A Brief History of the String Quartet

Definition and Origins

To begin, let us define what a string quartet is. The term refers to works written for an ensemble comprising four string instruments, usually two violins, a viola and a cello. It is a major subgenre of chamber music, meaning compositions written for a small group of musicians who each perform their separate musical part (as opposed to a symphony, for example, in which each part is played by several performers).

The idea of bringing four string musicians together first burgeoned in Italy and in France in the latter half of the 17th century. Alessandro Scarlatti and Giovanni Battista Sammartini are credited with making important contributions in the genre’s beginnings. However, it wasn’t until the next century, in Austria and southern Germany, that the genre truly took off and assumed its current form. Since then, composers have always been fascinated by this particular form, which Goethe described as a polite conversation between four intelligent people, thus reflecting the more egalitarian ideals of 18th-century European society. Moreover, the principle of equality prevails in the string quartet: no instrument overshadows another, at least in theory. And while some composers were extremely prolific – notably, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Shostakovich, who all produced several iterations of the genre – others like Franck, Debussy and Ravel, have left behind but a single quartet.

The Classical Style: Haydn and Mozart

In the 1760s, Haydn set the rules of composition: specifically, that a quartet should have a clear structure of four movements and a balanced texture between the four musicians. These rules had a major impact on the genre’s trajectory, which has lasted to this day. Strongly associated with the Classical style, this so-called “noble genre” peaked between 1780 and 1820. It was also during this period that the word “quartet” gradually came to replace “divertimentos,” the term previously used to reference works written for such an instrumental ensemble. Over the course of forty years, Haydn would compose 68 quartets, all of them remarkable for their inventiveness, wide-ranging musical style and formal variety. Two examples of such are the famous “Emperor” (Op. 76, No. 3) and “Fifths” (Op. 76, No. 2). Dubbed the “Father of the string quartet,” Haydn had a profound influence on the younger Mozart, who dedicated his first six quartets Op. 10 to him in 1785. Mozart would compose a total of 23 quartets between 1770 and 1790. Among them are genuine masterpieces, such as “The Hunt” (Op. 10, No. 3) and “Dissonance” (Op. 10, No. 6).

Beethoven: in a Class of his Own

At the turn of the 19th century, Beethoven disrupted the genre’s conventions, which Haydn and Mozart had established just a few decades earlier. His 16 quartets, composed throughout his creative period between 1798 and 1826, lie entirely outside the norm. While the six quartets of Op. 18, published in 1801, are modelled on Haydn’s and fall within the lines of what came before, those that follow just a few short years later (Op. 59 “Rasumovksy,” in 1806, or Op. 74 “Harp,” in 1809) turn their backs firmly on the classical style. Beethoven’s late quartets take experimentation to the extreme: the quartet movement “Grosse Fuge” Op. 133 (1824-1825) mystified his contemporaries with its unusual dimensions and the unexpected virtuosity demanded of the musicians. These works constitute the apex of the genre, all while paving the way from the Classical to the Romantic era. The final quartets move away from the four-movement form previously set by Haydn, sometimes comprising five, six or even seven movements that run continuously into each other (Op. 131).

The Romantic Era

So, what path would the string quartet take after Beethoven? The great German composer cast a long shadow on Schubert, Schumann and Brahms. Just five days before his death, Schubert listened to Beethoven’s Op. 131, at which he exclaimed: “After this, what is left for us to write?” Perhaps it is for this reason that the quartets composed after Beethoven distance themselves from their illustrious predecessors. Nevertheless, the genre continued to fascinate Romantic composers, for whom it remained synonymous with effort, concentration and rigour. Although production of quartets waned in this period, composers such as Schubert, Schumann, the Mendelssohns (Felix and Fanny), Brahms and Tchaikovsky have left behind some exquisite works. One can’t help but note, however, that the innovations were fewer and somewhat less spectacular. The quartet once more became “tame,” formally and harmonically speaking, frequently adopting a more conventional four-movement structure. There was one notable development, however: after Brahms, works were mainly written for professional ensembles, which began to proliferate in the 1870s. It was also during this period that composers finally dared to attempt to measure up to Beethoven’s legacy. Some decades later, in France at the close of the 19th century, Debussy would offer a brilliant exemplar of the genre.

The Quartet in the 20th Century

For 20th-century composers, such as Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg, Anton Webern, Maurice Ravel, Gabriel Fauré and Béla Bartók, the quartet once again became synonymous with experimentation a full century after Beethoven’s remarkable advancements. The genre’s popularity had now grown beyond the borders of France, Austria and Germany, inspiring composers from Hungary, Russia, Poland, Norway, Finland, the United Kingdom and the United States, among other countries. Although most composers of this period produced relatively few string quartets, Dmitri Shostakovich composed fifteen such works. Every one of them exceptional, they contributed greatly to the genre’s renewal. In the latter half of the 20th century, György Ligeti, Elliott Carter and John Cage composed stupefying modern works that were often disconcerting. The period following 1975 saw a renewed interest in the string quartet: Henryk Górecki would compose three such works between 1988 and 1995. Professional ensembles, including the Arditti Quartet and the Kronos Quartet, would even go so far as to specialize in the performance of contemporary works for this type of musical ensemble.