Are we living in the golden age of the string quartet?

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

What do you think? The last few decades has produced some of the most compelling works for SQ since Beethoven, I believe.

There are way too many string quartets I love to list them all here but I will mention Carter's 5th, Ferneyhough's 6th, Beat Furrer's 3rd, Saunders' Fletch just off the top of my head as a few really cool ones.

Also, quite a few string quartets who perform contemporary music often such as Arditti Quartet, Quatuor Diotima, JACK Quartet, Kronos Quartet.

Lots of interesting things always going on in the String Quartet world these days it seems.

[ahinton]

As a music fan, I say absolutely YES! The best stuff for string quartet has been written in the last 100 years IMO. So much SQ music I've heard from this period makes full use of what the quartet can do (not always virtuostically either) and the space it occupies. 

But as a composer, I don't know what to do with those instruments alone (outside of a larger context, e.g. ensemble or orchestra) 

Quatuor Diotima are one of the most remarkable ensembles around today, in whatevr repertoire they plap; their relatively recent boxed set of the complete completed quartet works of the Second Viennese School is utterly peerless.

[mc ukrneal]

Short answer: No.

I suppose 'the golden age' would have to be Haydn and those after, but I wouldn't mind calling what we have now an 'Indian Summer' if you felt strongly about it (though I wouldn't use it personally). I don't think most would be familiar with the pieces named, unless they have a stronger interest in more recently composed music (such as you have).

We're also sort of ignoring Bartok, who certainly was an important figure in the conversation.

[amw]

Now that you mention it, I don't think string quartets are a genre really known to the public at all. What's the most well known string quartet of all time?

Mozart K525

Also people will know the nocturne from Borodin's 2nd, but that's for other reasons

[amw]

The tune was adapted for an old pop song that I don't remember the name of. I have never heard the pop version and didn't recognise it, but one day when Borodin 2 was on in the background my mom abruptly said "oh wow, it's ______!" and I was like "?" and she explained.

[Sergeant Rock]

The tune was adapted for an old pop song that I don't remember the name of.

"And this is my beloved" from Kismet
https://www.youtube.com/v/c1zA8vL5HMg


Sarge

[Todd]

Are we living in the golden age of the string quartet?

No.

[amw]

"And this is my beloved" from Kismet
https://www.youtube.com/v/c1zA8vL5HMg


Sarge

Thanks!

Your presence also reminded me of the slowest performance of the Nocturne on record, which I'm definitely a fan of. (Ignore Youtube's mistagging)

https://www.youtube.com/v/czXuQsRBY6w

[Sergeant Rock]

Thanks!

Your presence also reminded me of the slowest performance of the Nocturne on record, which I'm definitely a fan of. (Ignore Youtube's mistagging)

https://www.youtube.com/v/czXuQsRBY6w

"This video is not available"      Damn, I wanted to hear this.

Sarge

[Brian]

No.

Definitely no. Now, if this question were, Are we living in the golden age of the performing ensemble string quartets? - then you could make a really, really strong argument for Yes.

[Karl Henning]

No.

Definitely no. Now, if this question were, Are we living in the golden age of the performing ensemble string quartets? - then you could make a really, really strong argument for Yes.

The answer could not be yes, in our day (perhaps) unless there are string quartets ready for extended collaboration with the composers who have something to say in the medium.

And one reason why that is problematic is, the quartets (like any performing ensemble) are vying for publicity-oxygen, and we live in a flavor-du-jour environment.  Look at the Kronos Quartet more or less deservedly celebrated, I should say.  What a hash they made of the Shostakovich c minor quartet, but that it is a hash did not faze their fan-base.


Good or ill, a quartet could use such a faithful core of fans/support.

[Monsieur Croche]

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair..."

[Florestan]

I join Neal, Todd and Brian: no. Imho the golden age of the string quartet was 1780-1830. No other period comes even close.

[PerfectWagnerite]

No.

I am glad you are the first to say it !

[nathanb]

I join Neal, Todd and Brian: no. Imho the golden age of the string quartet was 1780-1830. No other period comes even close.

Could you name, say, fifty or so composers for me from that era who have written at least one string quartet you find remarkable or compelling?

I ask because such a task is extremely easy for me in THIS era, and I don't consider "No. Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, the end." to be convincing enough.

[Florestan]

Could you name, say, fifty or so composers for me from that era who have written at least one string quartet you find remarkable or compelling?

Yes, I could. Let me know when you're ready to start counting.

[nathanb]

Yes, I could. Let me know when you're ready to start counting.

Go ahead I consider the aforementioned four to be masters of the genre, but I need more!

[Florestan]

Go ahead I consider the aforementioned four to be masters of the genre, but I need more!

Haydn
Mozart
Beethoven
Schubert

Boccherini
Dittersdorf
Vanhall
Pleyel
Arriaga
Canales
Brunetti
Spohr
Ries
Titz
Zmeskall
Onslow
Cannabich
Pichl
Hoffstetter
Cambini
Schhuster
Hoffmeister
Rosetti
Rolla
Krommer
Wranitzky
Cherubini
Reicha (Anton)
Wolffl
Hummel
Fesca
Viotti
Tomasini
Burgmuller

How many are they? I didn't keep track. 

[BasilValentine]

I join Neal, Todd and Brian: no. Imho the golden age of the string quartet was 1780-1830. No other period comes even close.

Disagree. 20thc for me: Bartok, Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Scnittke, Weinberg, Miaskovsky, Janacek — and I haven't gotten to Western Europe yet.

[Brian]

Disagree. 20thc for me: Bartok, Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Scnittke, Weinberg, Miaskovsky, Janacek — and I haven't gotten to Western Europe yet.

This is a pretty compelling case, to me! (Although that is very long for one "age")