I would love to be able to provide a unique answer other than No. 14 in C# minor, Op. 131, but that one has to be my favorite. No. 16 in F major, Op. 135 is a close second, though, especially the first movement, but all of it is remarkable.
I've heard all 16 of the string quartets at least three or four times, and No. 14 is rightfully the most appraised in my humble opinion. No doubt Beethoven put his whole heart into this monumental work. Its incredible intellect and coherence sets it apart from the other quartets. It's staggering to me how the seven movements occur without pause but flow so well, even with sudden changes in character. In fact, it would be more awkward if they were separate movements with breaks between. There is so much subtle and transcendental meaning in the way he employs motivic repetition, modulation, etc. and I can't begin to describe the arguably flawless structural integrity within each of the piece's movements and as a seven-movement body. It would be a joy if I had the time to write an in-depth analysis of each movement. Schumann said it and No. 12 in Eb major, Op. 127 seemed "to stand ... on the extreme boundary of all that has hitherto been attained by human art and imagination," which I completely agreed with after hearing Op. 131.
No. 16 contains musical material I would consider to be even more ingenious and implicit than No. 14, but the sheer refinement in what No. 14 communicates and its impressive presentation in one continuous work makes it stand out to me. Of course, comparing string quartets is like with apples and oranges when their characters are so varied and compositional techniques so diverse. Both No. 14 and 16 communicate some of the deepest thoughts and arouse intense feelings, but describe different "conclusions." I've heard some describe No. 14 in some vein as an existential journey ultimately leading to acceptance of inevitable death. In contrast, No. 16 has been described as lighthearted, playful, and good-natured.
It was a violin insurrection.
Sales tax was not mentioned anywhere in the contract that we signed, which locked in the price.
In our state, it is not legal to charge sales tax on a performance, but it is of course legal to charge sales tax on merchandise sold at performances(CDs, tshirts) And there wasn't any.
We respectfully countered to ask why we were being charged sales tax on a musical performance, and were then subjected to bullying messages about the IRS, and tax reporting, and being an "honest Business". And how we needed to pay it so that she could "honestly report her income".
We could not find documentation anywhere on it. We punted it to our planner, who was able to resolve the situation by arguing "a contract is a contract". Because again, there was no mention of "sales tax" in the contract we signed, which also included the agreed-upon amount.
We later confirmed it was in fact not legal to charge sales tax on the performance.
And I mean the vendors immediate, bullying response was a clue too.
Just a PSA to people planning/doing weddings - double check what you're being charged, and know that these kind of things might be slipped in. And don't be afraid to push back.
Edit: they have been reported to the appropriate agency. Thank you to everyone who helped me by telling me where to look. I really appreciate it.
Score video: https://youtu.be/h0qEWtbgAL0
Hope you enjoy!
Score: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ceja__Lpalez-I5UWsThHLPqfuB7iyIV/view?usp=drivesdk
Audio: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mh4Egs0pwFEiWrD8ttisA-Tkda1ZGCFO/view?usp=drivesdk
Hey guys!
Just got into an argument with my mother over this one and wanted to poll the experts here... my mom is trying to insist that we need a string quartet to play before/during the ceremony (think - walking down the aisle) and I don't know whether to cave and agree or stick to my guns and use the DJ that we already had booked and planned to use for the ceremony music.
On one hand, maybe a string quartet while walking down the aisle WOULD make a big difference in the experience and be beautiful? I haven't been to a lot of weddings and simply don't know enough to say whether or not this is always the case. And on the other hand, we've already splurged on one of the best DJ's around (good music and dancing was really important to us) who is more than capable of doing all the music/sound before, during and after our ceremony. Plus I'm not sure how well a string quartet really fits our vintage boho disco aesthetic... and then there's the obvious added expense of a string quartet that we or my dad would be on the hook to pay (see my other post about dealing with my narcissist mother during the wedding planning process for more fun on my mother trying to insist on expensive things with zero financial involvement.)
With all of this in mind, I guess I'm wondering if anyone could weigh in here from their own experiences as brides/guests - have you seen a ceremony where the couple only used their DJ for music? Was it tacky or weird? Alternatively, have you been to a ceremony where a string quartet was used and how was it? I'm willing to be swayed, but considering we've already paid top dollar for a great DJ and sound system I'm just not sure how necessary an additional quartet would be. A reality check would be immensely helpful!
Not sure if this has been talked about before, but I remember going to Best Buy to buy We Are Not Alone and seeing the quartet tribute CD next to it thinking it was random and weird, so I never picked it up. It popped in my head the other day and I can't stop listening to it now.
They have the whole thing on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K20yIfSVKL0&list=OLAK5uy_mVqzo_hzp_eBqdI57pJDZBDMKVNstlLXw&ab_channel=VitaminStringQuartet-Topic
There's also a song they made on it inspired by BB called "A Yellow Sky": https://youtu.be/x1_NX_mvBNY
Did anyone ever buy this album?
They've covered a lot of bands. You can definitely fall down a rabbit hole with them for sure.
The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center has been posting free streaming videos of selected pre-pandemic performances, and it's fantastic stuff. In the current video, viewable until Feb. 8, three different recitals are highlighted, with a big revelation for me: Startlingly beautiful fugues for string quartet by Mozart and Mendelssohn, performed by the Schumann Quartet. Why have I never heard of these pieces?
They both have 2 movements but they are incredibly beautiful especially SQ No. 1 Mov 1- Romance and the SQ No. 2 Mov. 2- Andante Molto Sostenuto which is incredibly emotional and intense at times, sounds so ahead of it's time and IMO sounds like Dark Souls 3 music. Give them a listen, you won't regret it!
Iβm currently working on a string quartet and I want to write a cello cadenza in one movement, but Iβm a violinist and pretty new to writing for cello. Iβm currently studying the cadenza in the finale of Shostakovich 9, could anyone offer some other examples in the repertoire for me to study?
https://youtu.be/XedvOxxEOKk
The fourth part (and movement) of the Shostakovich 8th quartet analysis is here! Thereβs a lot of really great stuff in this movement and I put a ton of work into putting this series together so I hope youβll check it out!
https://youtu.be/XedvOxxEOKk
The fourth part (and movement) of the Shostakovich 8th quartet analysis is here! Thereβs a lot of really great stuff in this movement and it took a lot of work to put this video together so I hope youβll check it out!
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