# What do you know or think of Mendelssohn's string quartets?



## Fugue Meister (Jul 5, 2014)

I've been listening all day and I can't believe I've waited this long to get my hands on them. Unbelievable.. on the other hand it's nice to find such treasures later on in life there's always more to enjoy. I think it's some of his greatest music (especially considering I've never really connected with his symphonies). 

What do you think?


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## SeptimalTritone (Jul 7, 2014)

I haven't heard any of them. Which one's your favorite? I'll listen to it tonight.


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## Fugue Meister (Jul 5, 2014)

SeptimalTritone said:


> I haven't heard any of them. Which one's your favorite? I'll listen to it tonight.


So far No. 2 is great (supposedly inspired by Beethoven's late quartets and I think I can hear some similarities) but I really enjoyed No. 3 and 6 as well (yet polar opposites in terms of mood, 3 was sunny and very fun, 6 was written after the death of his beloved sister and is supposed to be a requiem to her, its also one of his last works I think).

There are only six though so it's not too daunting to listen to them all with in a relatively short period. Imagine going through all Haydn's having never heard any!


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Fugue Meister said:


> So far No. 2 is great (supposedly inspired by Beethoven's late quartets and I think I can hear some similarities)...


Felix's #2 was written in 1827, just two years after Beethoven's Op. 132 (also in A minor). It has some near-quotes that are quite striking.

The elder Mendelssohn did not approve of Beethoven's late music, so maybe Felix was being a bit of a rebel. Anyway, I can't see that he pursued this connection in his later music.

Also worth checking out his very early Piano Sonata in E major Op. 6 (1825), based on Beethoven's Op. 101.


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## Fugue Meister (Jul 5, 2014)

KenOC said:


> Felix's #2 was written in 1827, just two years after Beethoven's Op. 132 (also in A minor). It has some near-quotes that are quite striking.
> 
> The elder Mendelssohn did not approve of Beethoven's late music, so maybe Felix was being a bit of a rebel. Anyway, I can't see that he pursued this connection in his later music.
> 
> Also worth checking out his very early Piano Sonata in E major Op. 6 (1825), based on Beethoven's Op. 101.


Thanks... I did already know of the sonata you refer to but I wasn't aware older Mendelssohn was anti late Beethoven. That's something I'll have to look up.

What is your favorite of his string quartets KenOC? (Mendelssohn, I think I already know your answer for Beethoven was it op. 132 right?  well anyway I think you said you knew someone who loved it the most. Oh and by the way I loved your individual threads on the late Beethoven quartets, you people reading should dig them up and discuss)


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## SeptimalTritone (Jul 7, 2014)

I listened to the 2nd quartet. The inner movements were witty and enjoyable, but the outer movements were _plagiarism_. Pure and simple.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

SeptimalTritone said:


> I listened to the 2nd quartet. The inner movements were witty and enjoyable, but the outer movements were _plagiarism_. Pure and simple.


Maybe the better term is "homage." Anyway, he was just 18 at the time, an age subject to strong influences!


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

They have been a glaring gap, along with Dvořák's SQs, in my listening  I want to catch up soon.


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## Fugue Meister (Jul 5, 2014)

brotagonist said:


> They have been a glaring gap, along with Dvořák's SQs, in my listening. I want to catch up soon


Fair enough we'll have to trade off I'm unfamiliar with Dvořák's.


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## Blake (Nov 6, 2013)

I think they're grand. Check out Pacifica Quartet's cycle.


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## SeptimalTritone (Jul 7, 2014)

Although 18 year old Mendelssohn certainly picked a good role model, there is a difference between homage and plagiarism! I couldn't help but lol the whole time (seriously burst out laughing at certain points). The first movement's dotted sixteenth rhythm and running sixteenth notes, the strong emphasis on half step intervals (especially between E and F), the key relationships, etc.

The final movement was even more similar to Beethoven 132. The first bars remind you of the second half of the March movement, and the main theme with its leaping bassline and soaring first violin melody also remind you of the main theme of the Finale movement. And I could also detect rhythmic patterns that were heavily reminiscent of op 130 and 131.


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## Blake (Nov 6, 2013)

SeptimalTritone said:


> Although 18 year old Mendelssohn certainly picked a good role model, there is a difference between homage and plagiarism! I couldn't help but lol the whole time (seriously burst out laughing at certain points). The first movement's dotted sixteenth rhythm and running sixteenth notes, the strong emphasis on half step intervals (especially between E and F), the key relationships, etc.
> 
> The final movement was even more similar to Beethoven 132. The first bars remind you of the second half of the March movement, and the main theme with its leaping bassline and soaring first violin melody also remind you of the main theme of the Finale movement. And I could also detect rhythmic patterns that were heavily reminiscent of op 130 and 131.


Can you post some of your quartets? You must be pretty amazing if you can bust out in laughter at Mendelssohn.


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## SeptimalTritone (Jul 7, 2014)

No need to get mad... I didn't even say the piece was bad (it was decently enjoyable). But it's natural for humans to chuckle a little when noticing a pattern. If you heard a quartet with in 2/4 rhythm with a bunch of short-short-short-long patterns, you'd laugh a little too.

But I apologize if what I wrote came across as a bit insulting.


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

Fugue Meister said:


> Thanks... I did already know of the sonata you refer to but I wasn't aware older Mendelssohn was anti late Beethoven. That's something I'll have to look up.
> 
> What is your favorite of his string quartets KenOC? (Mendelssohn, I think I already know your answer for Beethoven was it op. 132 right?  well anyway I think you said you knew someone who loved it the most. Oh and by the way I loved your individual threads on the late Beethoven quartets, you people reading should dig them up and discuss)


I think he means that Mendelssohn's father was against Beethoven, not that Felix turned against Beethoven when he was older.


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## Blake (Nov 6, 2013)

SeptimalTritone said:


> No need to get mad... I didn't even say the piece was bad (it was decently enjoyable). But it's natural for humans to chuckle a little when noticing a pattern. If you heard a quartet with in 2/4 rhythm with a bunch of short-short-short-long patterns, you'd laugh a little too.
> 
> But I apologize if what I wrote came across as a bit insulting.


Oh, no. I'm not mad. I'd just like to hear from someone who can laugh at Mendelssohn compositional skills. My attention is fully engaged.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Vesuvius said:


> Oh, no. I'm not mad. I'd just like to hear from someone who can laugh at Mendelssohn compositional skills. My attention is fully engaged.


Mendelssohn -- what a rube! The guy could barely string two measures together! Hork hork! There, I did it. Just trying to be responsive here... :lol:


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## SeptimalTritone (Jul 7, 2014)

Just finished the 6th quartet (F minor). I enjoyed its serious intensity, especially the latter two movements. I enjoyed the angular, leaping main theme in the energetic finale in particular. And the adagio (3rd movement) in A flat major was very interesting in how it bordered between the major and relative minor, which gave it a suspended feeling. Very intense quartet.


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## TurnaboutVox (Sep 22, 2013)

I like the Mendelssohn quartets a lot, and I've known them for a long time now (I have the Coull Quartet's survey on Hyperion, which came out in the late 80's, I think.) I wouldn't say it was a 'Great' quartet cycle, but it contains a lot of very fresh and attractive music, to which I like to return from time to time. I don't see Mendelssohn's quartets as particularly derivative: I think they are representative of his own composition style. 

There are 7 quartets all together (that I know of), actually; there's an early one in E flat from 1823, and there's the 'Four Pieces' Op. 81 which contains some effective string quartet writing as well.


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## Avey (Mar 5, 2013)

Fugue Meister said:


> There are only six though so it's not too daunting to listen to them all with in a relatively short period.


There are actually seven, his quartet in E-flat Major was not assigned an opus number. In fact, one could say he has eight, since he published four works for string quartet later in life, which run together -- on paper, at least.


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## HaydnBearstheClock (Jul 6, 2013)

I've recently ordered the complete cycle of his quartets, played by the Cherubini Quartet - pretty excited to hear these works. I've been very impressed with Mendelssohn's Paulus as of late.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

Fugue Meister said:


> Fair enough we'll have to trade off I'm unfamiliar with Dvořák's [SQ's].


Methinks some of the best of Dvorak is in his SQ's


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## revdrdave (Jan 8, 2014)

brotagonist said:


> They have been a glaring gap, along with Dvořák's SQs, in my listening  I want to catch up soon.


Yes, this was true for me, too, until I stumbled onto the Pacifica cycle of the Mendelssohn and discovered how terrific the quartets were. It led me further afield into Mendelssohn's chamber music (quintets, sonatas) which I'd only known before via the Octet. And as for Dvorak...it was his quartets that convinced me he is equal in stature to Brahms as one of the most important composers of the late 19th century. All Dvorak's quartets contain wonderful music but once you get to No. 8 in E, Op.80, all of them, I think, are masterpieces. But this is really fodder for another thread...


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## Fugue Meister (Jul 5, 2014)

PetrB said:


> Methinks some of the best of Dvorak is in his SQ's


Don't worry I'll get to it this week sometime... String quartets are my thing... Oh and thanks to those of you who pointed out more quartets that Mendelssohn wrote, I will have to dig them up as well.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

The most impassioned set, also played with amazing precision and virtuosity is the Emerson's set.
The Pacifica is good, but the Emerson's is incredible. I would say it's the best thing the Emerson's done.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

I never listened to any Mendelssohn in the past, but I'm seriously enjoying the quartets. Especially the minor key works. Will have to pick up a set.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

Mendelssohn wrote more than two string quartets? I will have to check out the others that I didn't know about...the first two are awesome!


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Looks like Felix wrote six string quartets plus a bit more music for the same instruments.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

KenOC said:


> Looks like Felix wrote six string quartets plus a bit more music for the same instruments.


It's all on an excellent 6 CD set from Brilliant Classics. http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=570864 Listening to these performances side by side with other top ensembles, I couldn't find any fault.


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## GKC (Jun 2, 2011)

Like them, especially op. 12 and op. 13. I can recommend the Prazak quartet on the Praga label for these two.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

GKC said:


> Like them, especially op. 12 and op. 13. I can recommend the Prazak quartet on the Praga label for these two.


Me too. 
Very good recording :tiphat:


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