Piano quartets by F. Mendelssohn as a phenomenon of the Romantic era

Abstract

Background. Nowadays, the typology of the piano quartet is actively studied by the modern scientists. The genesis of this genre is becoming more contentious. As pointed out by L. Tsaregorodtseva (2005), and earlier I. Byaly (1989), a connection of concerts for clavier solo accompanied by a string ensembles and a string quartet form a foundation for a genre of the piano quartet. N. Samoilova (2011) sees the origin of this genre in ensembles with clavier, L. Tsaregorodtseva (2005) ‒ in the historical and cultural situation of the last third of the 18th century, including the genre (string quartet and piano concerto), structural and compositional (sonata form), organological (instrument condition), performing (pianism development). I. Byaly (1989) and I. Polskaya (2001) consider the trio principle as the basis of ensemble genres, including the piano quartet. A conjunction of these opinions let us perceive the piano quartet as the result of the synthesis of various compositional and genre principles of ensembles, which formed the basis of the classical structure of the genre. Its creators are believed to be W. A. Mozart, the author of two piano quartets: No. 1 g-moll KV478 and No. 2 Es-dur KV493 (1785; 1786), and L. Beethoven, who composed four piano quartets: WoO 36 № 1 Es-dur, № 2 D-dur, № 3 C-dur (1785) and op. 16 Es-dur (1801). In these compositions of the classical era the defining attributes of the genre were multitimbrality, which manifests in keyboard and string instruments; ensemble players equality; signs of various types of utterance, including those inherent in a string quartet and clavier concerto involving a group of strings; sonatas and symphonies; as well as the type of composition, built on the model of “fast-slow-fast” with the obligatory sonata Allegro in the first position. In the romantic era, the boundaries of the genre expand in terms of content, structure, interpretation of the ensemble. The first attempt to increase the scale of the cycle belongs to C. M. Weber, who brought it closer to the composition of the string quartet through the introduction of Menuetto. However, the final fourpart cycle is set by F. Mendelssohn, who replaced Menuetto with Scherzo, which becomes the normative model for the romantic tradition of the genre. Objectives. The purpose of this article is to determine the role of F. Mendelssohn’s piano quartets in the evolution of the genre in general, and in the romantic era in particular. Results. Three piano quartets by F. Mendelssohn present a picture of his youthful attitude. The musician’s early composing ability allowed him to turn to the creation of works of this genre without fear. This genre usually attracts the attention of artists in their mature period of creativity, having mastered various genres, including chamber-instrumental ensembles (W. A. Mozart, R. Schumann, J. Brahms). It is easy to observe the commonalities of F. Mendelssohn and young Beethoven, who also composed the piano quartets in the early days of his oeuvre. F. Mendelssohn has composed three piano quartets: No. 1 c-moll (1882), dedicated to Prince Antoine Radziwill, No. 2 f-moll (December 1823), dedicated to Karl Zelter, and No. 3 h-moll (January 1823) – to Goethe. The skill of using large structures, the depth of musical thought, and even the sings of his future style are starting to find expression in Mendelssohn’s youth compositions. The four-part structure of the composition cycles reveals the young composer’s interest in the works of L. Beethoven, in particular in his piano sonatas. Distinctly clear analogies are also found in «Aurora» op. 53 and «Appassionata» op. 57. R. Larry Todd (2003) also points to the similarity of the original themes of the Piano quartet No. 1 c-moll by F. Mendelssohn and the piano sonata in the same key KV457 by W. A. Mozart. It defined by the initial course of the sounds of the basic triad, as well as the use of symmetrical question-answer constructions, contrasting in mood. The connections between these two compositions are even more evident in the finale, which begins with a theme directly borrowed from the last part of W. A. Mozart’s sonata (as identified by the author of this article). In Quartet No. 2 f-moll, connections with the music of L. Beethoven are not limited to allusions to the famous piano sonatas of the Viennese classic. The first part of F. Mendelssohn’s cycle contains several definite signs of Beethoven’s influences: the development of the code is significantly expanded in the sonata form, and in a monumental reprise the young author defines the extreme dynamic level fff. In Adagio (Des-dur) there is a wide enharmonic palette, including several sharp keys. The next part, labeled as Intermezzo, provides a transition to the «explosive» finale, which opens with a «rocket-like» theme, driven by an ascending line of chromatic bass. Piano Quartet No. 3 h-moll is the work that determined the choice of F. Mendelssohn’s professional composer career, which was highly appreciated by L. Kerubini. Mastery of the musical form is manifested in a significant expansion of the scope of the cycle and each of its parts. Adhering to the strategy of virtuoso interpretation of the piano part, which was chosen in the first two opuses, the author, at the same time, subordinates the tasks of demonstrating the pianist’s instrumental possibilities to the purpose of disclosure the dramatic idea of the work. At the same time, he does not brake the principle of equality of ensemble members, borrowed from his predecessors in any of his piano quartets. Conclusions. The analysis revealed the following indicators of the romanticization of the piano quartet genre in the work of F. Mendelssohn. These are: the scale of the content and composition of the cycle; the large coda sections in the first and final parts; the poetic completion of the lyrical second parts, as it is in “songs without words”; brilliance of the final parts; dominance of minor keys; equality of ensemble members with the “directorial” function of the piano and others. The high artistic qualities of F. Mendelssohn’s piano quartets attract the attention of many performers, among which the Foret Quartet demonstrates the most adequate interpretation of these works.