STRING QUARTET NO. 2 in A MINOR,
OP. 51, NO. 2
Recording: Melos Quartet (Wilhelm Melcher, 1st
Violin; Gerhard Voss, 2nd violin; Hermann Voss,
viola; Peter Buck, cello) [DG 423 670-2]
Published
1873. Dedicated to “his friend” Dr. Theodor Billroth in
Vienna.
For general
information about the background and composition of the two
Op. 51 string quartets, see the guide for Op. 51, No. 1.
The A-minor quartet largely follows the same lines as its
C-minor companion, but its proportions vary somewhat.
The slow movement is larger, but the minuet/scherzo substitute
is shorter. Overall, the mood, while still intense and
passionate, is more lyrical. The piece is also notable
for its “homotonality,” meaning that all four movements share
the same key center of A minor or major. It follows the
Piano Trio in B major, op. 8,
the First Piano Concerto in D minor, Op.
15, and the Horn Trio in E-flat major, Op. 40. Two later
multi-movement instrumental works, the Piano Trio in C minor,
Op. 101, and the Clarinet/Viola
Sonata in E-flat major, Op. 120, No.
2, would share this aspect. The first movement,
although certainly not a relaxed or leisurely piece, is far
more melodic than its driving, relentless counterpart in the
C-minor work. This is evident in both the expressive
main theme and the sumptuous second theme. There is also
much excitement, as in the acceleration toward the end in the
coda. The second movement has great beauty, and is fully
worked out, a marked contrast to the concise “Romanze” in Op. 51, No. 1. The economy
with which Brahms constructed the main theme is cause for
amazement, and the movement was particularly admired by Arnold
Schoenberg, who analyzed it extensively in his famous essay
“Brahms the Progressive.” The third movement is headed
“Quasi Minuetto,” a title previously used in the A-major orchestral serenade. It
is really another “scherzo substitute.” The central trio
section provides an especially strong contrast in mode
(major), meter (duple), and tempo (fast). Unusually, the
Minuet music briefly returns to round off each of the trio
section’s two parts. The finale, a true sonata-rondo
hybrid, derives its energy from metrical conflicts between the
main melody and its accompaniment. The Hungarian czárdás
is the generic model, providing the “gypsy” flavor seen in
other finale movements such as that of the Op. 25 Piano Quartet in G
minor. The movement ends with a culminating two-part
coda.
IMSLP
WORK PAGE
ONLINE
SCORE
FROM IMSLP (First Edition from Brahms-Institut Lübeck)
ONLINE
SCORE FROM IMSLP (From Breitkopf & Härtel Sämtliche Werke)
1st Movement:
Allegro non troppo (Sonata-Allegro form). A MINOR,
Cut time [2/2] with four 3/2 measures.
EXPOSITION
0:00 [m. 1]--Theme 1. The first violin takes the
lead with an expressive, broadly arching line. The viola
begins a pattern of arpeggios in leisurely triplet
rhythm. These always begin with an upward reach, then
leap down again and back up. The second violin and cello
play measure-long notes. After its initial arch, the
first violin melody takes up an anxious gesture that rises
once in sequence. The second violin joins it in harmony
and counterpoint. After another arching line that
includes a syncopated note held across the bar line, the
melody becomes anxious again. A pattern reaching up and
falling down is played twice, the second time decorated with a
“turn” figure. The second statement builds rapidly in
volume.
0:21 [m. 13]--The two violins reach high and play a
descending line in octaves. The viola takes over for the
second violin halfway through. This descent begins
forcefully, but rapidly diminishes. The cello enters and
all four instruments, in harmony and strong syncopation,
settle toward a cadence. At first the arrival is
interrupted by a rest, but then, in longer notes, it is fully
completed.
0:36 [m. 20]--Transition. Immediately after the
cadence, all instruments except first violin play another
agitated, but dolce gesture. It begins with two
syncopated chords, which are followed by faster notes that
seem to whisper and sigh. A second statement overlaps
with it, the first violin entering to take the lead. The
harmony and direction are changed slightly. A second
overlapping alternation begins a fifth lower, again with the
first violin following the others. The motion away from
A minor begins with a brief turn to E minor. Now the
overlapping entries (primarily between first and second
violin; the others accompany both) follow at a closer
distance, becoming intense and building rapidly.
0:52 [m. 30]--A climax is reached as the cello begins a
long held “pedal point” on its low C. The first violin
plays wailing downward arpeggios as the middle two instruments
continue the agitated motion. The key appears to have
shifted to F minor, with the low C as a “dominant” pedal
point. Two wailing arpeggios, the second a step lower,
are heard. The first violin then departs from the
pattern as the cello moves away from its low C and itself
plays arpeggios in the opposite direction from the first
violin. There are three such motions, all with the
middle instruments continuing to violently churn.
1:04 [m. 38]--In the previous passage, the key had
touched on the related keys of F minor and A-flat major.
Now, the true destination is revealed. The motion is
suddenly arrested in a descent that is not quite
finished. But the key has now clearly moved to C
minor. The inner two instruments play syncopated
pulsations while the first violin again reaches up and down
against the plunging cello. Suddenly hushed, the last
first violin leap down is repeated, but now with harmonies
that suggest a change to major. This is then confirmed
in the harmonies that briefly accompany a long, winding solo
first violin line. It is quickly left exposed, slowing
slightly before sweetly leading into Theme 2 with a slow
triplet rhythm.
1:20 [m. 46]--Theme 2 (C major). In the
“relative” major key, the ingratiating second theme begins,
played largely in a distinctive parallel harmony between the
two violins. Brahms includes a very detailed Italian
expression marking: molto piano e sempre mezza voce,
grazioso ed animato. This indicates that the theme
is graceful, but still full of energy. The violins begin
in thirds. The melody swings with an almost constant
long-short (dotted) rhythm, and many of the longer notes are
colorful chromatic “lower neighbor” notes. The viola
again plays in broad triplets, mainly leaping down and back
up, and the cello adds a plucked straight-rhythm bass line
that leaps widely, largely in octaves.
1:33 [m. 54]--The violins have reached a high point,
and their harmony has widened from thirds to sixths. The
center has also shifted to the “dominant” of C major, G.
Although there was some syncopation in the first phrase in the
form of notes held across bar lines, it becomes more
pronounced here, including within measures. This begins
in the second violin, joined later by the first. Even
the triplets in the viola add some syncopation. The
viola line is now focused on an initial downward leap, which
is then isolated in a broader long-short swing. The
plucked cello line settles on the note D, first in octave
leaps, then isolated notes. At the end of the phrase,
the first violin finally separates from the second, adopts the
gently swinging triplet rhythm, and moves, over chromatic
cello notes, toward a cadence on G.
1:45 [m. 62]--The viola inserts a rising line onto the
upbeat, interrupting the arrival and moving back strongly to
C. The theme is played again, but now an octave lower,
with parallel harmonies in second violin and viola. The
viola actually plays the higher notes in the parallel line,
above the second violin. The cello is still plucked, but
is less continuous, not playing on several beats, including
some downbeats. Most interestingly, the first violin,
marked lusingando, plays a very graceful new
counterpoint in decorative downward arching arpeggios.
At the end of the phrase, the melody is altered with strategic
upward shifts and leaps that allow it to remain in C rather
than moving to G.
1:58 [m. 70]--This phrase is parallel to 1:33 [m. 54],
but is now set at home instead of on the “dominant.” The
second violin, as before, begins the strong syncopation first,
but at the point where the viola joins it, the parts are
exchanged and the second violin moves back above the viola,
taking the top line. The decorative arpeggios continue
in the first violin, and they also start to incorporate the
syncopation. In a change from the previous parallel
phrase, the triplet rhythm does not take over the melody where
expected, and instead the syncopation prevails for four more
measures, first in the viola, then in the violins (the first
violin finally ending its arpeggios). In these last two
measures, the broad triplets sneak into the viola.
2:11 [m. 78]--Now the triplets that led to the previous
G-major cadence are heard, if delayed. It is now the
second violin that leads with the melodic continuation in
these triplets. The first violin again begins its
decorative downward-arching arpeggios. The cadence (in
C) is reached as before in this new distribution.
2:18 [m. 82]--The cadence is immediately
extended. The first violin takes over for the second and
repeats the measure approaching the cadence an octave
higher. The volume strongly builds here. Suddenly,
and with increasing agitation, the second violin and viola
play arpeggios as the cello finally takes the bow for the bass
line. These arpeggios are passed to the first violin,
which has just completed its cadence, and it turns them
strongly to minor before leaping downward. The viola and
cell then take the now strongly agitated minor arpeggios.
2:24 [m. 86]--The first violin leads in a very forceful
statement of the main thematic material in C minor. The
second violin and viola provide strong harmonies. The
arpeggios continue, largely led by the cello, although the
viola leaves its harmonization of the melody to take over when
the arpeggios reach higher. The four-measure statement
is closed by strong punctuating chords. The cello then
takes over the theme, and the first violin plays two octave
leaps in the long-short rhythm of the theme. The second
violin and viola play arpeggios, then pass them to first
violin as they harmonize the cello. Again, the forceful
chords round off this statement, but the first violin is an
octave higher and the chords strikingly turn back to major.
2:37 [m. 94]--The familiar broad triplet rhythm from
the cadences returns and eases the tension. The first
violin twice passes the triplets to the viola, which trails
downward. The other two instruments provide bass and
harmonic support. Then the triplets are passed from
first violin to viola two more times, but these statements
each compress two regular measures into one 3/2 measure.
The insertion of these two 3/2 measures (mm. 98-99) coincides
with the onset of a ritardando as the music settles
down.
2:50 [m. 100]--Following the 3/2 bars, the regular
meter returns. The first violin takes back over the
triplets and makes a huge leap down, leading to a full
cadence. This cadence overlaps with a restatement by the
second violin an octave lower. The first violin soars
above it with an octave leap, and the bass line in the cello
has chromatic half-step motion. The second violin’s
downward leap is much smaller, reaching the same note the
first violin did. Its cadence is full, arriving on the
downbeat and making a cutoff.
3:00 [m. 104]--Closing material. The strong
cadence introduces the closing theme, which is a forceful
surge in full harmony, with the violins rising, the viola and
cello falling. The intensity quickly subsides after the
surge, and the violins continue upward in a more gentle
manner, sighing toward a half-close. The forceful surge
is then repeated. The quiet continuation reaches higher,
but again reaches a half-close, this one slightly more
expectant.
3:23 [m. 116]--More chromatic harmony and half-step
motion takes hold as the violins hold a long harmonic third
and the lower instruments, in contrary motion, quietly echo
the last gentle reach. More sustained and colorful
harmonies beautifully lead to a satisfying cadence on C
major. Trailing after it, the second violin, viola, and
cello, in that order, play overlapping reminiscences of the
long-absent Theme 1. The second violin holds notes
across bar lines, and the trailing harmonies naturally move
toward the home key of A minor. In the first ending (m.
127a), this is further diverted to D minor, which is actually
the first harmony heard under the theme. The arrival
there marks the beginning of the exposition repeat.
EXPOSITION REPEATED
3:47 [m. 128a (m. 1)]--Theme 1. The first measure
is notated as part of the first ending because, due to the
preceding voice leading, the first two notes in the viola are
different. Initial arching lines and their anxious
sequels, as at the beginning.
4:08 [m. 13]--Large descent and extended cadence, as at
0:21.
4:22 [m. 20]--Transition. Agitated, syncopated
gestures with overlapping entries and buildup, as at 0:36.
4:40 [m. 30]--Climax with cello pedal point and wailing
arpeggios, as at 0:52.
4:52 [m. 38]--Arrival at C minor and major, sudden
quiet, and long solo first violin line, as at 1:04.
5:09 [m. 46]--Theme 2 in C major. First phrase
with violins playing in thirds, as at 1:20.
5:22 [m. 54]--Strong syncopation and triplet rhythms
leading to cadence in G major, as at 1:33.
5:34 [m. 62]--Viola upbeat, then statement of theme
with viola leading, as at 1:45.
5:48 [m. 70]--Parallel passage to 5:22 [m. 54] with
extended syncopation, as at 1:58.
6:01 [m. 78]--Motion to cadence in C major led by
second violin, as at 2:11.
6:08 [m. 82]--Extension of cadence by first violin,
buildup, and turn to C minor, as at 2:18.
6:14 [m. 86]--Forceful statements of theme in minor
from first violin and cello, as at 2:24.
6:27 [m. 94]--Return of triplet rhythms in major key
and insertion of 3/2 measures, as at 2:37.
6:40 [m. 100]--Full cadences with large downward leaps
in first and second violin, as at 2:50.
6:50 [m. 104]--Closing material. Forceful surges,
then quiet continuations, as at 3:00.
7:13 [m. 116]--Chromatic motion to extended cadence and
reminiscences of Theme 1, as at 3:23. The motion back to
A minor leads into the second ending, which, in only two
measures, deftly avoids the D minor arrival and shifts the
harmony, quite mysteriously, to the remote C-sharp minor, a
half-step lower.
DEVELOPMENT
7:41 [m. 129]--The first violin states the opening arch
of Theme 1, and is imitated by the cello a bar later.
The viola then enters with the same opening arch, but in
halved note values. The key seems centered on C-sharp
minor, but G-sharp minor is heavily implied as well.
Following these hushed and timid thematic entries, the music
suddenly becomes extremely agitated, almost violent. The
cello, playing short ascending figures, is followed directly
by the other three instruments in harmony. They reverse
the direction of the cello and forcefully thrust
downward. The motif is derived from the “anxious
gesture” that originally followed the opening arch.
There are five of these alternations, in which C-sharp minor
is confirmed.
7:54 [m. 137]--The leading cello suddenly becomes
quiet, and the responses of the other instruments broaden to a
more leisurely and smooth triplet rhythm. After four of
these, which steadily move downward, the direction of the
upper instruments changes, matching that of the cello for four
more statements. These remain centered around the same
range. A strong arrival on C-sharp minor is continuously
implied, but avoided. Finally, the upper instruments
depart from this pattern and reach upward longingly, changing
from triplet to straight rhythm. The cello remains in
triplets and now trails them. They reach a strong
half-close.
8:09 [m. 147]--In an impressive and dramatic
combination, the forceful upward gesture from the closing
material is combined with the “anxious gesture” from Theme
1. The second violin leads the former, followed by the
viola. The first violin and cello take the latter.
Then all instruments join in a dramatic presentation of the
previously quiet continuation of the closing material, with
its sighing upward motion. The key shifts up a half-step
from C-sharp minor to D minor, where the entire sequence is
presented a second time. The very end of this second
statement is subtly shifted to lead into the following
unstable passage.
8:22 [m. 155]--The continuation of the closing
material, now fully transformed into an active, aggressive
force, propels an extremely rapid and unstable sequence of
harmonies. It appears to begin in G minor, but rapidly
presses upward, largely by half-step, as the volume builds
even more. The first violin takes the lead, with the
others providing support. The climax comes as all four
instruments come together and oscillate on half- and
whole-step motion. Both the home key of A minor and the
minor version of its related “dominant,” E minor, are
suggested here.
8:31 [m. 161]--All four instruments present a grand
unison statement spread over three octaves. It begins
with the gesture from the closing material, then isolates a
three-note upward ascent that is repeated in a descending
sequence. At first, the top note of each ascent is
repeated, which keeps the meter undisturbed, but then the
repetition is dispensed with, momentarily disrupting the sense
of meter and greatly increasing the agitation. The
statement vacillates between A and E minor, and is cut off at
a point suggesting the latter.
8:37 [m. 165]--In another impressive climax, the first
five measures of Theme 1 are stated by the cello in E
minor. Against it, the forceful upward gesture from the
closing material returns in the upper three instruments.
As the cello continues, they dissolve into supporting
harmonies. At the end of the five measures, the cello
subtly inflects its statement toward the major (and a clearer
“dominant” preparation for A minor). The cello then
isolates this last figure, lengthening the upbeat notes so
that they take up a full measure. This happens twice,
the second time again fully in minor. The harmonies and
lines in the upper instruments actually move toward a strong
half-close in E minor. Then the longer upbeat notes are
given one more time as the upper instruments drop out.
The first violin echoes these notes two octaves higher.
8:58 [m. 177]--Re-transition. E minor remains in
force, and is again subtly transformed to E major as a
“dominant” preparation for the decisive return of A minor for
the recapitulation. The first violin takes over and
presents the opening arch of Theme 1 at a higher level (on B,
though the harmony does not move there). The second
violin, then the cello, introduce the broad triplet motion
typical of the theme’s accompaniment and formerly associated
with the viola. They pass it back and forth. The
viola itself inverts the motion of the opening arch. The
first violin plays the opening arch twice more on E, the
second time beginning off the beat. The cello adds two
plucked A’s an octave apart as it breaks from the triplets.
RECAPITULATION
9:08 [m. 183]--Theme 1. Its entry sneaks in and
avoids drawing attention to itself. At first, it seems
like a continuation from the preceding statements of the
opening arch. Like the last one, it begins off the beat,
one of several alterations from its first presentation.
The rhythmic displacement continues into the second measure,
which smooths out the first anxious gesture. Also
notable are the significant and colorful changes to the
harmony. The triplet rhythm, now with more undulation
than arpeggios, is passed between the second violin and cello,
the viola playing wide leaps typical of the theme. The
theme gradually achieves its original identity, initially in
the violins.
9:22 [m. 191]--From this point, the theme has achieved
its original identity in all four instruments, matching the
exposition from the ninth measure on, where the pattern
reaching up and falling down is given twice, the second time
with an added turn figure and a rapid buildup of volume and
intensity.
9:29 [m. 195]--Large descent and extended cadence, as
at 0:21 and 4:08 [m. 13].
9:43 [m. 202]--Transition. It is greatly abridged
from the exposition. The agitated, syncopated gestures
from 0:36 and 4:22 [m. 20] begin, now in the two
violins. They are followed by the viola and cello, but
with a much closer overlap than before, after only two
measures. The alternation between these pairs of
instruments on these patterns continues, rapidly deviating
from the harmonies of the exposition. After six measures
and three exchanges, the patterns are shortened, focusing on
the faster notes. As in the exposition, the volume
rapidly builds with these shortened patterns.
9:56 [m. 210]--The short patterns unexpectedly merge
directly into the long solo first violin line preceding Theme
2. The climactic passage with pedal points and wailing
arpeggios is completely omitted, along with the suddenly quiet
echoes. The solo first violin line is strongly played in
A major instead of C major. Its opening is displaced by
half a measure, and it is extended by a half-measure to
compensate. The contour is also subtly altered leading
into the rising triplets that introduce Theme 2.
10:05 [m. 214]--Theme 2 in the home major key (A major,
with key signature change here), analogous to 1:20 and 5:09
[m. 46]. Other than the new key, the first phrase
closely matches the earlier C-major presentation, except for a
couple of necessary and insignificant octave shifts in the
plucked cello notes.
10:18 [m. 222]--Strong syncopation and triplet rhythms
leading to cadence, analogous to 1:33 and 5:22 [m. 54].
The cadence is now in E major. The patterns of the
exposition continue to be closely followed.
10:30 [m. 230]--Viola upbeat, then statement of theme
with viola leading, analogous to 1:45 and 5:34 [m. 62].
The setting in A major is lower than in the exposition, but
the viola remains above the second violin, which now reaches
quite low in its range. The first violin counterpoint is
again marked lusingando.
10:44 [m. 238]--Parallel passage to 10:18 [m. 222],
analogous to 1:58 and 5:48 [m. 70]. In the exposition,
the first violin reaches to its lowest note in the first two
measures. This makes it necessary to replace these leaps
down an octave with syncopated notes in the lower setting.
10:57 [m. 246]--Motion to cadence in A major led by
second violin, analogous to 2:11 and 6:01 [m. 78].
11:04 [m. 250]--Extension of cadence by first violin,
buildup, and turn to A minor, analogous to 2:18 and 6:08 [m.
82].
11:09 [m. 254]--Forceful statements of theme in minor
from first violin and cello, analogous to 2:24 and 6:14 [m.
86]. The first violin statement is moved up an octave,
which is an effective change given the lower overall setting
here. The other parts also make some range adjustments,
including a brief exchange of previous parts between second
violin and viola. The cello statement is at the expected
level.
11:22 [m. 262]--Return of triplet rhythms in major key
and insertion of 3/2 measures, analogous to 2:37 and 6:27 [m.
94].
11:35 [m. 268]--Full cadences with downward leaps,
analogous to 2:50 and 6:40 [m. 100]. The leap in the
first violin is much smaller here because an analogous leap
would take it below its range. That instrument also
makes other range adjustments. The passage with the leap
in the second violin is here transferred to the viola.
11:45 [m. 272]--Closing material. Only the first
forceful surge and quiet continuation are retained.
Range adjustments are made in viola and cello. After the
first statement, the key signature of A major is changed back
to A minor, and the material deviates, marking the beginning
of the coda.
CODA
11:57 [m. 278]--The second violin and viola begin the
surge from the closing theme, but now the first violin follows
with its inversion, descending from two octaves above.
The cello trails, moving up but changing the harmony. A
second surge (or third, counting the original one) makes a
striking motion suggesting B-flat major or D minor.
Here, the second violin and viola leap up with the first
violin, then move down with it. Only the cello has the
upward motion.
12:04 [m. 283]--The distinctive “continuation” from the
closing theme, which formed the climax of the development, is
heard in unison in the viola and cello. The violins
follow in thirds, apparently moving from D minor back to A
minor. When the lower instruments enter a second time,
now lower and in harmony, things quickly settle down.
All four instruments join in a quiet pizzicato.
Two chords appear to lead toward a cadence, but this is
interrupted.
12:15 [m. 289]--After a pause interrupting the cadence,
the agitated and syncopated figure from the transition appears
in second violin and viola, joined by cello. It is
lengthened slightly. But the first violin interrupts
this with a high statement of the opening arch from the main
theme. This dissolves into a descending line in triplet
rhythm while the second violin soars above with the Theme 1
material. The transition gesture is then heard again,
and is again interrupted by the first violin, but it now
reaches dramatically higher for the first theme
material. Now the first violin launches into a
passionate, agitated melodic line that plunges down and soars
back up with much syncopation, steadily building.
12:45 [m. 305]--With the marking “più animato sempre,”
the excitement rapidly builds. The first
violin continues with its feverish line, interrupted by
dramatic rests. The second violin and viola play
syncopated harmonies with gestures beginning off the
beat. The cello provides a wide ranging bass line in
longer notes. Beginning from a note tied over the
previous bar line, the first violin line here is presented in
two “waves,” the second an octave higher than the first.
The second “wave” is extended and reaches up yet another
octave.
13:01 [m. 315]--The first violin now erupts into the
heavily syncopated figures, which form an even more passionate
melody. The second violin and viola, in unison, take the
material previously played by the first violin and add heavy
syncopation with notes held over bar lines. The cello,
meanwhile, forcefully begins a series of rising arpeggios in
triplet rhythm. These provide the music with even more
forward propulsion.
13:10 [m. 321]--The rising triplet arpeggios introduced
by the cello now take over, being passed between the cello and
first violin. Meanwhile, the opening arch is passed from
viola to second violin to first violin. When the first
violin takes it, the triplets migrate to the viola and second
violin. The arching line finally moves to the cello as
the first violin plunges down, and the other two instruments
continue with the triplet motion, now adding descending
arpeggios.
13:21 [m. 329]--The intensity of the faster tempo
notwithstanding, the first violin now settles into its final
cadence in two “waves.” The second violin and viola
continue with the triplet rhythm, which now oscillates in an
almost angry murmur. All four instruments reach a
strong cadence, with the cello leaping up from the “dominant”
note. The cadence is then emphatically punctuated with
two final “dominant-tonic” chords.
13:36--END OF MOVEMENT [335 mm.]
2nd Movement: Andante
moderato (Modified Ternary Form--AB(c)A’(c’). A MAJOR,
4/4 time.
A Section
0:00 [m. 1]--Verse 1. The main section is
proportionally large for a ternary movement, and falls into
two “verses.” The main melody is a beautiful, expressive
singing line, but it is constructed economically. Its
initial presentation is in the first violin, accompanied by a
steady and wide-ranging, but suavely sumptuous and chromatic
bass line from viola and cello in octaves. The melody is
almost entirely built upon a two-note one-step descent.
The descending step is usually placed off the beat or on a
weak beat. The end of the phrase becomes quieter and
moves toward the “dominant,” E major. A triplet rhythm
is introduced, the second violin makes its first entry, the
melody reaches high, and the viola separates from the cello.
0:35 [m. 9]--The upper three instruments introduce a
three-note harmonized figure beginning off the beat. The
cello remains on the downbeat. A pair of these figures
begins a melodic line that briefly descends to F-sharp
minor. A second pair of off-beat figures, with a
high reach between them in the first violin, builds in volume
and turns back to E. Here, the opening gesture of the
main theme returns in the first violin.
0:51 [m. 13]--A series of arching arpeggios begins in
the viola and second violin. These overlap and dovetail
between the two instruments. Meanwhile, the cello twice
plays the opening gesture of the main theme, and is twice
answered by a sighing variation of that gesture in the first
violin. The second time, the instruments move inward,
the cello up an octave, the first violin down one. Each
of the two cycles begins on E, and each time the harmony moves
toward D minor. The phrase begins strongly, but by the
second cycle is much quieter. In a one-bar extension,
the first violin slides up by half-step, punctuated by a chord
in the lower instruments, leading back to A major and the
second verse of the A section.
1:11 [m. 18]--Verse 2. The melody of the first
four measures closely follows that of Verse 1, but is moved up
an octave. A new accompaniment, based on the off-beat
figures from 0:35 [m. 9], is added. All parts are marked
dolce. From the fifth measure, where the music
had moved toward E major before, the melody deviates, but
remains reasonably analogous. The off-beat accompaniment
ends and is replaced by more steady rocking motion. The
triplet rhythm is expanded and intensified, creating more of a
yearning character. Most significantly, the music
remains rooted in A major here, including the cadence, which
is similar in construction. Now it leads directly into a
new extension.
1:44 [m. 26]--The extension begins rather mysteriously,
with chromatic notes and hushed descents. The viola part
is heavily syncopated. After two bars, the first violin
emerges with a soaring, bright upward scale on B major.
This then resolves into cadence patterns that quickly move
through E major and back to A as they descend to another, even
more convincing cadence. The second violin has joined
the viola in the syncopated accompaniment, and the cello
follows the melodic cadence with an off-beat arpeggio.
2:04 [m. 31]--The three-note off-beat figure originally
heard at 0:35 [m. 9], is now used for a new postlude to both
the second verse and the entire A section. At
first, the three upper instruments play it in harmony, leading
into figures that resolve unstable downbeat harmonies on the
second beat. These alternate with arpeggios in the
cello. At first gentle, the postlude builds up over four
measures until the first violin erupts into a passionate line
that descends, reaches up again, and finally settles down to a
full cadence. The lower instruments at first have
syncopated harmonies, then gradually join the motion of the
first violin. The cello hangs onto its arpeggios and
starts playing them continuously before before it breaks and
finally joins the cadence.
2:32 [m. 38]--Transition. Coinciding with the
cadence, the main melody is used for a very subdued transition
into the middle section. It is first heard in the second
violin, and then passed to the first violin. The viola
and cello provide the familiar accompaniment patterns, also
passing them back and forth. The ubiquitous two-note
descents become isolated against the melodic fragments.
Chromatic notes such as B-flat and F-natural create a twinge
of modal flavor. After two alternations of the main
melodic gesture and one last A-major cadence, the viola and
cello suddenly and powerfully move to the “relative” F-sharp
minor, where the turbulent B section is set.
B Section--F-sharp minor
2:53 [m. 43]--After the powerful viola/cello arrival on
F-sharp, the viola begins a passionate tremolo,
largely on double-stop harmonies. When the violins
enter, the second violin joins the viola on the tremolo,
but the first violin begins a feverish dialogue in canon
with the cello, which follows its motion precisely. The
cello is two octaves plus a fifth below the first
violin. In order for the canon to be strict, Brahms
skillfully uses the “subdominant” B minor and the “dominant”
C-sharp major harmonies, almost mixing them. The canon
itself uses forceful upward and downward leaps, jagged
short-long rhythms, and finally triplet motion, all against
the continuing tremolo. The canon settles down
to an arrival on the “dominant.”
3:11 [m. 48]--A gentle dolce interlude in
C-sharp major stands in stark contrast to the forceful
canon. The first violin hesitantly leads it with
syncopated notes. The viola and cello provide
accompanying counterpoint with some chromatic motion.
After the first gesture, the second violin enters and takes
over the leading role, and the first joins the counterpoint,
inverting the viola’s first chromatic line. Still
in C-sharp, the harmony is inflected to minor and reaches a
cadence.
3:30 [m. 52]--After the cadence, the viola and cello
make a forceful descent back to F-sharp. This happens on
the upbeat to the second half of the measure (m. 52).
There, the first violin and cello once again begin a
passionate canon, this one even stormier and more intense than
the first one. The second violin and viola begin their
accompaniment by reiterating the forceful upbeat descent, but
after a measure, they revert to the familiar tremolo
from the first canon. Because the canon now begins on
the second half of a measure, at first it appears that only a
slight adjustment with an extra leap will reorient the meter,
but in fact this is only part of a larger expansion including
new very wide leaps and more dotted rhythms. The triplet
portion with the diminishing volume has the same pattern, but
now points to an arrival at home on F-sharp.
3:59 [m. 60]--There now follows an extremely tender
passage which, while technically still part of the B
section, also merits its own subsection (c) because it
returns almost in full as the coda to the movement. It
bears some similarity to the interlude from 3:11 [m. 48], but
is far more developed. It begins in F-sharp major, but
both the first violin melody and the lines of counterpoint
from the other instruments are highly chromatic. The
cello punctuates with rocking figures. The triplet
rhythm is heavily used, first in the accompaniment, then in
the melody, which uses a descending triplet motion after its
initial gesture. This already inflects back to minor,
but the tender major-key opening gesture is heard twice more.
4:17 [m. 64]--Now the harmony becomes adventurous, with
a large-scale—but still highly chromatic—diversion to G major,
a half-step above the home key (the so-called “Neapolitan”
harmony). One statement of the opening gesture is
followed by two measures of the descending triplets, and the
rocking figure now appears in both the cello and the viola,
being passed between them. The second violin
counterpoint is very syncopated. After a soaring leap
and descent, there is an abrupt motion back to F-sharp minor
above plucked chords. This is reiterated in the viola,
but instead of a full cadence, there is a “deceptive” motion
to D-major harmony, confirmed by a solid cello bass.
4:44 [m. 70]--Re-transition. The main melody from
the A section, now in D major, is heard in the viola,
echoed by an inversion in the second violin. The first
violin provides the familiar steady accompaniment, then takes
over the next statement of the melodic opening, passing the
accompaniment to the second violin. This overlaps with
another viola entry and an inversion in the cello. At
this point, there appears to be the expected move back to the
home key of A major for the reprise. The first violin
leaps up an octave, then slowly descends as the cello moves to
A. The chromatic note B-flat has been a constant
presence, and at the last moment, it is used for a surprising
diversion to F major, where the A’ section remarkably
begins.
A’ Section--F major and A major
5:15 [m. 77]--Verse 1. Both verses are presented
in their entirety, but Brahms takes an unusual approach to the
expected variation by setting most of the first verse in the
“wrong” key, F major. The first phrase largely follows
the pattern from the beginning, but the steady accompaniment,
originally in the viola and cello, is now played by the viola
and the second violin (which had been silent in the opening
measures). The cello holds a solid F, as if to reiterate
that yes, we are in fact in that key. After three
measures, the cello does move up to the “dominant” note
C. The instruments return to their original orientation
in the last three measures with the motion to the “dominant,”
now C major.
5:49 [m. 85]--The three-note harmonized off-beat
figures follow as at 0:35 [m. 9], and as expected, the first
pair turns to the related minor, here D minor. The
second pair, however, begins in a higher octave and is very
subtly altered, especially the first violin descent after its
high reach. The subtle change causes the return of the
opening gesture to move not toward C, as would be expected
based on the previous pattern, but toward A. This is the
first sign of the home key’s delayed return.
6:04 [m. 89]--The pattern from 0:51 [m. 13] is followed
for two measures, with the first violin answering the cello,
but the first violin response is not placed analogously;
rather it is at the same pitch level as it was in the earlier
statement, bringing things even closer to their original
orientation and further emphasizing the home key harmony on A.
The second statement and answer are given to the viola and the
cello, the latter switching roles. The accompanying
arpeggios, already somewhat altered, are played by the two
violins in this last exchange. The one-bar extension is
replaced by two bars that solidify the final transition home
to A major. The cello has a wide arch. The other
instruments play rising harmonies, then two off-beat chords.
6:28 [m. 95]--Verse 2. Although A major has
finally been achieved, there is still variation, at least for
the first five measures. The melody from 1:11 [m. 18] is
transferred without alteration to the cello, an octave lower
than the previous first violin presentation. Naturally,
the first violin joins in the off-beat harmonies. From
the sixth measure of the phrase, the first violin takes over
the melody and finally, the music corresponds exactly with its
counterpart in the first A section.
7:00 [m. 103]--Extension beginning mysteriously, then
emerging into bright B-major scale and descent toward a strong
cadence, as at 1:44 [m. 26].
7:21 [m. 108]--The exact correspondence does not last
long and ends here. The postlude from 2:04 [m. 31] is
changed. Already in the cello, the arpeggios are
replaced by a syncopated pedal point on A, twice moving up an
octave. The three-note off-beat gestures are reversed in
direction and reach higher. There are three of these
gestures, and the third slows down the resolution. A
fourth, much lower and without the first violin, doubles the
note values and leads directly into the coda, a variant of
subsection c from the B section. The
previous descending line and strong cadence are dispensed with
in favor of this arrival.
Coda (c’)
7:42 [m. 112]--The tender passage from the end of the B
section is used to create the movement’s coda. The first
four measures are almost exactly analogous to 3:59 [m. 60],
now in the home key of A instead of F-sharp major. The
triplets occur where expected. The major difference is
in the last measure, where the first violin leaps up an
octave, which splits a previously held note and adds another
layer of syncopation. The cello also moves up an octave,
and the second violin part is significantly altered with more
emphasis on the triplet rhythm.
8:00 [m. 116]--The “Neapolitan” diversion is dispensed
with simply by omitting the statement of the opening gesture
where the shift was made and moving to the descending triplets
a measure early. These, then, remain in the home key,
and the first violin plays them analogously, albeit in a
higher octave. The accompaniment, however, is
significantly changed. All three lower instruments
reiterate a cadence motion from the “dominant” note E to the
keynote A. This is passed from second violin to viola to
cello, with the first two plucked. The pattern is then
repeated on the notes D-A under the second measure of
triplets.
8:10 [m. 118]--After the two measures of first violin
triplets, the pattern from the previous c passage is
abandoned. The first violin descends by half-step in
long notes, and its descending triplet arpeggios are passed
down to the other instruments, dovetailing between them.
At first only the second violin and viola play them as the
cello holds a long high A, but then they are passed down to
the cello as well. The gradually descending patterns are
still quite chromatic. After three measures, a cadence
is reached
8:24 [m. 121]--At the cadence, the cello, viola, and
second violin immediately begin a gentle echo of the main
theme as the first violin reiterates the cadence. The
cello holds a low A under its upper thematic motion.
After two gestures recalling the opening of the theme, the
violins leaping up an octave on the second one, the final
three chords are heard. The viola and cello follow the
violins on the first two before all arrive on the last held
chord.
8:57--END OF MOVEMENT [124 mm.]
3rd Movement: Quasi Minuetto, moderato;
Allegretto vivace ; Tempo di Minuetto (Minuet and
Trio). A MINOR, 3/4 and 2/4 time.
MINUET (Quasi
Minuetto, moderato, A minor, 3/4 time)
0:00 [m. 1]--Part 1. The cello plays a
distinctive upbeat with a turn, then lands on a held “drone”
fifth. The other instruments enter, mezza voce,
with the very melancholy minuet melody, a descending line in
rich harmony. Grouped in three-bar phrases, it is
punctuated by upbeat triplets, echoed by the cello in double
stops, joined in the second phrase by the viola. In the
third phrase, a heavily accented upbeat held over a bar line
leads to two more strongly accented upbeats leaning into
downbeats. These mark the fourth phrase. Finally,
the unit is closed off by a lighter, almost skipping descent
beginning in the first violin and echoed by the viola, coming
to a close on the “dominant” minor, E.
0:26 [m. 1]--Part 1 repeated. The cello upbeat
emerges from the E-minor arrival.
0:51 [m. 16]--Part 2. The first passage is a unit
of three three-bar phrases that venture away from the home
key. The first two phrases resemble the first two from
part 1. The harmony moves steadily upward, beginning
with the related major, C, then moving up through D minor to
E-flat major, where it lingers for the beginning of the third
phrase. This isolates the triplet upbeat and steadily
builds. The harmony quickly moves back through D minor
and back to the “dominant” harmony in the home key.
1:05 [m. 25]--Once again, the original cello upbeat
seamlessly emerges. What follows is a variant of Part 1
that rounds off the minuet. The first two phrases of
that unit are presented. The outline of the theme is
clearly recognizable, but it is highly embellished. With
shorter note values, the melody is decorated, and all
instruments except the cello (which plays its original drone)
are marked staccato for an especially light and
delicate presentation.
1:15 [m. 31]--The remainder of the Part 1 material is
further varied. The heavily accented upbeats are still
used, but the triplet rhythm is more heavily emphasized.
The harmonies are higher in the third phrase, but suddenly
plunge lower than the original for the fourth. The
closing descent is also recognizable, but instead of becoming
lighter, it slows down, using longer notes, and omits the
viola echo. The minuet section ends unresolved, with a
long sustained “dominant” chord (although unlike Part 1, there
is no actual motion to E minor or major). The suspense
is dispelled by the extreme contrast of the “trio” section.
TRIO (Allegretto vivace, A major, 2/4 time)
Part 1
1:34 [m. 40]--While not labeled explicitly as a “Trio”
section, the function is clear. The minuet rhythms are
replaced by a rapid, light major-key diversion in duple
meter. It is characterized by a held first note followed
by scurrying staccato figuration. The second
violin enters late, about halfway through the first phrase, at
about the point where there is a strong motion toward the
“dominant” key of E. At the same time, wide leaps in a
dotted (long-short) rhythm encroach upon the steady staccato
motion, and there is a brief buildup.
1:44 [m. 48]--The high point marks the beginning of a
second phrase, which starts with another held note an octave
higher than the opening. Here, Brahms wrenches the
harmony up another level, to B major, which is primarily used
to help confirm the first motion to E (as that key’s own
“dominant”). The volume quickly recedes again. The
cello briefly drops out and is reduced to short
interjections. Syncopation is also introduced. The
upper instruments largely move in nearly parallel
harmonies. After a descent, there is another rapid
ascent and buildup. This culminates in a plunging
arpeggio passed from first violin to viola to cello, extending
the phrase by a bar and quickly receding again.
1:55 [m. 57]--The first violin begins the next phrase
with a new version of the figuration that works steadily and
decisively upward. The decisive character is enhanced by
slower motion in the other instruments, which seems almost
march-like. Following the upward motion, the first
violin reaches another cadence in E major, but this is quickly
diverted by more of the marching variant. The fast
scurrying motion is now given to the viola, and the other
instruments suddenly break the steady accompaniment to provide
short and isolated chords.
2:05 [m. 65]--The final phrase of the first part has
the opening gesture played twice, the second time an octave
lower, in the first violin. The viola overlaps with its
scurrying motion from the previous phrase. Then all the
instruments become heavily syncopated in a forceful downward
plunge as a cadence gesture is repeatedly stated. After
they reach the bottom, with the first violin briefly dropping
out, they quickly shoot back upward with octave leaps on the
cadence gesture before a sudden motion to the related C-sharp
minor on the last upward leap. There is a strong buildup
during these leaps, but the volume quickly recedes again as
the second violin and viola trail after the climax.
2:15 [m. 73]--Interruption/Transition. Suddenly
and unexpectedly, the minuet tempo and the 3/4 meter
return. In a six-bar interruption that acts as a
transition to Part 2 of the “Trio,” the first violin, then the
viola, play a winding, almost mournful line in the key of
C-sharp minor. The viola imitates the first violin in a
strict canon. This is reminiscent of, but not
clearly related to the main minuet. The second violin
and cello provide harmonic accompaniment, also in canon, but
with the cello adding a “pedal point” low E. The first violin
and viola add a delicate decoration as the music slows to a
suspended chord.
Part 2
2:29 [m. 79]--Back in 2/4, the first phrase begins as
at 1:34 [m. 40], but after four measures, instead of moving
toward the “dominant,” the upper three instruments suddenly
pause on an unstable “diminished seventh” chord. Under
this held chord, the cello keeps the pulse moving with an
ominous figure whose repeated first note completes the harmony
of the chord. After two measures of this unstable
harmony, all four instruments resume the rapid motion, moving
toward the realm of D minor, but this is also interrupted by
another “diminished seventh” chord, this time with the viola
providing the ominous pulsation.
2:41 [m. 89]--Having moved to G minor, the rapid motion
takes on a “hammering” character for two bars, with the viola
trailing after on the “ominous” figure. Then there is a
plunging arpeggio passed down through each instrument.
It is heard twice, first in G minor, then, reversing the
harmonic direction, in D minor.
2:48 [m. 95]--Now the scurrying figuration begins again
as the harmony slowly re-establishes the Trio’s home key of A
major. The two violins lead, harmonized in thirds.
The viola and cello follow, also harmonized in thirds, and
moving in the opposite direction. This breaks after two
measures, and the first violin again takes the full lead on
the opening gesture. The other three instruments
alternate between upward arpeggios and variants of the opening
figure. The first violin steadily moves downward.
2:58 [m. 103]--A major now having fully arrived, the
first violin finally stops on a murmuring dotted rhythm.
The other instruments also adopt this rhythm, the cello moving
with the first violin, the second violin and viola offset by a
beat (with notes held across bar lines). After two
measures of this holding pattern, a descending arpeggio on the
“dominant” chord is passed from first violin to cello.
3:03 [m. 107]--From this point, the music is largely
parallel to the first part, but set in A major instead of E
major. The phrase from 1:55 [m. 57], with the first
violin moving steadily upward, is almost exactly analogous
except for a substitution of viola for second violin in the
first two measures.
3:13 [m. 115]--Analogous to 2:05 [m. 65]. In the
syncopated passage, the two violins reverse roles, and neither
drops out at the bottom. In the upward surge with octave
leaps, the motion to minor at the end is subtly changed.
Instead of a shift to the “relative” key (which would be
F-sharp minor), the final leap remains in A, with a simple
change to minor. The trailing motion afterward is
preserved.
3:23 [m. 123]--Interruption/Transition, Tempo di
Minuetto in 3/4, as at 2:15 [m. 73]. The six-bar passage
is almost exactly analogous to the previous statement, now in
A minor, complete with the imitations in canon. The
second violin and cello, however, reverse roles, with the
second violin following. The cello pedal point is now on
C. The passage now serves as a true transition to the
“Minuetto” reprise. To the six bars are added five
more. These extend the “suspended” chords, holding them
over bar lines. Colorful, but physically close chords
exploit half-step motion and briefly touch back on
major. Finally, there is a clear lead-in back to the
Minuet theme with its upbeat.
MINUET REPRISE
3:47 [m. 134]--Part 1, as at the beginning and
0:26. It is not repeated.
4:12 [m. 149]--Part 2. Three three-bar phrases,
as at 0:51 [m. 16].
4:27 [m. 158]--Variant of Part 1, first two phrases, as
at 1:05 [m. 25].
4:37 [m. 164]--Continuation of variant. The first
five measures are as at 1:15 [m. 31]. At that point, the
previous slowing is replaced by four measures of lighter
skipping motion similar to that heard at the end of Part
1. The first violin takes the lead with leaps up and
back down, the other instruments punctuating with chords on
downbeats and upbeats. There is a hint of motion toward
the “dominant.”
4:54 [m. 173]--The first violin becomes smoother and
merges into the new closing phrase. It holds notes over
bar lines, sliding up and back down. The cello now
plucks wide leaps centered on A and E, including downward
octaves. The second violin and viola play an echo of the
main minuet theme harmonized in sixths and thirds. At
the very end, the first violin briefly alternates with the
other instruments on chords (the cello again taking the
bow). They join together on the last A-minor chord.
5:08--END OF MOVEMENT [178 mm.]
4th Movement: Finale – Allegro non assai
(Sonata-Rondo form). A MINOR, 3/4 time.
EXPOSITION
0:00 [m. 1]--Theme 1 (Rondo Theme). The first
violin launches into the passionate gypsy-inspired theme with
an ascending three-note upbeat. It is set quite
high. The theme has several distinctive characteristics,
most notably its consistent division into three-bar
phrases. Also, while the other three instruments
steadily mark the 3/4 meter in solid chords on the first two
beats, the first violin melody begins each phrase by
undermining it. Its first two measures are really
grouped into three sets of two beats, prominently holding a
note over the bar line. The first three phrases are all
similar, each beginning with the three-note upbeat and ending
with a three-note descent. The second one shifts down a
step. The third moves up again, replacing the jagged
motion of the first two phrases with a new arching contour.
0:10 [m. 10]--The fourth and final phrase of the theme
isolates the three-note descent and is completely built upon
it. The accompanying chords move to an upbeat-downbeat
pattern. There is then a plunge down toward the cadence,
with the lower instruments joining at the end in unison.
0:13 [m. 13]--The theme is now presented in full by the
viola. The cello drops out, and the violins provide a
pulsating accompaniment. The initial three-note upbeat
overlaps with the cadence of the opening statement. The
third phrase is subtly altered to change the harmonic
direction and move more strongly toward the “subdominant” area
of D. The fourth phrase is similar, but the first violin
takes over in a high octave and avoids the precipitous
downward plunge. The intensity builds in this last
phrase, and the cello rejoins.
0:26 [m. 25]--The instruments come together in block
harmonies for a powerful new idea that serves as both an
emphatic close to the presentation of the main rondo theme and
the beginning of a transition to the secondary theme. As
with the theme itself, there are four three-bar phrases, each
beginning with a longer note leading into a series of
zigzagging chords. These chords are harmonically
unstable. There is much motion through the “circle of
fifths,” along with “leading tone” half-step motion in the top
voice. The third phrase “stalls,” heavily accenting the
second beat of the bar. Finally, the last phrase adds
the typical syncopation over the bar line before descending to
a powerful cadence asserting the home key of A minor.
0:39 [m. 37]--Overlapping with the cadence, the volume
suddenly recedes into a brief transitional passage.
There are two phrases, now four bars, anticipating the more
regular structure of the secondary theme. The violins
reiterate the keynote A in octaves while the two lower
instruments march downward. At the end of the first
phrase, the violins slide down. In the second phrase,
the viola and cello lead, the former playing syncopated
harmonies and the latter playing a flowing line that emerges
into an ascending arpeggio. The cello slides
upward. The second violin joins the viola on syncopated
interjections. The key shifts to the “relative” C major
for the secondary theme.
0:48 [m. 45]--Theme 2 (C major). It is much
smoother than the rondo theme. The first violin presents
it, beginning with a leap after an upbeat. A swaying
character pervades the melody, which is largely organized in
two-bar units, each beginning with a longer note. The
second violin and viola alternate on undulating figures, and
the long cello notes remain quite high. At the fifth
bar, there is strong dissonance. After eight bars, all
instruments pause except the viola, which continues its turn
on the undulation. Then everything is suspended on the
“dominant” harmony in two quiet pulses. After a
four-beat pause, the pulses are repeated, inflected to minor
and without the cello. Another four-beat pause follows.
1:06 [m. 59]--With sudden force, all four instruments
break into a powerful arpeggio on G minor. It arches
down in the violins, up in the viola and cello. It is
immediately stated again, this time on a “dominant” chord
suggesting F. But then things settle down, and the next
eight bars smoothly lead back into C major, albeit with
several colorful chromatic notes. The viola and cello
are briefly grouped in two-beat units, the latter making wide
leaps, but they quickly merge into the smoother motion.
1:21 [m. 71]--Closing material. Merging with the
C-major cadence, the violins and viola reach upward in
yearning harmonized arpeggios while the more active cello
works its way downward in a characteristic zigzag
undulation. The slower yearning arpeggios are briefly
played in two-beat notes that cross the meter.
1:25 [m. 75]--The upper three instruments briefly
pause. A pattern begins with upward arpeggios in the
cello followed by oscillations, on neighbor notes or octaves,
in the other three instruments. After four measures, the
pattern breaks, and the upper instruments melt into the
downward zigzag undulation in the next phrase. At the
same time, the cello takes over the yearning arpeggio in
meter-crossing longer notes. There are many chromatic
notes throughout the passage.
1:35 [m. 83]--The previous pattern returns, now with
the first violin leading on the upward arpeggios, the viola
and cello following on the oscillations. The second
violin drops out for nearly five measures. When the
pattern breaks as expected, all four instruments (led by the
cello) now merge into the downward undulation, but this now
turns around and works back upward.
1:44 [m. 91]--Over a steady buildup, the top three
instruments begin a strongly syncopated peroration to close
off the exposition. The first violin reaches very
high. The cello alone keeps the regular pulse with a
heavily chromatic marching motion. After seven bars, the
syncopation breaks, the volume recedes, and the first violin
emerges into a descending arpeggio supported by interjecting
chords. Although this arpeggio has one inflection to the
note C-sharp, it reaches a full and satisfying cadence in C
major.
1:56 [m. 100]--Re-transition. This passage
emphasizes the “rondo” character rather than the “sonata”
one. The exposition is not repeated, and there is no
direct motion to a “development” section. Instead, there
is a transition back to a new presentation of the main rondo
theme. Right after the cadence, the second violin and
viola play strong upward octave leaps on E, almost immediately
heralding a move back to A minor. The cello and first
violin dovetail on repeated statements of the three-note
figure. The cello plays the descending version, the
first violin the ascending one. These are very dynamic
and highly chromatic. The octaves move, and the second
violin separates from the viola, its octaves becoming
syncopated over bar lines. The first violin breaks into
breathless two-note gestures, the cello into descending
octaves.
2:05 [m. 108]--In unison, the upper three instruments
isolate the descending gesture and begin to plunge
downward. The passage is reminiscent of the fourth
phrase from the main rondo theme, but it is much longer (eight
measures), and the descending gesture is now four notes
instead of three. The meter is thus totally
obscured. After four measures, the gesture is reduced to
the more familiar three-note version, and the cello
joins. Still, the placement of the three-note figures
crosses bar lines, continuing to obscure the meter. The
first violin drops out long enough to restore order with the
three-note upbeat to the rondo theme. The other
instruments, in a final five-note descent, arrive strongly on
A minor with the downbeat.
DEVELOPMENT
2:14 [m. 116]--Theme 1 (Rondo Theme). Although
very similar to the first presentation, there are important
alterations. Most notably, the first two phrases add
trailing lines passing down from second violin to viola to
cello. These expand the phrases from three to a more
regular four measures. The third phrase is as it was
before, in three measures. So are the first two measures
of the fourth phrase (from 0:10 [m. 10]), but the last
plunging descent is cut off, as it was in the viola statement
at 0:13 [m. 13]. The phrase is reduced to two measures,
shorter than either exposition presentation.
2:28 [m. 129]--The block harmonies arrive, similar to
0:26 [m. 25]. Because the statement of the rondo theme
remained at the same level in the third phrase (which the
viola statement in the exposition did not), the chords begin a
fourth lower. Now only one three-bar phrase is followed
by two shorter two-bar units. These latter decrease in
volume. A harmonic motion through the “circle of fifths” is
followed by a direct juxtaposition of E minor and F major, two
harmonies a half-step apart.
2:35 [m. 136]--A smooth transitional phrase emerges
from the block harmonies. This places a chromatic first
violin line against a more active second violin counterpoint,
with support from the lower two instruments. More
emphasis on F and E (now major) is followed by another
progression through the “circle of fifths” that lingers on G
minor. The first violin comes to a rest, as do the viola
and cello as the second violin plays a “diminished”
arpeggio. This leads to a suspended half-close in F
major.
2:45 [m. 144]--Theme 2 (F major). The
presentation in an unexpected new key closely follows the
C-major version from 0:48 [m. 45]. The cello and second
violin reverse roles. The cello alternates with the
viola on the undulating figures. The second violin plays
longer notes. The viola/cello alternation is disrupted a
bit at the end, so that the last four measures are all played
by the cello. The closing pulses on the “dominant” and
their repetition with minor inflection are retained, but two
more statements of the pulses are added as an extension.
These are more dissonant and move to the “dominant” in D minor
(“relative” to F major).
3:08 [m. 162]--The forceful arpeggios from 1:06 [m. 59]
are used as the gateway to a developmental passage of great
intensity and instability. Instead of all four
instruments playing together in harmony, they now each begin
the descending arpeggio in close succession a measure apart,
then continue with similar (but not identical) material.
The cello begins alone, and is quickly followed by viola,
first violin, and second violin. The cellist begins on
the original level of the arpeggios, G minor. But the
subsequent entries move rapidly through minor and major
harmonies, both via the “circle of fifths” and by ascending
steps. The cello immediately begins a second round of
imitation closely following the second violin. This
round is a step higher in all instruments. The pattern
is broken, but the counterpoint is extended in a brief buildup
to a “dominant” chord in the remote key of C-sharp major.
3:21 [m. 174]--The climax arrives as the instruments
come together on a series of chords derived from the third
phrase of the transition passage heard at 0:26 [m. 25].
This third phrase had heavily accented the second beat of the
bar, as does this passage, and it was omitted in the
transition from 2:28 [m. 129], making its “delayed” appearance
here striking. The original three-bar phrase is extended
to four. It is in C-sharp major. A second phrase
(also four measures) keeps the same basic level, especially in
the high first violin notes, but altered harmonies suggest a
shift to D minor (though there is no firm arrival
there). Finally, a third four-bar phrase introduces a
cello bass line moving up by half-step and a shift toward the
downbeat.
3:34 [m. 186]--Re-transition. The last chord in
the previous passage is an unstable “diminished” chord on
D-sharp, which slides up to E in the first violin. The
cello also leaps down to a low E to begin a pulsating
bass. This low E serves as a long “pedal point dominant”
in preparation for the strong arrival of the home key, A
minor, and the return of the main rondo theme. The
volume suddenly drops, but the intensity does not. Over
the cello pulsation, the other instruments play material from
that main theme, emphasizing its metric conflict,
superimposing three sets of two beats onto two 3/4 measures.
The viola leads the patterns, with the violins following a
beat later in harmony, the second often adding more active
motion. All three hold beats over bar lines. The
volume rapidly builds and the violins reach higher over four
two-bar units.
3:43 [m. 194]--The cello ceases its pulsations and
begins to churn in octaves with the viola. The violins
stall on two chords. Then they join the lower
instruments an octave above the viola, creating a massive
unison over three octaves. In this unison, the
instruments strongly zigzag upward. In the second
measure of this, the second violin and viola shift their
register down, placing the viola in pure unison with the
cello, but there is no departure from the three-octave unison
spread. The last three notes of the upward “zigzag”
stand in for the upbeat to the rondo theme.
RECAPITULATION
3:47 [m. 198]--Theme 1 (Rondo Theme). The
structure in three-bar phrases is as in the exposition.
The trailing lines from the development are absent. The
novelty is in the lower instruments, which replace the block
chord accompaniment with more active, driving and continuous
figuration that includes some pulsations. The cello line
ranges wide, plunging down and rising again. The cello
descents (partly doubled by viola) conceal a “diminution” of
the theme itself in smaller note values. In the first
three phrases, only the first violin is the same as the first
presentation. The second violin is rather
interesting. It mostly doubles the first an octave
lower, but conceals this with the pulsations.
3:56 [m. 207]--The active accompaniment comes to a
sudden halt as the third phrase reaches its final
downbeat. The three-measure fourth phrase follows with
no changes from the exposition at 0:10 [m. 10].
3:59 [m. 210]--The viola statement from 0:13 [m. 13] is
also presented in a more elaborate version, albeit with less
variance than the first statement. The pulsations were
already there. What is added is a higher flying first
violin line (which adds another “diminution” in the third
phrase), more supporting harmony in the second violin, and
most notably, a new plucked cello punctuation in descending
octaves to articulate the end of each phrase. That
instrument had been absent from the statement before.
Again, the fourth phrase subtly returns to the original
layout, with the exception of the continuing plucked cello
before it takes the bow at the former entry point.
4:11 [m. 222]--The transitional block chords from 0:26
[m. 25] return. The first three phrases are unaltered,
but the fourth, with the syncopation, is changed so subtly
that it is almost unnoticeable. The phrase now points to
an strong arrival on the “dominant” chord instead of a full
cadence.
4:25 [m. 234]--The two phrases from 0:39 [m. 37] are
replaced by a single one. It resembles the first of the
two former ones. The first violin and viola reiterate
the “dominant” note E (instead of the keynote), and the second
violin and cello have the “marching” lines, which now move
upward. There is no key change away from A. The
reiterated “dominant” is a preparation for the statement of
Theme 2 in A major.
4:29 [m. 238]--Theme 2 (A major). The upbeat is
omitted for this presentation in the home major key. The
main difference from the presentation at 0:48 [m. 45] (and the
later one in the development in F major) is that the melody is
presented by the cello instead of the first violin. The
undulating figures are passed between the two violins, and the
viola takes the longer notes formerly played by the
cello. The transfer is not an exact correspondence, but
the pause is reached as expected, with the second violin
trailing. The quiet pulses and their minor-key
repetition follow as expected.
4:46 [m. 252]--Forceful arpeggios in all instruments,
analogous to 1:06 [m. 59]. They begin on E minor, then
move to the “dominant” of D before settling back in A major in
the subsequent smoother motion.
5:01 [m. 264]--Closing material, analogous to 1:21 [m.
71]. Yearning arpeggios against downward undulating
cello.
5:06 [m. 268]--Cello arpeggios, oscillations, then
downward undulations with cello statement of yearning
arpeggios, analogous to 1:25 [m. 75].
5:16 [m. 276]--Return to pattern with first violin
leading on arpeggios and second violin dropping out, then
downward undulation working back up, analogous to 1:35 [m.
83]. The cello and viola briefly reverse roles at the
end of the passage, and Brahms begins the crescendo
here, earlier than in the exposition.
5:26 [m. 284]--Strongly syncopated peroration,
analogous to 1:44 [m. 91]. The second violin and viola
have variations in their orientation from the first
presentation, but the leading first violin and the marching
cello are largely the same. The sudden receding in
volume and downward arpeggios follow. The full cadence
in A major now leads into the tranquil, meditative first part
of the coda, rather than a vigorous re-transition.
FIRST PART OF CODA (Poco tranquillo, A major)
5:38 [m. 293]--The cello leads a transformed version of
the main rondo theme, now presented as a gentle, rocking
melody. It is grouped in two-bar units with notes held
over the bar line. The first violin imitates this a
measure later. It begins as a true imitation in canon,
but subtle differences are introduced in the third measure of
the imitation. The other two instruments provide a background
of long sustained notes. In the sixth measure of the
imitation (the seventh of the phrase), the pattern breaks in
the first violin, and it joins the cello in an upward motion,
still in the prevailing rhythm.
5:51 [m. 301]--The first violin emerges into a graceful
winding line still based on the main rondo theme. The
other instruments accompany in pairs of chords on the first
two beats of the measure. It begins on F-sharp minor,
the “relative” key to A major. After three measures in
which the first violin line is repeated over different
harmonies, it works its way downward as the other instruments
hold a chord. The following four measures intricately
weave lines in the upper three instruments over held cello
notes. The viola takes over the winding line, the first
violin plays rising arpeggios, and the second violin has
descending figures.
6:02 [m. 309]--Now all four instruments join in chords
played on the first two beats of each measure. They are
detached and marked pianissimo. The cello
remains rooted to the “dominant” note, E. The top line
of the chords creates a melody that seems geared toward an
arrival, with its rising half-steps and falling fourths.
6:08 [m. 313]--The four-bar pattern is repeated, but
now the first violin largely has the chords and melody to
itself, as the second violin and viola pass simple descending
lines back and forth. The viola begins these on an
upbeat to the first measure. The cello becomes more
active, moving away from the E, then returning. After
this decorated repetition, the instruments break off for a
full measure pause. The last measure of the pattern is
then repeated, but the last note of the first violin melody is
wrenched up a half-step, creating a poignant dissonance.
Another full-measure pause follows.
6:19 [m. 320]--In a moment of ethereal suspension that
seems out of place in this mostly agitated movement, the
instruments play a series of sustained chords, pianissimo.
The pattern is derived from the main rondo theme. All
the chords are two beats long, completely obscuring the triple
meter, and they include dissonances and half-step
motion. Twelve of these chords over eight measures
produce a reiterated six-bar first violin line as the other
instruments move more steadily downward.
6:33 [328]--There now follow six measures of chords
that are held for the full three-beat measure. The
harmonies of these subtly shift back toward A minor, and the
last, with a highly dissonant F-natural in the cello bass, is
held with a fermata, creating an intense expectation.
SECOND PART OF CODA (Più vivace, A minor)
6:47 [m. 334]--In another transformation of the rondo
theme, it is presented in equal fast notes (similar to the
concealed “diminutions” in the recapitulation), without the
initial three-note upbeat. The phrases are thus
condensed to two measures. The first violin plays this
condensed, fast version while the other instruments accompany
with pizzicato chords on the first two beats of each
measure. The cello continues on the third beat, forming
a rising arpeggio. In the third phrase, the melody
stalls and the cello drops its third-beat notes. The
first violin, winding up and back down on the same notes,
wrenches its top and bottom notes up a half-step, building the
tension.
6:53 [m. 342]--Now, with the utmost energy, the first
violin reaches a high “dominant” note, which it forcefully and
rapidly repeats in an octave. Meanwhile, the viola and
cello angrily play a further transformation of the “Poco
tranquillo” version from 5:38 [m. 293], which, it is now
evident, is derived from the re-transition at 3:34 [m.
186]. They are harmonized mostly in thirds, with the
cello above the viola. The second violin plays slow and
wide leaps between the hammering first violin and the feverish
viola/cello harmony. The cello drops below the viola in
a wide leap at the end of the phrase, as the repeated first
violin octave twice descends at the outset of a measure, first
a whole step, then a half-step.
7:00 [m. 350]--The first violin again breaks into the
fast equal-note version, but stalls on the first measure over
chords from the other instruments. After that measure is
repeated, the second violin joins the first an octave below
(later moving up to unison), and the two lower instruments
rush up a scale against the violins until they too are drawn
into the powerful unison statement. Once the unison is
reached, there is a massive angular descent to the “dominant”
note before the two loud closing cadence chords, which
incorporate double and triple stops. The first chord is
short, but the second is very briefly held before cutting
off. This closing passage is almost a complete
directional inversion of the lead-in to the recapitulation at
3:43 [m. 194].
7:13--END OF MOVEMENT [359 mm.]
END OF QUARTET
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