Development of the String Quartet

The string quarter is a composition for four solo string instruments, usually two violins, viola, and cello. The genre originated in various late Baroque compositions but was not firmly established until the time of Haydn, and with Haydn's op. 9 (176970), a fourmovement scheme was established, along with a generally welldistributed fourpart texture. Haydn continued to develop the form, and in his op. 33 quartets (1781), he introduced the scherzo into the genre and also achieved a new clarity of structure and balance of texture (though brilliant writing for the first violin always remained part of his style). A new experimentalism appears in his op. 76, which includes features anticipating Beethoven. No

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elf to the idiosyncracies of the instrument. So one can recognize from the compositions of a virtuoso, the character not only of his playing but also of his instrument (Mayer 196). In essence, what Spohr was advocating is what every student needs to achieve, the quality of identification with the instrument, before he or she can become freely expressive in the instrument's terms (Nelson 139). Spohr criticized Paganini for his playing yet had ore in common with him than he may have wanted to admit. As noted, Spohr imitated the Italian style in both performance and composition: Though Spohr would never stoop to Paganini-tricks, such as deliberately using worn violin strings in order to show an audience how well he could play, on three, two or even one, he was practical enough to write music deliberately intended to please the Italian taste (Burch 102). At the same time, critics noted that spohr's playing was not remarkable in many respects and lacked a certain fire that could be found in Paganini: Despite the purity of his tone and perfect bow technique, his playing was not very brilliant. Sweet melodies, fine cadenzas, and a pleasant modulation were his main strength. His dislike of a too-frequent vibrato may have been one
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Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page)

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