The String Quartet in

B minor B minor is a minor scale based on B, consisting of the pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative major is D major and its parallel major is B major. The B natural minor scale is: Changes need ...

, Op. 11, was composed in 1935–36 by

Samuel Barber Samuel Osmond Barber II (March 9, 1910 – January 23, 1981) was an American composer, pianist, conductor (music), conductor, baritone, and music educator, and one of the most celebrated composers of the mid-20th century. Principally influenced ...

. He arranged the middle

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 ...

for

string orchestra A string orchestra is an orchestra consisting solely of a string section made up of the bowed strings used in Western Classical music. The instruments of such an orchestra are most often the following: the violin, which is divided into first a ...

as his well-known ''

Adagio for Strings ''Adagio for Strings'' is a work by Samuel Barber arranged for string orchestra from the second movement of his String Quartet, Op. 11. Barber finished the arrangement in 1936, the same year that he wrote the quartet. It was performed for th ...

'' in 1936. Barber continued to revise the piece, particularly the

finale Finale may refer to: Pieces of music * Finale (music), the last movement of a piece * ''Finale'' (Loggins and Messina album), 1977 * ''Finale'' (Pierrot album), 1999 * "Finale" (song), by Madeon * " Neo Universe/Finale", a single by L'Arc-en-C ...

, until 1943. # Molto allegro e appassionato # Molto adagio ttacca# Molto allegro (come prima) Begun while living in Austria with his partner

Gian Carlo Menotti Gian Carlo Menotti (, ; July 7, 1911 – February 1, 2007) was an Italian-American composer, libretto, librettist, director, and playwright who is primarily known for his output of 25 operas. Although he often referred to himself as an American ...

after Barber's

Prix de Rome The Prix de Rome () or Grand Prix de Rome was a French scholarship for arts students, initially for painters and sculptors, that was established in 1663 during the reign of Louis XIV of France. Winners were awarded a bursary that allowed them t ...

, the composr intended that the quartet be premiered by the

Curtis String Quartet The Curtis String Quartet was an American string quartet based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. History The quartet as an entity was formed in 1932Daniel John Carroll, "Brodsky, Jascha", ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', second ...

, but did not finish the piece in time for their concert tour. On September 19, 1936, Barber wrote their cellist Orlando Cole: "I have just finished the slow movement of my quartet today—it is a knockout! Now for a Finale." Having completed a finale, the

string quartet The term string quartet refers 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 Violin, violini ...

was premiered in its provisional form by the

Pro Arte Quartet The Pro Arte String Quartet is a string quartet founded in Belgium, which became affiliated with the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1941. History Origins 1912-1941 The Pro Arte String Quartet was founded by Alphonse Onnou in Brussels in 1912 ...

on December 14, 1936, at the Villa Aurelia in Rome. Afterwards, Barber withdrew the finale so as to rewrite it, which he did by April 1937. He rewrote it again before it was published. The final form was premiered by the

Budapest Quartet The Budapest String Quartet was a string quartet in existence from 1917 to 1967. It originally consisted of three Hungarians and a Dutchman; at the end, the quartet consisted of four Russians. A number of recordings were made for His Master's ...

on May 28, 1943, at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

in Washington, D.C. The opening 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 ...

, the second movement a famous

adagio Adagio (Italian for 'slowly', ) may refer to: Music * Adagio, a tempo marking, indicating that music is to be played slowly, or a composition intended to be played in this manner * Adagio (band), a French progressive metal band Albums * ''Adag ...

, and the final version of the finale, added to the second movement ''

attacca A variety of musical terms is encountered in Sheet music, printed scores, music reviews, and program notes. Most of the terms Italian musical terms used in English, are Italian, in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical conv ...

'', is shortened, lasting two minutes, and revisits themes from the opening movement, thereby creating a

cyclic form Cyclic form is a technique of musical construction, involving multiple sections or movements, in which a theme, melody, or thematic material occurs in more than one movement as a unifying device. Sometimes a theme may occur at the beginning and ...

for the quartet.Keller (2011), p.12. The opening movement has three theme areas, the first a dramatic motif stated in unison by all four instruments, the second slinky

chorale A chorale is the name of several related musical forms originating in the music genre of the Lutheran chorale: * Hymn tune of a Lutheran hymn (e.g. the melody of " Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme"), or a tune in a similar format (e.g. one o ...

like music, and the third a yearning lyrical melody. The quartet as a whole is in the key of B minor, but the central movement is in B minor.Keller (2011), p.13. The materials of the second movement consist of "a very slow and extended melody built from stepwise intervals, slightly varied in its numerous repetitions, uncoiling over (or in the midst of) sustained chords that change with note-by-note reluctance, all of it building into a powerful climax at the high end of the instruments' range and then quickly receding to the contemplative quietude that ultimately defines this musical expanse." Barber accepted a commission for a second string quartet in 1947, but never got past a few pages of sketches.

Discography

Alexander String Quartet The Alexander String Quartet is a string quartet based in San Francisco. Formed in New York in 1981, the Alexander String Quartet has since 1989 been Ensemble in Residence of San Francisco Performances. In 1982, the Alexander String Quartet was ...

– ''Thealexanderstringquartet'' (1992, Amplitude CLCD-2009, CD) *Beaux-Arts String Quartet – ''Diamond: String Quartet No. 4; Barber: String Quartet in B Minor, Op. 11'' (1965, Epic LC 3907, LP) *

Borodin Quartet The Borodin Quartet is a string quartet that was founded in 1945 in the then Soviet Union. It is one of the world's longest-lasting string quartets, having marked its 70th-anniversary season in 2015. The quartet was one of the Soviet Union's best ...

– ''Kvartet'' (1961, Artia MK 1563, monaural LP; also issued as M zhdunarodnaya ygaKHN 558–63, and MK D 06173(a) – D 06174(a)) *Chester String Quartet – ''The Chester String Quartet'' (1991, Koch International Classics 3-7069-2 H1, CD) *

Cleveland Quartet The Cleveland Quartet was a string quartet founded in 1969 by violinist Donald Weilerstein, at the time an instructor at the Cleveland Institute of Music, whose director Victor Babin had secured funding for an in-resident quartet (the institute's ...

– ''Barber: String Quartet, op. 11; Ives: String Quartet No. 2'' (1976, RCA Red Seal ARL1-1599, LP) *

Composers String Quartet The Composers String Quartet was a string quartet best known for performances of new works by contemporary composers, including quartets by Elliott Carter and Ruth Crawford Seeger. Carter's Fourth Quartet was dedicated to the Composers Quartet, wh ...

– ''American Classics for String Quartet'' (1983, Musical Heritage Society MHS 4823, LP) *

Concord String Quartet The Concord String Quartet was an American string quartet established in 1971. The members of the quartet were Mark Sokoand Andrew "Andy" Jennings, violins; John Kochánowski, viola; Norman Fischer, cello. They gave their last regular concert o ...

– with

George Rochberg George Rochberg (July 5, 1918May 29, 2005) was an American composer of contemporary classical music. Long a serialism, serial composer, Rochberg abandoned the technique after his teenage son died in 1964, saying it had proved inadequate to expres ...

, String Quartet No. 7 (with baritone, 1979), and Barber, ''Dover Beach'' (1983, Nonesuch 78017, LP) *Dickermann Quartett Frankfurt – ''Barber: Streichquartett Op. 11'' (1984, Thorofon Capella MTH 275, LP) *

Emerson String Quartet The Emerson String Quartet, also known as the Emerson Quartet, was an American string quartet initially formed as a student group at the Juilliard School in 1976. It was named for American poet and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson and began touri ...

– ''American Originals'' (1993, Deutsche Grammophon)MusicBrainz: release: American Originals: Ives / Barber String Quartets
/ref> *

Endellion String Quartet The Endellion String Quartet was a British string quartet, named after St Endellion in Cornwall. History The quartet was formed in 1979 with the following original members: * Andrew Watkinson, violin * Louise Williams, violin * Garfield Jackson, v ...

– ''Dover Beach, Serenade, Songs, String Quartet'' (1993, Virgin Classics 7243 5 45033, CD) *

– ''American Classics: Samuel Barber'' (2009, EMI Classics) *

Cypress String Quartet The Cypress String Quartet was a professional classical chamber music ensemble founded in San Francisco, California, in 1996. At the time of its disbanding in June 2016, the quartet's members were: * Cecily Ward, violin (founder) * Tom Stone, violi ...

– ''The American Album'' (2011, Cypress Performing Arts Association) *

Lindsay String Quartet The Lindsay String Quartet (or The Lindsays) was a British string quartet from 1965 to 2005. History The quartet first performed at the Royal Academy of Music in 1965 to compete for a prize and set out to make the string quartets of Bartók an ...

– ''Twenty-five Years Lindsay String Quartet "Live"'' (1992, ASV CD DCA 825, CD) *Serafin String Quartet – ''Serafin String Quartet'' (2010, Centaur CRC 3050, CD) *Stradivari Records String Quartet – ''Barber: String Quartet, Opus 11'' (1948, Stradivari STR 602, LP) *

Tokyo String Quartet The were an international string quartet that operated from 1969 to 2013. History The group formed in 1969 at the Juilliard School of Music. The founding members attended the Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo, where they studied with Profess ...

– ''A Way a Lone'' (1993, RCA Victor Red Seal 09026-61387-2, CD)

Sources

External links

Sierra Chamber Society Program Notes
, ''FugueMasters.com''. {{Authority control 1936 compositions Chamber music by Samuel Barber

Barber A barber is a person whose occupation is mainly to cut, dress, groom, style and shave hair or beards. A barber's place of work is known as a barbershop or the barber's. Barbershops have been noted places of social interaction and public discourse ...

Compositions in B minor