Classical Chamber Music: String Quartet

Composers
1. Haydn (1732-1809)
2. Mozart (1756-1791)
3. Beethoven (1770-1827)
4. Classical Period (1750 - 1827)
Instrumentation
1. Two Violins
2. Viola
3. Cello
4. NO HARPSICHORD
5. String techniques
  1. Arco - play with the bow
  2. Pizzicato - pluck the strings
  3. Tremolo - quickly move the bow back and forth creating a trembling effect
Stylistic Features
1. Dynamics are written into score
  1. Dynamics can be slowly changed
    1. "piano" - quiet
    2. "forte" - loud
    3. "crescendo" - gradually getting louder
    4. "diminuendo" - gradually getting quieter
    5. "mezzo piano" - moderately quiet
2. Texture
  1. Melody and accompaniment
    1. One instrument plays the melody whilst the other instruments provide a simple accompaniment
      1. Occasionally an instrument might accompany with a repetitive figure called an "Alberti Bass"
        This is based on the notes of a chord
  2. Question and answer
    1. An instrument or a pair of instruments perform a melody and then this is imitated by another instrument
3. Melody
  1. Quite lyrical
    1. Smooth scalic lines
      1. Ascending
      2. Descending
    2. Made up of arpeggios
  2. Sequences
    1. A bit of music that is repeated but then it is transposed up or down by one note
  3. Musical phrases are balanced
    1. 2 or 4 bar phrases
      1. Defined as where natural breaks of "breathing points" occur in a musical line
Harmony
1. Primary chords will be used more to harmonise the melody
2. Cadences
  1. Perfect (sound finished)
  2. Imperfect (sound unfinished)
3. Harmonic rhythm
  1. How fast chords change
  2. Typically change one chord per bar
Performed in a small room for a small audience

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Classical Chamber Music: String Quartet

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	Created by Andrew Furniss over 8 years ago