Giovanni Bottesini

Giovanni Bottesini (1821-1889)

Nationality: Italian
Born: December 22, 1821, Crema Died: July 7, 1889, Parma (age 67)
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String Quartet No. 2 in f-sharp minor, Op. 3

(for 2 violins, viola and cello)
I. Allegro moderato
II. Scherzo. Allegro brillante
III. Andantino
IV. Finale. Allegro spiritoso
Duration: 18 minutes (approximately)

glossary

  • allegro [I]—fast, lively tempo. From the Italian word for cheerful or gay.
  • andantino—faster than andante, slower than allegretto. Sometimes andantino is interpreted as the opposite: slower than andante
  • brillante [I], brillant [F]—brilliant, showy, spirited, sparkling
  • 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
  • moderato [I], moderamente, modéré [F], modérément [F]—moderately, at a moderate tempo, applying a touch of restraint to its related word(s), e.g. allegro moderato
  • 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
  • scherzo—lively, brisk, typically in a triple meter; usually a three-part form with central, contrasting trio
  • spirito, con spirito, spiritoso, spirituoso—Spirited, lively
  • string quartet, Streichquartett [G], quatuor à cordes [F], quartetto d'archi [I], quartetto di cordi [I], cuarteto de cuerda [S]—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.