Considered to be the purest form of music, the string quartet consists of four string instruments, usually violins, viola and a cello which performed structured symphonies in the form of four movements. The violins play a higher note and melody while the cello provides the deeper rhythm. With the huge range of melodies and notes available to the string quartet, they have more in common with the sound of a full orchestra than any other musical assembly.
String quartets allow musicians a freedom of expression that a performer would not have in for example the confines of an orchestra. The quartet format encourages solos, using each instrument's unique characteristics to come together in moments of melody while still remaining as an individual sound during the piece of music.
The Classical period was where the development of the string quartet came about and rose to the public interest. In this time, artists were focusing on creating a minimalist balance to their music that emphasised expression and communication amongst the other artists.
The goal was to create a sound that was not as large as the traditional orchestra but still delivered an entertaining musical experience, thereby breaking away from what was socially acceptable and founding a new gene of stringed music that became the evolution of the stringed quartet that was to come in the centuries ahead.
The quartet format encourages independent solos while the orchestra must adhere to strict direction from the conductor. With this freedom comes the ability for greater artist expression and a more ‘independent’ feel to each element of the quartet. The key to a great quartet is not playing in perfect unison, but rather using each instruments unique characteristics to come together in moments of melody while still remaining as an individual sound during the piece of music.
Published by Ben Rogers on 20-Feb-2017