Brahms took his string quartet
writing seriously. He threw away the first twenty
he had written before consenting to publish his two quartets, Opus 51,
he worked on them for many years, then had them played at a
secret private concert, and revised them once again.
The Opus 51 quartets are dedicated to Theodor
Billroth, who was a talented amateur pianist and violinist.
They became close friends,
often shared musical insights, and Brahms
frequently sent Billroth his
original manuscripts for comment before publication.
Did Herr Billroth have a hand in Brahms' masterful skills binding the
C Minor's movements together with common material?
We will never know for sure, but
any case, sheer skill immediately takes a back seat with the very turbulent and
anguished beginning at this quartet. Even when the grand orchestral scale
of the first movement eases into a more lyrical
mode, it is tinged with melancholy,
and these dark qualities set the tone for much of the quartet.
[MUSIC]
The second movement,
stately, noble, and thoughtful its onset--
turns poignant with hushed, pleading triplets,
before returning to the music of the inspired opening.
The third movement is again pervaded by melancholy
but its middle section stands apart
with a much lighter, dance-like feel--a relief
from the churning nature much of the quartet. And the fourth movement,
again thickly orchestral in feel, reverts back to its dramatic
anguished nature but interspersed with moments of great longing.
The opening material appears one last time in a coda
that hurtles toward the end with greater and greater speed,
its last notes rushing upwards almost exactly
as the very opening notes of the quartet do,
but with withering intensity. Brahms was already forty years old at the time
of publication, we should be thankful for his patience
and perseverance for they gave birth to this wonderful C Minor Quartet,
work of high drama and unforgettable beauty.