Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

's String Quartet No. 11 in

F minor F minor is a minor scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature consists of four flats. Its relative major is A-flat major and its parallel major is F major. Its enharmonic equivalent, E-sharp ...

, Op. 95, from 1810, was his last before his late string quartets. It is commonly referred to as the "Serioso," stemming from his title "Quartett Serioso" at the beginning and the tempo designation for the third

movement Movement may refer to: Generic uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Movement (sign language), a hand movement when signing * Motion, commonly referred to as movement * Movement (music), a division of a larger co ...

. It is one of the shortest and most compact of all the Beethoven quartets, and shares a tonality (F) with the first and last quartets Beethoven published ( Op. 18, no. 1, and Op. 135). In character and key, as well as in the presence of a final frenetic section in the parallel major, it is related to another composition of Beethoven's middle period — the

overture Overture (from French ''ouverture'', "opening") is a music instrumental introduction to a ballet, opera, or oratorio in the 17th century. During the early Romantic era, composers such as Beethoven and Mendelssohn composed overtures which ...

to his incidental music for

Goethe Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...

's drama '' Egmont'', which he was composing in the same year he was working on this quartet. The autograph manuscript for this quartet is inscribed "October 1810", but the paper on which it appears does not match the variety Beethoven is known to have used at that time. It is more likely that he finished it several months later. It premiered in 1814 and appeared in print two years later, dedicated to Nikolaus Zmeskall. Beethoven stated in a letter to George Smart that "The Quartet p. 95is written for a small circle of connoisseurs and is never to be performed in public." Upon listening to the piece, it becomes apparent why he made that assertion. This piece would have been quite out of character in 1810: it is an experiment on compositional techniques the composer would draw on later in his life. (Techniques such as shorter developments, interesting use of silences, metric ambiguity, seemingly unrelated outbursts and more freedom with tonality in his sonata form.) The historical picture of this time period helps to put the piece in context.

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

had invaded Vienna in May 1809 (''see

Battle of Wagram The Battle of Wagram (; 5–6 July 1809) was a military engagement of the Napoleonic Wars that ended in a costly but decisive victory for Emperor of the French, Emperor Napoleon's French and allied army against the Austrian Empire, Austrian arm ...

'') for the second time in four years, and this upset Beethoven greatly. All of his aristocratic friends had fled Vienna, but Beethoven stayed and dramatically complained about the loud bombings.

Form

The quartet is in four movements:

I. Allegro con brio

This movement is in

sonata form The sonata form (also sonata-allegro form or first movement form) is a musical form, musical structure generally consisting of three main sections: an exposition, a development, and a recapitulation. It has been used widely since the middle of t ...

Exposition Exposition (also the French for exhibition) may refer to: Universal exposition or World's Fair Expository writing Exposition (narrative), background information in a story Exposition (music) Trade fair ''Exposition'' (album), the debut alb ...
(bars 1–59)

''1st tonal area, F minor'' (bars 1–21):

Neapolitan Neapolitan means of or pertaining to Naples, a city in Italy; or to: Geography and history * Province of Naples, a province in the Campania region of southern Italy that includes the city * Duchy of Naples, in existence during the Early and High ...

(G chord) important (bar 6, 19); the Neapolitan appears in root position, not its normal first inversion, and the large-scale

tritone In music theory, the tritone is defined as a interval (music), musical interval spanning three adjacent Major second, whole tones (six semitones). For instance, the interval from F up to the B above it (in short, F–B) is a tritone as it can be ...

motion of the bass voice (from G in bar 6 to C in bar 10) again emphasises the strident nature of this movement. It ends on a

half cadence In Western musical theory, a cadence () is the end of a phrase in which the melody or harmony creates a sense of full or partial resolution, especially in music of the 16th century onwards.Don Michael Randel (1999). ''The Harvard Concise Dic ...

on the downbeat of bar 21. ''Transition'' (bar 21–23): The unison C on the downbeat of bar 21 (V of F minor) is reinterpreted immediately as the

leading tone In music theory, a leading tone (also called subsemitone or leading note in the UK) is a musical note, note or pitch (music), pitch which resolution (music), resolves or "leads" to a note one semitone higher or lower, being a lower and upper lea ...

to the second tonal area, D major. A very short transitional phrase solidifies the move to D major. ''2nd tonal area, D major'' (bars 24–57): This is signified by a two-bar-long lyrical melody first stated in the viola, then passing through the cello and second violin, then cello again. A long V of D (bars 32–37) is unexpectedly resolved to A major, which is simply a deceptive V–VI cadence (VI of D major would be B, here enharmonically respelled as A). The A-major chord is also V of the Neapolitan (II in D major would be E, enharmonically respelled as D). This V–I motion of the Neapolitan is explicitly stated by the quartet in unison in bar 39. Bars 40–43 return to the lyrical nature of the second theme and solidify D major. A modified counterstatement of this entire gesture occurs, landing us on an even more explicit use of the Neapolitan, again enharmonically respelled as D, in bars 49–50. ''Closing'' (bars 58–59): There is no repeat of this already very short exposition, which adds to the startling nature of this piece as a whole.

Development Development or developing may refer to: Arts Development (music), the process by which thematic material is reshaped Photographic development Filmmaking, development phase, including finance and budgeting Development hell, when a proje ...
(bars 60–81)

: The expected dominant pedal occurs beginning in bar 77, but the C prolongation is an upper pedal in the first violin.

Recapitulation (bars 82–128)

The ''1st theme'' is shorter this time (4 bars is all). The three-bar ''transitional phrase'' reappears (bars 86–88) but is not recomposed as would be expected. We are again taken to D major. The ''2nd theme'' begins in D major again, but returns to the tonic major (F major) beginning in bar 93. The move to a D-major chord in measure 107 corresponds to the similar passage in bar 49, but here the D-major chord functions as a V/ii, which initiates a circle-of-fifths progression (D–G–C–F), arriving on F in bar 112.

Coda (bars 129–end)

Begins in VI (D major): Primary scalar motive of the beginning is developed. This coda is shorter than one might expect considering the already short development. As

Arnold Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian and American composer, music theorist, teacher and writer. He was among the first Modernism (music), modernists who transformed the practice of harmony in 20th-centu ...

notes in an essay reprinted in the collection ''Style and Idea'', most of the themes and events of this movement – and the main theme of the second movement – contain some form of the motive D–C–D–E found in the second bar, even if transposed and changed in some way.

II. Allegretto ma non troppo

This movement is in D major, a startling and remote key from the F-minor first movement. The form is AB , BA. : A (bars 1–34) : B (bars 35–64): ''Fugato'' section. It eventually falls apart. : , : The descending scalar cello leads through ever modulating tonalities starting a

away from the opening scale. : B' (bars 77–112) : A' (bars 112–183): The melody is now an octave higher

III. Allegro assai vivace ma serioso

This movement is in

scherzo A scherzo (, , ; plural scherzos or scherzi), in western classical music, is a short composition – sometimes a movement from a larger work such as a symphony or a sonata. The precise definition has varied over the years, but scherzo often r ...

form, as typical in the third movement position. Although because of the very odd tempo marking

Maynard Solomon Maynard Elliott Solomon (January 5, 1930 – September 28, 2020) was an American music executive and musicologist. In his career in the music industry, he was a co-founder of Vanguard Records as well as a music producer."Maynard Solomon" in '' Bake ...

warns against calling it a scherzo, preferring the phrase "march-trio". : Scherzo (bars 1–40, with a repeat) : Trio (bars 41–102) : Scherzo (bars 103–144) : Trio (bars 145–182) : Scherzo (bars 183–206): This time the tempo increases (''Più Allegro'')

IV. Larghetto espressivo; Allegretto agitato; Allegro

This is in

sonata rondo form Sonata rondo form is a musical form often used during the Classical and Romantic music eras. As the name implies, it is a blend of sonata and rondo forms. Structure Sonata and rondo forms Rondo form involves the repeated use of a theme ...

. In a sonata-rondo, the piece follows the thematic outline of a rondo (ABACABA), and the tonal outline of a sonata (I V I or i III i, etc.). Beethoven uses

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

's favourite rondo form for this movement (ABACBA). The absence of the A theme in between the C and second B is a surprise and adds interest by reducing the repetition of the A theme. : Intro, F minor (bars 1–9) (''Larghetto expressivo'') : A, F minor (bars 10–32) (''Allegretto agitato''): It might be prudent to note that the "missing A" from the typical rondo-sonata form could be analysed as being shifted from its "rightful" place after "C" to a more intriguing place in bar 23. : B, C minor (bars 32–50) : A', F minor (bars 51–64) : C (bars 65–82) : B' (bars 82–97): Here is where the sonata part of sonata-rondo comes in. This time it is in F minor instead of C minor. : A', F minor (bars 98–132) : Coda, F major (bars 133–175) (''Allegro''): The light and bouncy ending is in sharp contrast to the dark, stormy, introspective mood of the rest of the quartet. Of this, Basil Lam said: this "comic-opera ending, sabsurdly and deliberately unrelated to the 'quartett serioso' – the true Shakespearean touch that provides the final confirmation of the truth of the rest."Beethoven: String Quartet Op 95 ‘Serioso’
4 February 2009 ''theomniscientmussel.com'', accessed 22 July 2020

Arrangements

Gustav Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic music, Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and ...

arranged this quartet for string orchestra, mostly by doubling some of the cello parts with double basses.

References

External links

*
Performance of String Quartet No. 11
by the

Borromeo String Quartet The Borromeo String Quartet is an American string quartet, in residence at the New England Conservatory since 1992. They have performed throughout North and South America, Europe, and Asia, at numerous festivals and in many distinguished chamber m ...

from the

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts, which houses significant examples of European, Asian, and American art. Its collection includes paintings, sculpture, tapestries, and decorative arts. It was found ...

MP3 MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany under the lead of Karlheinz Brandenburg. It was designed to greatly reduce the amount ...

format
A manuscript of Beethoven's sketches for Quartet No. 11
held by the

Morgan Library & Museum The Morgan Library & Museum (originally known as the Pierpont Morgan Library and colloquially known the Morgan) is a museum and research library in New York City, New York, U.S. Completed in 1906 as the private library of the banker J. P. Morg ...

, New York {{Authority control String quartet 11 1811 compositions Music dedicated to family or friends Compositions in F minor