Austrian Romantic composer Franz Schubert [1797-1828] wrote 15 published quartets. The last piece of instrumental music he wrote was a string quintet, completed merely two months before his death. The work was scored for two violins, viola and two cellos. It is a magnificent piece, in four movements. For me, the first two movements are the heart and soul of Schubert, so my emphasis will be on them.
The work opens to a chord increasing in volume, leading to some sumptuous string sounds. There is a Classical elegance to this passage, with the violin expressing a longing phrase. The music then erupts into a powerful melodic section with a brilliant melody, somewhat reminiscent of the opening of Mendelssohn’s Octet, which of course came later. A further change brings forth a pleasant cacophony before the violin settles into a gentle tempo, with some harmonic changes being the dominant feature here. A charming descending melodic motif is heard several times as the violin negotiates the harmonic environment to great effect. Now the music surges, leading to a strong chord which is repeated. The violin constantly changes tempo and another strong chord is again heard twice.
A stately passage is rich with the sound of the cello, and the violins push the music forward. Various incursions in a minor tonality always bring forth mood changes and the abundance of superb melodies continues. A slight tension is introduced until a strong descending harmonised violin phrase brings peace to the movement. The gentlest of accompaniments is heard as the music re-examines some earlier material, together with some further harmonic melodic development. Two abrupt chords again reintroduce a previous powerful statement. A return to peace is most satisfying and the melodies continue to please. After a delicate period, the violins begin to assert themselves with further strong melodies leading to a powerful chord and some wonderful melodic lines. The sound is now one of prancing, before a sense of urgency as a salient cello builds to a crescendo, before cutting back to a more gentle texture to conclude with a strong flourish followed by a sustained chord.
The second movement, marked adagio brings a very gentle character to the music. One violin expresses melodies with minimal accompaniment until the second violin steps forward. The texture is very sparse with the cello only playing on one beat per bar in this slow tempo. A measured transition leads to a brilliant passage featuring no melodic development, but intense emotional expression from the violins and a plucked viola providing a hint of a pulse. This is indeed heavenly music and the feeling is continued for some time. A new, agitated passage is now heard, with a sense of turmoil as the violins assert minor key melodies, with a degree of power. The tension builds and a strong section develops – the melodies here are just marvellous. Ever so slowly the texture and volume give way to a stasis with only intermittent motifs to be heard. Long sustained chords bring a new feeling of life and the composer again starts to build the intensity with the cello providing much interest in the background. The violins eventually prevail as the strength continues to develop. After a time, the peace returns and a transcendent passage is heard, in a most controlled manner. Nearing the end, one violin is heard over an alluring accompaniment with the music being very precious as it moves into a final chord.
The opening of the next movement is a world away from that which we have just heard. It is a relatively brisk Romantic romp, with vacillating violins providing much rhythmic impetus. A recapitulation of the theme is briefly heard twice, leading to a pause, which completely changes the complexion of the music, moving into an andante tempo. Now the mood is one of introspection, and consolidation. A violin laments to the sparsest of accompaniments – it is as if we are back into the previous movement. I would characterise it as static as there is very little music to be found, it is most timid. Gradually a sense of an aching atmosphere prevails, with scant melodic lines being heard from the violins. We then have a most contrasting return to the opening foray, and the violins are assertive, almost in a military manner. The final flourish is approaching symphonic.
The finale, marked allegretto, strangely, sounds slightly Spanish to me, both rhythmically and melodically, but these are just feelings. As an introduction, it stands alone and a pause brings about a new musical climate. Now we are back to Romanticism, with a very formal approach, this is really music of its time. Having said that, it reveals quite a bit of emotion with several harmonic changes giving it impetus. This is music that is both happy and sad at the same time, constantly shifting in emphasis from one to the other. Nearing the end there is a particularly sparse, poignant section for the violins, one of which plays wide intervals while the other expresses a powerful melody, which eventually propels the music back into a tempo. The end again, is somewhat symphonic in character, with bold, orchestral flourishes.
This is a stunning work, and at over 50 minutes, it is also an epic journey. Of course for me, the first two movements are simply magnificent, with many wonderful melodies.
Regarding availability, no problem there – Amazon US and UK both return 1,000+ results. My review performance was by an historical ensemble, the Vienna Konzerthaus Quartet, probably circa the late 1940s.
Due to the way Spotify’s search works, I could only find a handful of performances. There are many others tucked away in its vaults, just search for a specific recording by including the name of a popular string quartet.
There are 17 recordings on earsense and I lost count of the number of pages of the work on YouTube.
Listenability: A must have Romantic chamber music masterpiece.