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Anton Arensky

Anton Arensky (1861-1906)

Nationality: Russian
Born: July 12, 1861, Novgorod Died: February 25, 1906, Terioki, Finland (now Zelenogorsk, Russia) (age 44)
wikipedia | imslp

String Quartet No. 1 in G major, Op. 11

(for 2 violins, viola and cello)
7:45 I. Allegro
5:19 II. Andante sostenuto
3:11 III. Menuetto. Allegretto
4:42 IV. Finale. Variations sur un thème Russe. Allegro non troppo
Duration: 18 minutes (approximately)
Composed: 1888 (age 26-27)
1 recording, 4 videos
autoopen autoplay
7:45
Ying Quartet
I. Allegro
5:19
Ying Quartet
II. Andante sostenuto
3:11
Ying Quartet
III. Menuetto. Allegretto
4:42
Ying Quartet
IV. Finale. Variations sur un thème Russe. Allegro non troppo
From Edition Silvertrust

“Arensky's String Quartet No.1 in G, Op.11 dates from 1888. The Allegro opens with a very dramatic, almost virtuosic, first theme. A slight Andante has a fine melody and is full of contrapuntal writing. The light hearted Minuetto allegretto which follows sounds like something out of Les Vendredis. The finale, Variations sur un thème russe is quite striking and exciting with many extraordinary effects in the succeeding variations."
—The Chamber Music Journal

Anton Arensky (1861-1906) was born in Novgorod but his family moved to St. Petersburg while he was still relatively young. His first piano lessons were from his mother. He entered the Petersburg Conservatory in 1879 and three years later graduated with high honors. Among his principal teachers was Rimsky-Korsakov. He subsequently taught at the Moscow Conservatory where he befriended and was influenced by Tchaikovsky and Sergei Taneyev.

© Edition Silvertrust. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Related Composers

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908)
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Born: March 18, 1844, Tikhvin Died: June 21, 1908, Lyubensk (age 64)
Reinhold Glière
Reinhold Glière (1875-1956)
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Born: January 11, 1875, Kiev Died: June 23, 1956, Moscow (age 81)
Alexander Grechaninov
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Serge Rachmaninoff
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glossary

  • allegretto—moderately quick tempo. slower than allegro but faster than andante
  • allegro [I]—fast, lively tempo. From the Italian word for cheerful or gay.
  • andante [I]—moderately slow tempo (e.g. walking). Faster than adagio but slower than allegretto
  • chamber music, Kammermusik [G], musique de chambre [F], musica da camera [I], musica cameralis [L]—"Classical Music" for a small ensemble, generally 8 or fewer players with a canonical emphasis on 3-6 players. explore
  • finale [I], final [F]—The final movement, sometimes explicitly titled thus
  • minuet, menuet [F], Menuett [G], menuetto [I], minuetto [I]—A graceful, courtly French dance of the Baroque and Classical period with a triple meter and a moderate tempo.It was introduced at the court of Louis XIV. In classical forms such as the symphony or chamber music, the minuet evolved into the more vigorous scherzo.
  • opus [L], opera[pl], Op., Opp, WoO, Op. posth—work, as in a work of art. For unique identification, publishers/composers often assign an "opus number", abbreviated as "Op." (e.g. Op. 1). A range of works by opus number, uses the plural "opp." (e.g. "Opp. 1-3"). A single opus number may refer to a collection of works (e.g. a set of quartets) giving rise to designations like "Op. 1, No. 4". For misc. works without opus numbers, "WoO" is often used (e.g."Without Opus"). Posthumously assigned numbers may use "Op. posth". Opus numbers may not precisely reflect chronology (publication vs. composition), can be erroneous, sparse or duplicative. Thus, the works of some historically important composers may use separate catalog numbers (e.g. Bach, Haydn, Schubert). See wiki
  • quartet, quatuor [F], quartett [G], quartetto [I], cuarteto [S]—ensemble or work for four players the most important examples being the string quartet and the piano quartet
  • russe, russa—Russian
  • sostenuto [I], soutenu [F]—sustained, perhaps a bit slow
  • string quartet, Streichquartett [G], quatuor à cordes [F], quartetto d'archi [I], quartetto di cordi [I], cuarteto de cuerda [S], vonósnégyes [H]—an ensemble as well as music written for that ensemble comprising 2 violins, viola and cello. This is one of the essential genres / forms / ensembles of chamber music and arguably a critical "core" of "classical" music.
    Explore the string quartet.
  • tema con variazioni, con variazioni, Tema e variazioni, theme and variations, Thema mit Variationen [G], Thème varié [F]—a common movement form featuring an initial theme followed by a series of variations on that theme, each of which adjusts any number of parameters to achieve variety, e.g. tempo, rhythm, key, instrumentation, etc.A challenge to the composers ingenuity and a delight for the listener