The harmonious String Quartet
The first step towards
achieving harmony is to play with another instrument that plays just a tune
line, such as another violin or cello or a flute. There is a lot of baroque
music that can be played by two instruments in this way, but as music developed
and became more complex in its harmonies there is less and less repertoire
written for this combination. The next step up is violin
and piano as in the Beethoven piano sonatas. Hear the piano provides the
harmonies to accompany the violin, but also plays tune lines in his own right. I
always think it's very unfair on The Pianist that's such piece of music tend to
be called a violin sonatas, putting The Pianist in second place. Just on the
basis of note count, a pianist is often playing fistfuls of notes, so it would
seem more fair to call it a piano and violin sonata. Perhaps it's called a
violin sonata because the bulk of the melody tends to be played by the violin
and much of the emotional element of the music comes from the stringed
instrument because of its greater range and subtlety in Dynamics and
inflections. The
next step is the string quartet
or string quintet. It is said that the string quartet is the most beautiful and
purest musical form. As a violinist I would of course agree, but it's perhaps
rather like wine that the best wine is the wine you like not what the wine Buffs
claim you should drink and the best music is the music that you like. But there
are many reasons for this
accolade of the string quartet. It has the four instruments that can produce
the four notes of a full chord, with first violin tending to play the highest,
2nd violin lower, viola below that and cello at the base of the chord. Of course
it's not always this way round, but that is the logic of the instruments in the
string quartet. Many of the greatest composers have produced what they and
others considered their finest
works for string
quartet, although often it is not the most popular of their music, the
Symphony Orchestra probably being the ensemble that has gained the greatest
popularity. While we are talking about the
string quartet it would be useful to consider the additional tasks that a
musician has to contend with when playing in this grouping. When playing violin
and Piano there are only two people to co-ordinate. Usually it is the first
violin that takes the lead in tempo and dynamics, but with a good duo that task
is shared and depends on who has the musical element that is most significant at
any moment through the work. One common problem when playing violin sonatas is
that the majority of pianists are not used to play with other people. Piano
tends to be a very solitary instrument and by the time a pianist is good enough
to play with a violin and tackle the difficulties of a violin sonatas, they've
spent many years learning to play by themselves. There is a tendency for The
Pianist to do their own thing and ignore the violin. Musically this is a
disaster and normally leads to the to two musicians falling out. However a
pianist who is skilled at playing with other instruments, who is able to cope
with the given take and cooperation that is necessary from all the string
players in a String Quartet, is a truly talented musician. Such a pianist tends
to be called an accompanist, which I think it is rather unfair and degrading,
putting them in a position of just supporting the violin. This isn’t the case.
It is a duet in the true sense with both parts of equal importance, just as in a
flute and violin duo. When a pianist plays in a Piano Trio, piano quartet or
quintet, that is piano and two to four stringed instruments, then they become a
part of the ensemble and have to be able to work in the same way as the string
players. So what is that way? First of all there is the
timing. There is no metronome, there is no conductor, so the players have to set
the speed and keep to that speed by consent whilst playing the music. With
baroque music this just tends to require precision as the tempo doesn't normally
change within a movement. There are big tempo changes but they are between
sections in the music. However it is totally different with the romantic
composers. In a piece like the Ravel string quartet, the tempo changes
frequently within a few bars and can even change within a bar. It has to be
agreed who is in charge of the tempo and who is going to follow. This isn't
usually a formal agreement that is decided before the piece of music is played,
it is something that is naturally done through experience depending who has the
tune, or who may have the fast notes at a change of tempo for the tune to
follow. So it's not always the first violin who may be playing the tune that
leads the tempo, it could be a viola who is playing an accompaniment or a tune. The tune is not of course
always played by the first violin, it often passes from instrument to instrument
either in its entirety or as part of a tune. There may be more than one tune
occurring simultaneously and what is considered an accompaniment and what is
considered a tune can change throughout the piece. Let us look it's the way that
tempi can be indicated. When starting a piece of music it's not the done thing
to count 123 - in. This is acceptable in a
jazz band or
jazz orchestra, where the conductor
may well say one two, one two three four to bring people in. But this is a
different tradition and would never go down well with symphony orchestra
conductor or the leader of the
string quartet. ( In a barn
dance band or ceilidh band
one gets over the starting speed problem by the fiddler playing a solo four bar
introduction. This also lets the dancers know the speed of the dancing.) The normal way to start a
movement and get everybody playing together and at the right speed, is for the
leader to raise the end of the violin and lower it again at a speed that
represents one beat of the bar. How fast this movement is done is all the
indication the rest of the quartet get about when to come in, assuming they will
start together, and at what speed the music is going to be taken. This movement
is very small, often only an inch or so. Of course it's not always the first
violin who begins a piece and sometimes it's more appropriate for another of
the musicians to begin the piece and set the tempo. It's not practical for the
cellist to waggle the end of their instrument in the way the violinist can, so
they may indicate the start and the tempo the music from the speed of a slight
nod of the head or even raising and lowering the eyebrows. So even starting a
piece of music with a string quartet is more difficult than an orchestra, where
the conductor with their button may well beat half a bar or more before the
orchestra comes in. Once the music is started you
may think that they just have to listen to each other to judge the speed and
keep in coronation. Whilst this method is vital, it has limitations. Sometimes
it may be difficult to hear clearly at what speed another instrument is playing
specially if they are playing some complex rhythm that cuts across what other
instruments reply. It's also a method that, on its own, can result in scruffy
sounding music. If each musician is listening to the others, if there is any
discrepancy between the other 3, which of them are they to believe. Also by the
time notes have been played it's too late to take them back, rub them out and
try again. Everything happens in real time. So another method is needed to
improve on the accuracy of the coordination. This method is physical
movement. Movement that naturally occurs because the instruments are being biwed,
thus a musician can see what the other players aredoing. Also the movement of
the whole body, which is normally at a much lower frequency than the movement of
the bow, becomes an indication of the the bar length. Some string quartet will
sit relatively statically, but most of them, particularly the really good ones,
have a lot of physical movement and this is one element of coordination and the
transmission of expression ie body language. So if you're watching a String
Quartet perform, be aware of what is going on between the musicians. They will
be watching each other, they will be moving their whole bodies in time with the
music. Different musicians will take over the lead. If there is a pause, look
at who is determining the length of the pause and who it is that is bringing
them in all together into the music.