# Pick a Late Quartet to Keep



## jsdealy (Nov 22, 2007)

What music lover among us doesn't love Beethoven's late quartets? (Is that a strong enough word?) But there are other composers who made some of their deepest and most distinctive statements in their last string quartets; if you had to keep one and only one such work, by any composer, which would it be? What would your runners-up be? 

Perhaps I'm not very interesting, but my keeper would probably be Beethoven's Op. 132, followed by his Op. 135, and Mozart's K 387, the "Spring" quartet. It was among the Haydn quartets, which were a later publication, so I'm hesitantly assuming it counts. If it's too early, let me have the "Dissonant" quartet, K 465, instead.


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## World Violist (May 31, 2007)

I would go to the extreme, taking Beethoven's very last quartet - to me one of the great epitomes of expression in the music of that time.

Also, (if this counts,) I would take Bach's Art of Fugue... it has four (unspecified) instrumental parts, so I'm at least partially justified...

But yes, Beethoven's last is my first.

EDIT!!!: THE GROSSE FUGE DOMINATES ALL CREATION!!!


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Even though I'm no Schubert fan, even I have to acknowledge the excellence of Schubert's last magnificent String Quartet in G Major.


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## DiesIraeCX (Jul 21, 2014)

This is tough! 

I might need a week or two deciding between Beethoven's late quartets. If forced, I'd go with No. 13, Opus 130/with Grosse Fuge finale. 

I'd hate to leave behind Op. 131 and Op. 132, though.


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## Eva Yojimbo (Jan 30, 2016)

I'm not the biggest fan of Beethoven's quartets, in general, but I do love his 15th. It maybe my favorite chamber work, period.


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

No question; Beethoven's C# minor quartet.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I wouldn't like to pick any particular one of LvB's late quartets as I like them all as much as each other. However, as I'm a great fan of the Große Fuge I'd have to choose no.13 just as an excuse to include it. Other late quartets I particularly like are the final ones (both no.15s) by Schubert and Shostakovich so I'd probably choose one of those as runner-up.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

Haydn's great set, opus 76.


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

I think Schubert's greatest quartet is the quintet. Hey, it just has another cello putting the Deep on it.


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## isorhythm (Jan 2, 2015)

I'd keep Beethoven Op. 132, but what a terrible choice.


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

isorhythm said:


> I'd keep Beethoven Op. 132, but what a terrible choice.


Terrible, I dunno. It has 'late standard good Beethoven' surrounding a movement that sounds/feels like late Schubert would if he had even better technique. "Feel the burn".


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## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

I think he means that it's terrible to have to choose just one. 

Anyway, the this thread will be eight years old next month.


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## Fugue Meister (Jul 5, 2014)

Op. 131, Beethoven's own favorite and mine as well.


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

GreenMamba said:


> I think he means that it's terrible to have to choose just one.
> 
> Anyway, the this thread will be eight years old next month.


?

That's way younger than the music. It's terrible to have to choose one work in any category on this forum? That diminishes the meaning of 'terrible' some, eh?

Well, I guess that's a 'range of knowledge' thing. At least I hope it is. Even in my sheltered life, it doesn't rate. But hey.


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## Guest (Feb 7, 2016)

Schoenberg 4, Ferneyhough 6, Lachenmann 3, or something like that...


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## Biwa (Aug 3, 2015)

Mozart's string quartet no.21 in D major KV 575 today.

Tomorrow probably Schubert's...


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## Crassus (Nov 4, 2013)

It is a very delicate question in Beethoven's case. Although opus 131 stands as the absolute of form in the entirety of western canon, it is hardly anyone's favourite in a set with the unmatched thematic prowess of opus 127, 130 and 132. The last quartet - although smaller in scale - leaves the outworldly glow of the set even more evident with its intimate approach. As for the Grosse fugue, its virtually indeciphrable nature makes it arguably the most intriguing piece in musical literature.

It seems the quartets as a whole are meant to signify the absurdity of existence and its inevitability, they also carry many thoughts and ambiguities entirely foreign to the human experience. It is probably the anti-thesis of the will that Beethoven displayed in his "stormy" works (which would explain why composers who managed to out-muscle his middle period in certain occasions such as Schubert and Chopin couldn't escape his shadow).

I myself would keep the 13th, it is always refreshing to hear it.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Any of the Mozart Prussian Quartets are keepers.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Dvorak - American quartet.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Art Rock said:


> Dvorak - American quartet.


Probably my favorite work by Dvorak. Don't care much for this composer. His music gives me acne.


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## Mal (Jan 1, 2016)

hpowders said:


> ... Schubert's last magnificent String Quartet in G Major.


It's very good! I've just been doing comparative listening on Spotify, and ended up favouring the Takacs quartet in this.









String competition from Haydn., Mozart, Dvorak, and several others, though... wouldn't like to choose...


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Even though I am no Schubert lover, my favorite string quartet happens to be the last string quartet Schubert wrote, the incredible G Major.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Biwa said:


> Mozart's string quartet no.21 in D major KV 575 today.
> 
> Tomorrow probably Schubert's...


This will do for me.


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

I'm already on record as favoring Beethoven's E-flat Opus 127. Nielsen's Fourth is a favorite. I tire of Schubert's, but if we could squeeze in an extra instrument, the String Quintet would be up near the top.


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## Magnum Miserium (Aug 15, 2016)

jsdealy said:


> ...followed by his Op. 135, and Mozart's K 387, the "Spring" quartet. It was among the Haydn quartets, which were a later publication, so I'm hesitantly assuming it counts. If it's too early, let me have the "Dissonant" quartet, K 465, instead.


Nitpick 8 1/2 years after the fact: I don't think there's any way that Mozart's Haydn quartets can be considered late. They precede The Marriage of Figaro! Mozart does have late quartets - the Prussian quartets - already mentioned by a couple of people.

To answer the question, I pick Fauré


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## Magnum Miserium (Aug 15, 2016)

hpowders said:


> Even though I am no Schubert lover, my favorite string quartet happens to be the last string quartet Schubert wrote, the incredible G Major.


Yup, that one's special.


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## Magnum Miserium (Aug 15, 2016)

Two pages and only one person has mentioned Shostakovich. There is a God!


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

I tried for years to decide which of Beethoven's was my favorite. I'll choose Opus 131 today if I can choose Opus 135 tomorrow and Opus 127 the day after that and...


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