String quartet facts for kids
A string quartet can mean two things. It can be a piece of music written for four string instruments. Or, it can be the group of four musicians who play this music.
The four instruments in a string quartet are almost always two violins, one viola, and one cello. A double bass is usually not included because it would sound too loud and heavy. The mix of two violins, a viola, and a cello creates a perfect sound balance. String quartets are the most popular type of chamber music, which is music played by a small group of instruments. Many composers have written music for string quartets.
How String Quartets Started
String quartet music began in the 18th century. Early Italian composers like Sammartini (who lived from 1698 to 1775) wrote music for two violins, a viola, and a continuo. The continuo was usually a harpsichord, sometimes with a cello. Over time, composers started to leave out the harpsichord. The cello often played the same notes as the viola, but one octave lower.
Famous Composers and Their Quartets
Composers during the Classical music period began giving the cello its own important part to play.
Joseph Haydn: The Father of the String Quartet
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) wrote many string quartets. He helped make them a very popular type of music. Haydn said his quartets from Opus 33 were "written in a new and special way." In these pieces, all four instruments had clear and individual parts. His quartets usually had four sections, called movements:
- A fast movement
- A slow movement
- A Minuet and Trio (a dance-like movement)
- A fast Finale (the last movement)
Haydn often played in a quartet with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) and two other musicians.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Contributions
Mozart also wrote many string quartets. He even dedicated some of them to Haydn. Three of Mozart’s later quartets were written for the King of Prussia. This king played the cello very well, so Mozart wrote many challenging parts for the cello in these pieces.
Ludwig van Beethoven's Powerful Quartets
By the time Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) was growing up, string quartets treated each of the four instruments as equally important. Beethoven wrote 16 string quartets. His middle quartets became especially famous. Later composers learned from his ideas, like having slow introductions or using a fast scherzo instead of a minuet and trio for a middle movement.
Beethoven’s last quartets are very beautiful but also complex and sometimes intense. Beethoven was becoming very frustrated because he was deaf and could not hear his own music. However, he could imagine it all perfectly in his mind. Franz Schubert (1797-1827) admired Beethoven's quartets and wrote several himself.
String Quartets in the Romantic Period
In the Romantic period, many composers continued to write string quartets. Some of these included:
- Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
- Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
- Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
- Pyotr Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
- Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904)
Some composers, like Dvořák, used folk songs from their own countries in their quartets.
Modern String Quartets in the 20th Century
Composers in the 20th century have also continued to write string quartets. Claude Debussy (1862-1918) and Maurice Ravel (1875-1934) each wrote one. Arnold Schoenberg even added a singer's voice to his first String Quartet.
Béla Bartók (1881-1945) wrote six string quartets that are very difficult to play. They have exciting rhythms, often inspired by his native Hungarian folk music, and complex harmonies. Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) wrote fifteen, and Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) wrote three.
Playing in a String Quartet
Playing in a string quartet is a lot of fun! There are many great pieces by famous composers. There is also music written for young players who are just learning.
Many professional musicians form string quartets and play together for many years. In the early 1900s, the Rosé Quartet was considered the best in Europe. Later, the Amadeus Quartet became very famous.
Images for kids
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String quartet score showing a type of harmony from Schoenberg's String Quartet No. 1.
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A string quartet playing music. From left to right: violin 1, violin 2, cello, viola.
See also
In Spanish: Cuarteto de cuerdas para niños
