The Second String Quartet by
American composer
Elliott Carter was completed in 1959. This composition for
string quartet
The term string quartet can refer to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two violinists ...
was commissioned by the Stanley String Quartet of the
University of Michigan, who decided not to play it upon seeing the score, and received its first performance in 1960 by the
Juilliard String Quartet.
The quartet is considerably influenced by the music of European
avant-garde composers who were gaining celebrity at this time, particularly
Pierre Boulez
Pierre Louis Joseph Boulez (; 26 March 1925 – 5 January 2016) was a French composer, conductor and writer, and the founder of several musical institutions. He was one of the dominant figures of post-war Western classical music.
Born in Mont ...
's ''
Le Marteau sans maître''. This is a much more fragmentary piece than his
earlier quartet (1951): the four instruments play very individual roles and unpredictably bounce off one another. Indeed, Carter has instructed the players to sit as far apart as possible so that they appear to be playing different pieces simultaneously.
Character
Each of the parts has its own different character:
*First Violin: "mercurical"
*Second Violin: "laconic"
*Viola: "expressive"
*Cello: "impetuous"
Carter has distinguished each character not just by general style, but also by the rigorous assignment of musical materials.
Reception
This work had brought Carter recognition in America comparable to what his First has given him back in
Europe. This work was awarded three major prizes, including the
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...
.
References
*Carter, Elliot. “Shop Talk by an American Composer.” In ''Collected Essays and Lecture, 1937-1995'', ed. Jonathan Bernard, 214-224. Rochester, NY: University of Rochester Press, 1997; reprinted from ''Musical Quarterly'' 46, no. 2 (April 1960): 189-201.
*Carter, Elliot. “String Quartets Nos. 1, 1951, and 2, 1959.” In ''Collected Essays and Lecture, 1937-1995'', ed. Jonathan Bernard, 231-235. Rochester, NY: University of Rochester Press, 1997. Reprinted from sleeve notes from Composers String Quartet, Nonesuch Records H-71249 (1970).
*Schiff, David. ''The Music of Elliott Carter''. Second edition. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1998 (1983).
External links
The String Quartets of Elliott Carter by David Harvey
2
1959 compositions
Pulitzer Prize for Music-winning works
Process music pieces
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