Bedřich Smetana Bedřich Smetana ( ; ; 2 March 1824 – 12 May 1884) was a Czech composer who pioneered the development of a musical style that became closely identified with his people's aspirations to a cultural and political "revival". He has been regarded ...

's String Quartet No. 2 in

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

is a chamber composition for

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 ...

. It is Smetana's second and final quartet, written between 1882 and 1883.

Background

In June 1882, after composing the monumental cycle ''

Má vlast (), also known as ''My Fatherland'', is a set of six symphonic poems composed between 1874 and 1879 by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana. The six pieces, conceived as individual works, are often presented and recorded as a single work in si ...

'', the operas '' Tajemství'' (''The Secret''), '' Čertova stěna'' (''The Devil's Wall'') and other works, Smetana began thinking about the creation of his second string quartet. A month later, he finished the first movement. In a letter to his friend Josef Srba, the deaf and dejected composer presents the difficulties with the work, his misgivings and fears. He continued work very slowly, and the whole composition was not finished until 12 March 1883. Several minor changes were made after the work was completed. Smetana attended the first non-public performance in the spring (April?) of 1883. The first public performance took place on 3 January 1884, at the Konvikt Hall in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, performed by Ferdinand Lachner, Julius Raušer, Josef Krehan and

Alois Neruda Alois Neruda (baptized Alois Jan; 20 June 1837 – 25 January 1899) was a Czech cellist. Life Neruda was born on 20 June 1837 in Kostelec nad Labem. His father was the composer and singing teacher Josef Neruda (1804–1876). He won a demanding ...

. The quartet was published posthumously, in 1889.

Structure

The composition consists of four movements: #''Allegro'' #''Allegro moderato'' #''Allegro non più moderato, ma agitato e con fuoco'' #''Presto'' Smetana said that the second quartet takes up from where his first finished: ''"...after the catastrophe, it represents the turbulence of music in a person who had lost his hearing"''. The musical construction and language are entirely new and unusual. Its discontinuities and sudden outbursts caused even Smetana himself doubts; he wrote of the first movement, "''It has a very unusual form and is difficult to understand. A kind of breakdown prevails throughout the movement and will cause, so it seems to me, the players extreme difficulty.''" At first, the composition was received by listeners and critics with hesitation, even with objections. However, thanks to many successful interpretations (by, for example, the

Czech Quartet The Bohemian Quartet (; known as the Czech Quartet after 1918) was a Czech string quartet of international repute that was founded in 1891 and disbanded in 1933. Origins The Quartet was founded in Prague by three pupils of Antonín Bennewitz ( ...

, the

Smetana Quartet The Smetana Quartet () was a Czech string quartet that was in existence from 1943 to 1989, although it was known as the Smetana Quartet only from 1945 onwards. Personnel 1st violin * Václav Neumann (1920-1995), from 1943 to 1945 * Jaroslav ...

, and the Janáček Quartet), the quartet is now highly regarded within Czech music history and culture.

Footnotes

References

* Bedřich Smetana: ''Quartetto II. Re minore. Score.'' Prague: Editio Supraphon, 1991. H 5550/7677.

External links

* Chamber music by Bedřich Smetana Smetana Smetana Compositions in D minor {{chamber-composition-stub