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

[Todd]

Although that is very long for one "age"

Indeed.  I stopped living in the 20th Century last century.

[Spineur]

Indeed.  I stopped living in the 20th Century last century.

+1
nice 21st century quartets: Rhim, Hersant, Part.
A long way from the 17-20 centuries achievments

[BasilValentine]

Indeed.  I stopped living in the 20th Century last century.

No, like the rest of us, you stopped living in the 20thc in the wee hours of the morning on January 1, 2000. What does that have to do with the golden age of the string quartet?

[Todd]

No, like the rest of us, you stopped living in the 20thc in the wee hours of the morning on January 1, 2000.

As I wrote, I stopped living in the 20th Century last century.

[Florestan]

No, like the rest of us, you stopped living in the 20thc in the wee hours of the morning on January 1, 2000.

Wrong. 2000 was the last year of the 20th century. The first year of the 21st century was 2001.

[mc ukrneal]

No, like the rest of us, you stopped living in the 20thc in the wee hours of the morning on January 1, 2000. What does that have to do with the golden age of the string quartet?

Funny, I was still in the 20th century on that date. But on January 1, 2001, I did join the 21st century. I suspect you did too!

EDIT: Shucks - Florestan beat me to it!

[nathanb]

It'll do, Florestan. Point taken. A few names there I'm unaware of indeed.

Trying to be selective here, rather than name-dropping half the composers I know... Here are some quartets that strike me as remarkable from the last 50 years:

Alberto Posadas: Liturgia Fractal
Alvin Lucier: Navigations
Ana-Maria Avram: Ikarus II
Beat Furrer: String Quartet No. 3
Ben Johnston: String Quartet No. 4
Bernhard Lang: Monadologie IX
Brian Ferneyhough: String Quartet No. 6
Chaya Czernowin: String Quartet
Christian Ofenbauer: Zerstörung Des Zimmers / Der Zeit 1999
Conlon Nancarrow: String Quartet No. 3
Cristóbal Halffter: String Quartet No. 7
Dai Fujikura: Flare
Elliott Carter: String Quartet No. 3
Georg Friedrich Haas: String Quartet No. 7
George Crumb: Black Angels
György Kurtág: Hommage a András Mihály
György Ligeti: String Quartet No. 2
Helmut Lachenmann: Gran Torso
Horațiu Rădulescu: String Quartet No. 4
Iancu Dumitrescu: Holzwege
Iannis Xenakis: Tetras
Jakob Ullmann: Komposition Für Streichquartett
James Dillon: String Quartet No. 6
Johannes Kalitzke: Six Covered Settings
John Cage: Thirty Pieces For String Quartet
John Zorn: Momento Mori
Jonathan Harvey: String Quartet No. 4
Jürg Frey: String Quartet No. 2
Kaija Saariaho: Nymphéa
Karlheinz Stockhausen: Helikopter-Streichquartett
Klaus Lang: sei jaku.
Luigi Nono: Fragmente-Stille, An Diotima
Mathias Spahlinger: Apo Do
Milton Babbitt: String Quartet No. 6
Ming Tsao: Pathology Of Syntax
Morton Feldman: String Quartet No. 2
Pascal Dusapin: Time Zones
Per Nørgård: String Quartet No. 8
Peter Ruzicka: Sturz
Pierluigi Billone: Muri IIIb
Rebecca Saunders: Fletch
Richard Barrett: I Open And Close
Saed Haddad: Joie Voilée
Salvatore Sciarrino: Sei Quartetti Brevi
Simon Steen-Andersen: String Quartet
Sofia Gubaidulina: String Quartet No. 4
Steve Reich: Different Trains
Toru Takemitsu: A Way A Lone
Toshio Hosokawa: Silent Flowers
York Höller: Antiphon

[Guess I opted to narrow it down to 50]

[BasilValentine]

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

If we want to stick with 50 year increments, then 1925-75 for me.

[Florestan]

It'll do, Florestan. Point taken. A few names there I'm unaware of indeed.

Of course, I can't guarantee that you too will find they have at least one remarkable or compelling SQ, but if you want to explore the period beside the big four names, there's plenty you can choose from. Youtube should probably have a lot of them.

Thanks for your list. Certainly lots to explore.

[nathanb]

Of course, I can't guarantee that you too will find they have at least one remarkable or compelling SQ, but if you want to explore the period beside the big four names, there's plenty you can choose from. Youtube should probably have a lot of them.

Thanks for your list. Certainly lots to explore.

To be clear, exploring the above list would make you pretty cool in my mind, but my own tastes tend to shy away from musical conservativism... And even those more conservative-minded composers that I *do* love tend to be a little more lacking in the string quartet department (First example that comes to mind: Rautavaara). Also, for instance, note that only one minimalist composition appears on the list. And yet, some of those pieces might be a little more friendly to you...

[North Star]

You should perhaps try Vasks' No. 3 (1995), Andrei.

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

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.

But there are, aren't there?

[arpeggio]

I really do not know but I have heard some cool recent quartets (My favorite Haydn works are his quartets)

I was going through my library and I do not think the following composers have been mentioned yet (My apologies if I make a mistake)

Robert Simpson
Vagn Holmboe (I think his quartets have been mentioned in other threads)
John Corigliano
Richard Danielpour
John Harbison
Karol Husa
Jacob Druckman
Henri Lazarof
George Perle
Tobias Picker
George Rochberg
Ned Rorem
Ahmed-Adnan Saygun (Cool Turkish composer)

There are a bunch of others in my collection but these are the ones I am the most familiar with.

I have enjoyed the music of George Lloyd.  Does anyone know if he composed any string quartets.

[Sergeant Rock]

I have enjoyed the music of George Lloyd.  Does anyone know if he composed any string quartets.

I don't believe he did. A pity.

Sarge

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

It'll do, Florestan. Point taken. A few names there I'm unaware of indeed.

Trying to be selective here, rather than name-dropping half the composers I know... Here are some quartets that strike me as remarkable from the last 50 years:

Alberto Posadas: Liturgia Fractal
Alvin Lucier: Navigations
Ana-Maria Avram: Ikarus II
Beat Furrer: String Quartet No. 3
Ben Johnston: String Quartet No. 4
Bernhard Lang: Monadologie IX
Brian Ferneyhough: String Quartet No. 6
Chaya Czernowin: String Quartet
Christian Ofenbauer: Zerstörung Des Zimmers / Der Zeit 1999
Conlon Nancarrow: String Quartet No. 3
Cristóbal Halffter: String Quartet No. 7
Dai Fujikura: Flare
Elliott Carter: String Quartet No. 3
Georg Friedrich Haas: String Quartet No. 7
George Crumb: Black Angels
György Kurtág: Hommage a András Mihály
György Ligeti: String Quartet No. 2
Helmut Lachenmann: Gran Torso
Horațiu Rădulescu: String Quartet No. 4
Iancu Dumitrescu: Holzwege
Iannis Xenakis: Tetras
Jakob Ullmann: Komposition Für Streichquartett
James Dillon: String Quartet No. 6
Johannes Kalitzke: Six Covered Settings
John Cage: Thirty Pieces For String Quartet
John Zorn: Momento Mori
Jonathan Harvey: String Quartet No. 4
Jürg Frey: String Quartet No. 2
Kaija Saariaho: Nymphéa
Karlheinz Stockhausen: Helikopter-Streichquartett
Klaus Lang: sei jaku.
Luigi Nono: Fragmente-Stille, An Diotima
Mathias Spahlinger: Apo Do
Milton Babbitt: String Quartet No. 6
Ming Tsao: Pathology Of Syntax
Morton Feldman: String Quartet No. 2
Pascal Dusapin: Time Zones
Per Nørgård: String Quartet No. 8
Peter Ruzicka: Sturz
Pierluigi Billone: Muri IIIb
Rebecca Saunders: Fletch
Richard Barrett: I Open And Close
Saed Haddad: Joie Voilée
Salvatore Sciarrino: Sei Quartetti Brevi
Simon Steen-Andersen: String Quartet
Sofia Gubaidulina: String Quartet No. 4
Steve Reich: Different Trains
Toru Takemitsu: A Way A Lone
Toshio Hosokawa: Silent Flowers
York Höller: Antiphon

[Guess I opted to narrow it down to 50]

This is a great introductory list, also I was not aware of the Steen-Andersen SQ! Definitely something I should check out. A wonderful composer indeed.

[nathanb]

This is a great introductory list, also I was not aware of the Steen-Andersen SQ! Definitely something I should check out. A wonderful composer indeed.

I think he has two now actually... is the title of String Quartet automatically assumed to be String Quartet No. 1 in that case?

[amw]

But there are, aren't there?

Arditti Quartet
JACK Quartet
Quatuor Diotima
Pellegrini-Quartett
Kairos-Quartett
Maggini Quartet
Hagen Quartet
Pacifica Quartet
Juilliard Quartet
Quartet-Lab
Jasper Quartet
Spektral Quartet
Keller Quartet
Minguet Quartet
Quartetto Prometeo

Off the top of my head.

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

Arditti Quartet
JACK Quartet
Quatuor Diotima
Pellegrini-Quartett
Kairos-Quartett
Maggini Quartet
Hagen Quartet
Pacifica Quartet
Juilliard Quartet
Quartet-Lab
Jasper Quartet
Spektral Quartet
Keller Quartet
Minguet Quartet
Quartetto Prometeo

Off the top of my head.

I rest my case. It certainly seems to be some kind of golden age for the composition and performance of new music for string quartet...........

[Todd]

I rest my case.

What is your case again?

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

What is your case again?

There are many quartets devoted to performing new music, meaning there are a lot of really interesting and unique recent compositions for these ensembles.