At the time of this writing it's winter, and the snow and ice have got me listening to some appropriately cold and shivery music. And to be honest, sometimes you're just not in the mood for something bouncy and uplifting. We all need a shot of gloomy, gelid music every now and then, winter or not. Here are some string quartets appropriate for any sleepless night.
Shostakovich: String Quartet no. 8 in C Minor
I write about Romantic music a lot, so here's something a little more modern. Shostakovich was a moody fellow and this quartet gets that across perfectly. The first few minutes is a procession of low, slow, creeping melodies. It's the kind of music that makes you feel like someone's sneaking up behind you. Which makes sense, considering that Shostakovich lived in the former Soviet Union under Stalin. He spent most of his life looking over his shoulder.
After those first few minutes, the quartet gets torn apart by fast, loud, atonal shrieking. If you don't know already, atonal means 'intentionally off-key' – that's not the whole idea but you get the gist of it. It's frantic to the point of psychosis, and never calms down for long. It sounds panicky to me. The beginning of the third movement is my favorite part – it has a dizzy, disoriented feel, as though the composer can't tell who he can trust. There's a part where the instruments sound three staccato notes in succession – 'Dunn dunn dunn!' – which supposedly represents the KGB knocking on his door to come take him away.
Many of my articles are written for people who are new to this kind of music. If you find Romantic music hopelessly boring and want to hear something a little more edgy, this might appeal to you. Just remember that it can take many listens for Shostakovich's melodies to sink in, let alone the entire piece.
Schubert: String Quartet No. 14 in D Minor 'Death and the Maiden'
Schubert was a deeply melancholic person, but sometimes he crosses the line from melancholic to just plain morbid. He has been quoted as saying, “There is no happy music,” This piece is one example. The opening melody is jagged and acerbic. It reminds me of cobwebs and broken glass.
It's in D minor, the same key as Bach's chaconne. And like the chaconne, there's a despairing feel to the whole thing. The difference is that Schubert's piece is fast and violent. The second movement gives us a bit of a break, but even then you can feel the tension lurking just under the surface. Eventually the quartet does start to feel more contemplative and calm, but not peaceful. A better word would be 'resigned'.
Schubert: String Quartet No. 13 in A minor 'Rosamunde'
Schubert makes it onto this list twice because, quite frankly, it was always winter for him. Like Death and the Maiden, Rosamunde is a very dark piece of work, but less violent. Of course, 'less violent' doesn't mean 'calm'.
There are some fireworks here and there, just not to the same extent as the former. It retains more of the dainty elegance of Schubert's Classical-era roots. The sound of the whole piece is very sibilant. The texture of it feels liquid and wavering to me. It's like looking at your reflection in rippling water. As usual, it's fixated on death. But that goes with the territory when we're talking about Schubert.
If you ever get the chance, listen to this in winter while it's snowing. It fits the music perfectly. Schubert reigns in his morbid tendencies enough to make something a little more gentle and sorrowful and less transfixed with terror.
Beethoven: String Quartet no. 13 in C# Minor
This is the archetypal 'sad violin music'. It was used in the cable series Band of Brothers[3], and in a hundred other cinematic settings I'm sure.
There are seven movements in total, performed without a break, so they tend to run together. The first part is sad in that gentle bittersweet way that Romantic music is famous for. The second is more light and carefree. But every so often, the melody darkens enough to remind us of the first movement. The last part is almost dance-like, yet somehow grave and serious. It's very heavy, like all of Beethoven's work, which make it worth devoting a lot of time to.
Shostakovich: String Quartet no. 8 in C Minor
I write about Romantic music a lot, so here's something a little more modern. Shostakovich was a moody fellow and this quartet gets that across perfectly. The first few minutes is a procession of low, slow, creeping melodies. It's the kind of music that makes you feel like someone's sneaking up behind you. Which makes sense, considering that Shostakovich lived in the former Soviet Union under Stalin. He spent most of his life looking over his shoulder.
After those first few minutes, the quartet gets torn apart by fast, loud, atonal shrieking. If you don't know already, atonal means 'intentionally off-key' – that's not the whole idea but you get the gist of it. It's frantic to the point of psychosis, and never calms down for long. It sounds panicky to me. The beginning of the third movement is my favorite part – it has a dizzy, disoriented feel, as though the composer can't tell who he can trust. There's a part where the instruments sound three staccato notes in succession – 'Dunn dunn dunn!' – which supposedly represents the KGB knocking on his door to come take him away.
Many of my articles are written for people who are new to this kind of music. If you find Romantic music hopelessly boring and want to hear something a little more edgy, this might appeal to you. Just remember that it can take many listens for Shostakovich's melodies to sink in, let alone the entire piece.
Schubert: String Quartet No. 14 in D Minor 'Death and the Maiden'
Schubert was a deeply melancholic person, but sometimes he crosses the line from melancholic to just plain morbid. He has been quoted as saying, “There is no happy music,” This piece is one example. The opening melody is jagged and acerbic. It reminds me of cobwebs and broken glass.
It's in D minor, the same key as Bach's chaconne. And like the chaconne, there's a despairing feel to the whole thing. The difference is that Schubert's piece is fast and violent. The second movement gives us a bit of a break, but even then you can feel the tension lurking just under the surface. Eventually the quartet does start to feel more contemplative and calm, but not peaceful. A better word would be 'resigned'.
Schubert: String Quartet No. 13 in A minor 'Rosamunde'
Schubert makes it onto this list twice because, quite frankly, it was always winter for him. Like Death and the Maiden, Rosamunde is a very dark piece of work, but less violent. Of course, 'less violent' doesn't mean 'calm'.
There are some fireworks here and there, just not to the same extent as the former. It retains more of the dainty elegance of Schubert's Classical-era roots. The sound of the whole piece is very sibilant. The texture of it feels liquid and wavering to me. It's like looking at your reflection in rippling water. As usual, it's fixated on death. But that goes with the territory when we're talking about Schubert.
If you ever get the chance, listen to this in winter while it's snowing. It fits the music perfectly. Schubert reigns in his morbid tendencies enough to make something a little more gentle and sorrowful and less transfixed with terror.
Beethoven: String Quartet no. 13 in C# Minor
This is the archetypal 'sad violin music'. It was used in the cable series Band of Brothers[3], and in a hundred other cinematic settings I'm sure.
There are seven movements in total, performed without a break, so they tend to run together. The first part is sad in that gentle bittersweet way that Romantic music is famous for. The second is more light and carefree. But every so often, the melody darkens enough to remind us of the first movement. The last part is almost dance-like, yet somehow grave and serious. It's very heavy, like all of Beethoven's work, which make it worth devoting a lot of time to.
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