Approaching a Canon
17 of 586
Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

Nationality: German
Baptized: December 17, 1770, Bonn Died: March 26, 1827, Vienna (age 56)

String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat major, Op. 74, "Harp"

(for 2 violins, viola and cello)
9:27 I. Poco adagio - Allegro
9:38 II. Adagio ma non troppo
5:05 III. Presto - Più presto quasi prestissimo
6:38 IV. Allegretto con variazioni
Duration: 31 minutes (approximately)
Composed: 1809 (age 38-39)
Published: 1810, Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel (age 39-40)
21 recordings, 72 videos
autoopen autoplay
9:41
Guarneri Quartet (2)
I. Poco adagio - Allegro
10:40
Guarneri Quartet (2)
II. Adagio ma non troppo
5:08
Guarneri Quartet (2)
III. Presto - Più presto quasi prestissimo
6:56
Guarneri Quartet (2)
IV. Allegretto con variazioni
9:38
Perlman Music Program
I. Poco adagio - Allegro
9:50
Perlman Music Program
II. Adagio ma non troppo
5:20
Perlman Music Program
III. Presto - Più presto quasi prestissimo
7:26
Perlman Music Program
IV. Allegretto con variazioni
9:06
Emerson String Quartet (score)
I. Poco adagio - Allegro
8:52
Emerson String Quartet (score)
II. Adagio ma non troppo
4:46
Emerson String Quartet (score)
III. Presto - Più presto quasi prestissimo
6:35
Emerson String Quartet (score)
IV. Allegretto con variazioni
9:52
Alexander String Quartet (animation)
I. Poco adagio - Allegro
9:31
Alexander String Quartet (animation)
II. Adagio ma non troppo
5:12
Alexander String Quartet (animation)
III. Presto - Più presto quasi prestissimo
6:43
Alexander String Quartet (animation)
IV. Allegretto con variazioni
9:53
Alexander String Quartet
I. Poco adagio - Allegro
9:16
Alexander String Quartet
II. Adagio ma non troppo
5:10
Alexander String Quartet
III. Presto - Più presto quasi prestissimo
6:43
Alexander String Quartet
IV. Allegretto con variazioni
9:41
Takács Quartet
I. Poco adagio - Allegro
10:55
Takács Quartet
II. Adagio ma non troppo
4:52
Takács Quartet
III. Presto - Più presto quasi prestissimo
6:14
Takács Quartet
IV. Allegretto con variazioni
9:51
Melos Quartet
I. Poco adagio - Allegro
9:00
Melos Quartet
II. Adagio ma non troppo
4:55
Melos Quartet
III. Presto - Più presto quasi prestissimo
6:18
Melos Quartet
IV. Allegretto con variazioni
8:36
Juilliard String Quartet
I. Poco adagio - Allegro
10:27
Juilliard String Quartet
II. Adagio ma non troppo
5:01
Juilliard String Quartet
III. Presto - Più presto quasi prestissimo
6:46
Juilliard String Quartet
IV. Allegretto con variazioni
8:35
Amadeus Quartet
I. Poco adagio - Allegro
10:06
Amadeus Quartet
II. Adagio ma non troppo
5:24
Amadeus Quartet
III. Presto - Più presto quasi prestissimo
6:58
Amadeus Quartet
IV. Allegretto con variazioni
9:24
Quatuor Ébène
I. Poco adagio - Allegro
10:17
Quatuor Ébène
II. Adagio ma non troppo
5:02
Quatuor Ébène
III. Presto - Più presto quasi prestissimo
6:54
Quatuor Ébène
IV. Allegretto con variazioni
9:18
Emerson String Quartet
I. Poco adagio - Allegro
8:54
Emerson String Quartet
II. Adagio ma non troppo
4:47
Emerson String Quartet
III. Presto - Più presto quasi prestissimo
6:34
Emerson String Quartet
IV. Allegretto con variazioni
10:21
Quartetto Italiano
I. Poco adagio - Allegro
10:10
Quartetto Italiano
II. Adagio ma non troppo
5:26
Quartetto Italiano
III. Presto - Più presto quasi prestissimo
6:54
Quartetto Italiano
IV. Allegretto con variazioni
10:11
Guarneri Quartet
I. Poco adagio - Allegro
11:02
Guarneri Quartet
II. Adagio ma non troppo
5:21
Guarneri Quartet
III. Presto - Più presto quasi prestissimo
7:11
Guarneri Quartet
IV. Allegretto con variazioni
7:33
Bartók Quartet
I. Poco adagio - Allegro
8:19
Bartók Quartet
II. Adagio ma non troppo
5:16
Bartók Quartet
III. Presto - Più presto quasi prestissimo
6:22
Bartók Quartet
IV. Allegretto con variazioni
9:40
Tokyo String Quartet
I. Poco adagio - Allegro
9:09
Tokyo String Quartet
II. Adagio ma non troppo
4:57
Tokyo String Quartet
III. Presto - Più presto quasi prestissimo
6:42
Tokyo String Quartet
IV. Allegretto con variazioni
10:08
Endellion String Quartet
I. Poco adagio - Allegro
10:13
Endellion String Quartet
II. Adagio ma non troppo
5:10
Endellion String Quartet
III. Presto - Più presto quasi prestissimo
6:58
Endellion String Quartet
IV. Allegretto con variazioni
8:42
Spencer Dyke Quartet
I. Poco adagio - Allegro
8:33
Spencer Dyke Quartet
II. Adagio ma non troppo
4:19
Spencer Dyke Quartet
III. Presto - Più presto quasi prestissimo
4:01
Spencer Dyke Quartet
IV. Allegretto con variazioni
30:13
Quatuor Sine Nomine
32:02
Pascal Quartet
32:30
Danish String Quartet
29:17
Budapest Quartet
From Kai Christiansen

Ludwig van Beethoven, 1770-1827

String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat Major, Op. 74, "Harp", 1809

Ludwig van BeethovenIts feels that Beethoven's "Harp" quartet is somehow overlooked. A definite "middle period" work, it is followed quickly by the more innovative "Serioso" and then the late quartets, and it is preceded by the more landmark "Razumovsky" quartets of just a few years earlier. Even the earliest Op. 18 quartets appear more frequently on concert stages. Yet Beethoven's String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat Major is a glorious work: full, rich and befitting the middle period character known as "Eroica." Bountiful, beneficent, lavish and even sensuous, the "Harp" even features a dash of impressionistic pointillism with the first movement's elegant pizzicato sections giving rise to the quartet's historical nickname. Each of the four movements is a uniquely shaped touchstone of the multi-movement sonata form types and there is an overarching vector of momentum that joins these movements into a miraculous unity of purpose, design and expression. With its prevailing vitality, heart, invention and accessibility, one is almost tempted to call this Beethoven's most "perfect" quartet. And yet, it is devilish to play.

The opening sonata form movement displays all of Beethoven's artistic elaborations. For its long and dramatic introduction, it might be called Beethoven's own "Dissonance" quartet. The main thematic materials are among his most mellifluous with long lines of counterpoint and dialog sharply contrasted with the harp-like pizzicato and Beethoven's thunderous interruptions. The development section flows organically from the preceding materials and launches the music into a flight of heroic triumph that matches so much of Beethoven's music from this period. And just as organically, a long rapturous coda evokes both symphony and violin concerto as a stunning movement artfully plays out its tremendous potential energy.

The slow movement showcases Beethoven's unearthly sober sweetness as a humble tune somehow becomes a spiritual peak. The form is lovely with another direct pointer to Mozart: a hybrid of rondo, sonata and variations that would reappear in the late quartets with such magisterial mystery. A beautiful song verse repeats with ever elaborated counterpoint and dialog between contrasting episodes of poignant despair making a kind of single braid that holds both in perfect balance.

The Scherzo is brusque, sharp, muscular, stabbing. The tremendous momentum suggests a tarentella, a leaping gypsy dance, perhaps even something Russian. This is characteristic and crucial Beethoven that escalates with the trio as simple scale motives combine in staggering counterpoint to forge mountains of music thrusting upward with tectonic force. The sheer bounding inertia requires Beethoven (and the players) to apply the brakes quite skillfully to manage a nearly miraculous seamless segue into the finale.

While we might lament the absence of a fugue in such an elegant and satisfying quartet thus far, Beethoven opts for high Viennese hijinks to conclude the work, giving us something even better: a fine set of variations, yet another form in which Beethoven bulldozed the erstwhile classical style with his unbridled creative volcanism. It was George Bernard Shaw who remarked that Beethoven could make interesting music from bare sticks of themes and this may be one of the best examples. The series of variations can aptly be compared with the finest of Jazz solo pianists in that each new "chorus" is a miracle of invention and a transformation of mood and character. The theme is a full two-part binary form, a detail that can greatly guide your listening: the "second half" of each variation is where development and ingenuity accelerate every time. But the finest detail lies in Beethoven's management of the overall shape of the movement. A handful of nearly manic, compressed final variations organically create a coda of perfectly conclusive effect. What's not to love about the elusive "Harp" quartet?

© Kai Christiansen Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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