first of the six string quartets he wrote throughout his life. Other than the missing parts to the 5th quartet, all of the pdfs are of a lovely quality. Composed over a thirtyyear period, they chart bartoks progress toward sublime mastery, his abandonment of tonality and systematic reappraisal of the conceptual principles of quartetwriting.