Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Nationality:
German
Born: February 3, 1809, Hamburg Died: November 4, 1847, Leipzig (age 38)
Tema con variazioni for String Quartet in E major, Op. 81, No. 1
(for 2 violins, viola and cello)
| 6:01 | Tema con variazioni. Andante sostentuo |
Duration: 6 minutes (approximately)
Composed:
1847 (age 37-38)
Published:
1850
6 recordings,
6 videos
6:12
Pacifica Quartet
5:46
Quatuor Ysaÿe
5:52
Melos Quartet
5:29
Henschel Quartet
5:06
Mandelring Quartet
5:49
Juilliard String 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
- andante [I]—moderately slow tempo (e.g. walking). Faster than adagio but slower than allegretto
- animato, animé [Fr]—lively; animated
- 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
- come [I], comme—like, as
- 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
- più—more
- poco, un poco, poco a poco—a little bit, e.g. "andante un poco moto" is andante with a little more motion than typical. "poco a poco" means a little bit at a time, gradually.
- presto—very fast, more so than allegro.
- prima [I], primo—first; often used to designate a part or a return the "first" part as in "come prima", i.e. "like the first part" or "like the beginning"
- 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. - 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