Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Nationality:
German
Born: February 3, 1809, Hamburg Died: November 4, 1847, Leipzig (age 38)
Fugue for String Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 81, No. 4
(for 2 violins, viola and cello)
| 5:01 | A tempo ordinario |
Duration: 6 minutes (approximately)
Composed:
1827 (age 17-18)
Published:
1850
6 recordings,
6 videos
5:24
Pacifica Quartet
5:28
Quatuor Ysaÿe
5:03
Melos Quartet
5:53
New Zealand String Quartet
5:53
Merel Quartet
5:50
Bergonzi Quartet
Related Composers
Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel (1805-1847)
sister
Nationality:
German
Born: November 14, 1805, Hamburg Died: May 14, 1847, Berlin (age 41)
Woldemar Bargiel (1828-1897)
colleague
Nationality:
German
Born: October 3, 1828, Berlin Died: February 23, 1897, Berlin (age 68)
Johann Hummel (1778-1837)
Teacher
Nationality:
Austrian
Born: November 14, 1778, Pressburg (now Bratislava) Died: October 17, 1837, Weimar (age 58)
Heinrich Marschner (1795-1861)
Friend/Colleague
Nationality:
German
Born: August 16, 1795, Zittau Died: December 14, 1861, Hanover (age 66)
Eduard Franck (1817-1893)
Student
Nationality:
German
Born: October 5, 1817, Breslau Died: December 1, 1893, Berlin (age 76)
Ignaz Moscheles (1794-1870)
colleague/friend
Nationality:
Bohemian
Born: May 23, 1794, Prague Died: March 10, 1870, Leipzig (age 75)
glossary
- 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
- fugue, fuga, fuge [G], fuguette, fugen [G,pl]—a contrapuntal procedure (form) involving a musical subject (theme) that is successively imitated by multiple overlapping voices. There is a vast canon of rules (concepts) for creating elaborate and diverse fugues with an infinite variety of character based on fairly specific parameters. Fugues (or partial fugato) are found throughout classical music from the late Renaissance to the present.
- 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
- ordinario [I] —ordinary, regular
- 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
-
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. - tempo, tempi [pl]—speed or pace at which music progresses. Traditional classic music typically uses standard Italian words to designate the tempo, e.g. Allegro or adagio. Metronome markings provide precise numerical speeds. Tempo selection during performance is a complex artistic choice informed by composer's markings, performance tradition, technical limitations and interpretation.