Part 1 - Classical Music Analysis

String Quartet No. 5, Op. 18 in A Major, performed by the Amadeus Quartet

Who wrote it? Beethoven

What period? Early period

What does that mean? More "classical" sound, younger and less mature, eager to show ff. Also, little tibits of revolutionary genius to distinguish himself from classical period composers (like Mozart and Haydn)

What is the form? String Quartet - 4 movements, usually sonata form - slow ABA - menuet and trio - rondo

Anything else? Beethoven wrote 17 string quartets, this is the fifth one, and he was truly proud of them. I once heard that true Beethoven lovers will ultimately arrive at Quartets after listening to and enjoying Symphonies, Concerti, and Sonatas.

To make things easier, I have tried to locate the string quartet for free online. Here is what I could find. The timing is not exact, as each performance tends to be slightly different, but it is still close enough to follow along.

All movements
First Movement
Second Movement
Third Movement
Fourth Movement

Push Play!

First Movement - First Movement

Is it Major or Minor? Happy or Sad sounding? Happy, so Major
Is the rhythm in 2s or 3s? - 3s. When you beat the rhythm, you count 1-2-3, not 1-2-3-4 or 1-2. Hmm, this is strange for a first movement piece, especially in a sonata form movement
Is it in Sonata form? A Classical Sonata usually has an exposition, development, and recapitulation.


Exposition
1) Primary theme - the first main melody of the piece
2) a transition passage - music that takes us from the primary theme to the secondary theme
3) a secondary theme - Usually different in character from the primary theme, serves to give the composer a richer vocabulary and make things more interesting for the listener
4) a bridge passage which leads to a
5) closing theme - Can be very small or extensive, serves to give still further melodic character to a piece
People call this group PtSbk, where the k stands for closing.

So, does this movement fit?

P - 0:01-:14
t - :14-:30
S - :30-:55
b - :55-1:15
k - 1:15-1:40

Yes, this movement fits.

Think of a church. If you know the shape of a church (usually the Christian cross), know the names of its parts (nave, aisles, chapels, altar, etc.), then you can focus on the details that make it unique, splendid, mundane, and so on. What do the columns look like? Is the ceiling made of stone or wood? Are there windows? Is the altar very decorated or plain? Did the artist intend it that way for a reason? So it is with music: if we learn the shape of the movement (Sonata form) and the name of its parts (PtSbk), then we can focus on the details.

So, now that we know it's in Sonata form, what do we listen for?

0:01 - Bam! Starts with an !, which catches us by surprise
P - 0:01-:14 - Primary Theme is short, easy enough to remember - Which instrument plays the primary theme? 1st violin, with 2nd violin and viola giving harmonic colors, and the cello moving the rhythm along.
t - :14-:30
S - :30-:55 - The secondary theme is mostly different from the primary in that it is in the minor (sad) key, but resolves to major (happy) before the Bridge. This piece will be lighthearted. The Cello and viola carry this theme. Okay, he uses lower notes for minor, and upper notes for major. Got it.
b - :55-1:15
k - 1:15-1:40

How do the other instruments accompany the theme, and/or the primary instrument? Simple harmonic accompaniment? Different Rhythms? Counterpoint? Imitation?

Development - This is where composers show off their skills. Beethoven enters the development abruptly. Usually, Sonata form expositions have a repeat, but not this one? Is this Beethoven's choice or the performer's choice? I don't know, as I only have this recording, and no access to sheet music.

Assuming no repeat:
2:15 - We start to travel to a different key, and so lose our sense of home base
2:30 - Hmm, I like those colors he makes with all four instruments together
2:42 - He's bringing us back to home base now
2:52 - Ah, a satisfying homecoming, we've been here before
3:12 - Uh-Oh, this is new and scary
3:23 - Back on track, phew

Recapitulation - The composer repeats the exposition, but instead of modulating in the secondary theme, he stays in the primary theme's tonality, giving us that sense of homecoming all the way through to the end of the piece. The structure of the recapitulation, therefore, is nearly always the same as the exposition, so think PtSbk.

Okay, this is a fairly typical movement, except for the fact that it's in triple rhythm (1-2-3, 1-2-3), that there is no repeated exposition (at least in this performance), and that there is an explosive start to get the blood pumping. On repeated listenings, I also notice an awkwardly long pause around :50 that throws us into confusion. He did that on purpose, the devil.

2nd Movement - Second Movement - We're still in the major key, still in triple rhythm
We think this movement will be in ABA form, namely a melody to start, a counter melody in the middle, and a repeat or similar statement of the original melody to end. What do we get?

0:01-:15 - a - A theme is announced, simple and graceful
:15-:27 - a' - The theme is embellished slightly with the viola, but still very graceful
:27-:41 - b - We're going somewhere, especially starting around :37, and it sounds stormy
:42-:49 - c - Sounds rough, but only a false alarm. Oddly ends with a pause that does not inspire confidence
:49-1:02 - a - A repeat of a, but I think I hear a couple harmonic tones that suggest all is not okay

1:03-1:18 - a and a' varied - A canon-like passage (think a group of kids singing row row row your boat in waves) tells me we're getting some variation in the a theme
1:18-1:42 - b - Same as the b from before
1:42-1:49 - c - Same as the c from before, just as creepy
1:49-2:02 - a - Same

2:02-2:18 - a and a'
2:18-2:29 - b
2:29 - A new variation! Are we in variation form? I love variation form
2:29-3:23 - Sounds like a tango with its accents and harmonies. Less graceful, more peasant dance-ish

3:23-3:38 - a
3:38-3:51 - a'
3:51-4:04 - b
4:04-4:11 - c
4:11-4:26 - a
4:26-4:41 - a

Ok, this is not a variation movement... Since it returns to the first theme at the end, it seems we can group a-a'-b-c into one big A, and that tango sounding variation is the B in that it's different. So the movement is A, a slightly varied A (A'), a B section, and a return to the varied A' at the end. A-A'-B-A'

3rd Movement - Third Movement

Slow, singing, with a rhythm in 2s, not 3s. We count 1-2-3-4, but we start the movement on the 4th beat, so it's 4 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, etc.

0:01-:22 - A - 8 measures
:22-:44 - A - 8 measures
:44-:54 - B - 4 measures
:54-1:06 - A' - 4 measures
1:06-1:16 - B - A repeat of the previous B
1:16-1:28 - A' - A repeat of the previous A'

This is simple enough to follow, as it's kind of slow and repeats often, so I can even think about the phrase sizes. Beethoven groups each section into a number of measures, with each measure consisting of 4 beats. So, counting 32 beats (8 measures of 4 beats), plus that first beat which starts on a 4, we can count out the first A.

What's next? This second section sounds a lot like the first one, but seems to be a variation. Yeah! So we have:
1:28-1:48 - A - 8 measures
1:48-2:08 - A repeated - 8 measures
2:08-2:18 - B - 4 measures
2:18-2:26 - A' - 4 measures
2:26-2:36 - B - A repeat of the previous B
2:36-2:44 - A' - A repeat of the previous A'

We have the same form, the same harmonic and rhythmic structure, the theme still starts on the 4th beat, but we're moving at a different clip now.

Variation 1 is finished and we know to listen for an [A] [BA':] structure, where the [BA'] is repeated.

Variation 2 - 2:44-3:52 - Now that we know the form, we can sit back, relax, and let Beethoven show off for us. Variation 2 has a solo violin playing lots of repeated notes with a very sparse accompaniment by the rest of the ensemble.

Variation 3 - 3:52-5:10 - The violin plays a continual slow trill, while the other guys trade off playing a truncated version of the theme

Variation 4 - 5:10-6:50 - We get a tinge of trouble melancholy at 5:35, at the end of the A section. Everyone is singing, with notes being held longer than we've heard in this movement so far.

Variation 5 - 6:50-8:10 - Unbridled joy, triumphant and glorious. Listen to the cello marching this variation along, with long, virtuosic trills by the violin

Variation 6 - 8:10-9:34 - At 8:31, the cello holds the melody, then the violin suggests a counter-melody. At 8:41 they switch off, at 8:55 the viola gets a shot at the counterpoint, etc.

9:20 - A big crescendo signals the climax of the movement

9:35 - Just the violin to start, then the others join in for a modified variation, and a peaceful ending.

4th Movement - Fourth Movement - We're faster now, counting 1-2-3-4 a bit quicker this time around. Experience says this is a rondo, which means a repetition of a theme, called A, with various different episodes, called B, C, D, which are interspersed throughout the piece. Am I right? Sort of. Multiple listens tell me that this rondo is also a sonata, in that it has a PtSbk exposition, a development, a recapitulation, and even a coda. Beethoven has thrown us a curveball, with two sonata form movements in one quartet. Unusual! Let's see what it looks like:


Exposition
0:01-:22 - P
:22-:34 - t
:34-:50 - S
:50-1:05 - b
1:05-1:32 - k

Development
1:32-2:40

Recapitulation
2:40-2:55 - Introduction to the recap
2:55-3:19 - P
3:19-3:34 - S
3:34-3:40 - b
3:40-4:12 - k

Coda
4:12-4:26
4:26-4:54

How is this a rondo? The primary theme keeps popping up throughout the movement, in the development, coda, etc., and not only in the statements at the beginning of the exposition and recapitulation.

So, I thought this classical period string quartet would contain: Sonata form, ABA slow, Menuet-Trio, and Rondo. It turned out to be Sonata form, ABA fast, Theme & Variations, and Rondo-Sonata.

Analysis

And that, my friends, is just the tip of the iceberg. Once I know it, am familiar with the characters (themes), plot line (forms), setting (overall structure), and so on, I can start enjoying the nitty-gritty details. Why does he have them play loudly here? Why does the violin hold the theme there? All 4 instruments play here, but not there. Why are they missing? What rhythms are present throughout the whole sonata? Does he keep starting the theme on the 4th beat throughout the whole 3rd movement? If so, to what end? What about the harmonies he uses? Any weird or revolutionary tonal relationships that foretell later musical development?

What about the performance? How's the cellist? Is the violin player on rhythm? How good is the violinist at trills? Do they play well together? Are they better at slow or fast passages? How's the sound quality of the recording? How are my speakers?

What about the abstract? What's Beethoven trying to say here? Is there a universal message, or is he just trying to show off? Is this just a shallow period piece for rich people to eat dinner over or college kids to study to, or is there humor, pathos, jubilation, anxiety, and contentment? What's the historical context of the piece? How old was Beethoven when he wrote this? What world events could have influenced his writing? Any love interests? Was he already deaf when he wrote it?