Swiss composer Arthur Honegger [1892-1955] wrote three string quartets between 1917 and 1937. In these three-movement works you can hear his development as he becomes aware of things going on around him.
SQ No. 1 was written in 1917. The first movement is marked appassionato which sounds promising! This is a new one, I shall add it to the Glossary. Passion it is, as the ensemble attack some strong melodies with vigour. The mood drops back and becomes lilting until the fire returns. Then follows a moment where the composer, and the ensemble, pause for breath. When they resume, the movement alternates between passion, with slightly atonal melodies, and periods of more conservative selection of notes. The energy persists until it is time to dawdle to a conclusion.
The second movement is the centrepiece of this work. It is marked adagio and runs for 13 minutes, about half the length of the quartet. This features a stunning opening, played with great feeling. The cello goes it alone until the ensemble inevitably enter. This is very slow and very quiet. There seem to be no melodies for a time, just a soundscape; my kind of music. When the melodies arrive, they are just so intangible, you are not sure whether they are melodies or just a mood. Finally after about four minutes, some form begins to emerge. There is some wonderful writing here, somewhat reminiscent of a tone poem, it is just so focussed on the delicate mood. The feeling becomes more expansive for a time but soon returns to the tranquility which persists until it totally subsides. I don’t believe I have heard a softer slow movement of this length.
The third and final movement starts off in an emphatic manner, producing quite a contrast. I am finding the first part of the movement quite dull, there just doesn’t seem to be any musical progress. I keep waiting for something to happen. Approaching the end, there is a bit of a flourish which then morphs into a gentle pastoral section which remains until the end of the movement.
There was a long gap before the second quartet was written in 1936. I am going to leave this one as the third was written just a year later, in 1937.
The third quartet opens with some atonal musings, signalling the difference in style to the first; it is considerably more modern. I’d like to call it a secretive allegro; it takes time to reveal its intentions. It eventually works its way into a vigorous, mildly atonal romp. Near the conclusion it reverts to secretive again and goes out with further furtive atonal musings.
The second movement is another adagio which is a lot more modern than that of the first quartet. A gentle atonality pervades the opening. The melodies are measured and it has a special kind of peace. The movement is more than half over before it begins to assert itself, only to return to the previous mood. Near the conclusion it barely rises above a whisper as it peters out. This is a fascinating, mesmeric movement.
The final movement opens with a walking cello while ornaments are provided by the ensemble. The mood changes into a rhythmic passage which bubbles along with slightly abstract playing from the violins. It settles into a quiet cello section leading to particularly positive ensemble work. When the impetus returns, it is sustained until the conclusion.
These pieces reveal Honegger to be open to the progress that the string quartet idiom was going through in his time. His was a measured response but there is a definite change from the first to the third quartet.
All three quartets are freely available on Amazon US and UK, including a version on Surround Sounds, performed by the Erato Quartet. Spotify has Quartets Nos. 1 and 2 and you can listen to them on YouTube. All three quartets can be found on earsense.
Listenability: Late Romantic moving towards Modernism.