String Quartet 9 “Spring” Op. 130

Description

Duration 8’10”  21 pages

ET 1344

ISMN 979-0-803363-68-6

Size: A4

comp. Sääksmäki, 6.4.2012

Score + Parts

Season Quartets VII – X (Opp. 125, 126, 130 & 133) 2010-2013
The names of the four single movement string quartets originally referred simply to the time of composition. There is no particular narrative content, except perhaps for the quartet ”Summer”. They were originally named Quartettsatz (after Schubert) but were later added to and numbered after the earlier quartets by the composer.

String quartet 7 ”Autumn” (2010, originally Quartettsatz Herbst), 9’30”, is based on a thematic 13-tone row, and almost the entire piece is a variation of it. The long introduction lends smaller motives to the almost entirely polyphonic satz.
String quartet 8 ”Winter” (2011, originally Quartettsatz Winter), 7’20”, has two themes. The main section is based on a melodic and polyphonic twelve-tone row, which gives way to the verse pros olígon estí to zên,”life exists only for a short while” from the ancient Seikilos epitaph.
String quartet 9 ”Spring” (2012, originally Quartettsatz Frühling), 8’10”, is based on triads with a polyphonic structure that creates thematic material. Towards the end the piece builds into some romantic highlights with intensive melodies.
String quartet 10 ”Summer” (2013, originally Quartettsatz Sommer), 7’10” resembles a surrealistic dream with a rough tempest and strange dances held together by a chord progression and a related expressive violin melody at the beginning.

If the quartet series is to be played in its entirety (approx. 35′), a classical sequence is best achieved by playing the quartets in a backwards order Autumn – Summer – Spring – Winter.