String Quartet No. 3 (Rochberg)
Encyclopedia
George Rochberg’s
String Quartet No. 3 is an important piece in American
contemporary music literature. Written in 1971 and premiered on May 15, 1972, by the Concord String Quartet
, the third string quartet was an important move away from serialism
for the American composer.
composers. Rochberg’s first and second quartets are written in this modernist style. Then in 1961 tragedy struck when Rochberg’s son became ill with an ultimately fatal brain tumor. His son’s death three years later left the composer deeply changed and struggling to compose. His eventual conclusion that he was unable to adequately express his profound grief and loss through serialism led him towards his more mature style, an aesthetic which often mixes tonality and atonality and has sometimes been labeled “neo-romanticism
.” Rochberg described his goal in this new style as an attempt to achieve “the most potent and effective way to translate my musical energy into the clearest and most direct patterns of feeling and thought.”
.
motif
, but quickly passes through sections of lyric tonality, atonality, and florid ornamentation.
. It is composed of new material in a traditional theme and variations form. Rochberg said this movement drew from “the harmonic/polyphonic palette of the Classical and Romantic traditions.”
form. The scherzo is highly chromatic in character, although still tonal. It is followed by the expressive serenade. After several interruptions from the scherzo theme, the original glissando motive from the beginning returns to complete the work.
, as “almost irrelevant.” At the time, the new music scene in America was dominated by the strict serialism championed by Pierre Boulez, and aleatory music, as championed by John Cage
. Rochberg’s music rejected both approaches, focusing instead on a style revolving around expressionism and detailed notation. Describing the controversy that surrounded his music, Rochberg told the Philadelphia Inquirer that "I was accused of betraying, in the following order, the church and the state, I was a traitor, a renegade." He went on to say that "If you're going to be a composer you have to have an iron stomach, fire in the belly, and fire in the brain."
While academics scoffed at the work, Rochberg’s String Quartet No. 3 was very popular with audiences and musicians. During the 1970s the piece received many performances, and the Concord String Quartet
quickly commissioned three more quartets.
Towards the end of the twentieth century, as the new-music climate became more open to tonality, some young composers came out in support of Rochberg; composers who have cited him as an influence include David Del Tredici
and John Corigliano
.
George Rochberg
George Rochberg was an American composer of contemporary classical music.-Life:Rochberg was born in Paterson, New Jersey. He attended the Mannes College of Music, where his teachers included George Szell and Hans Weisse, and the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Rosario Scalero and...
String Quartet No. 3 is an important piece in American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
contemporary music literature. Written in 1971 and premiered on May 15, 1972, by the Concord String Quartet
Concord String Quartet
The Concord String Quartet was an American string quartet established in 1971. The members of the quartet were Mark Sokol and Andrew Jennings, violins; John Kochánowski, viola; Norman Fischer, cello. They gave their last regular concert on May 15, 1987...
, the third string quartet was an important move away from serialism
Serialism
In music, serialism is a method or technique of composition that uses a series of values to manipulate different musical elements. Serialism began primarily with Arnold Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique, though his contemporaries were also working to establish serialism as one example of...
for the American composer.
Background of composition
Early in his career George Rochberg wrote in a total serialist style that was popular with post World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
composers. Rochberg’s first and second quartets are written in this modernist style. Then in 1961 tragedy struck when Rochberg’s son became ill with an ultimately fatal brain tumor. His son’s death three years later left the composer deeply changed and struggling to compose. His eventual conclusion that he was unable to adequately express his profound grief and loss through serialism led him towards his more mature style, an aesthetic which often mixes tonality and atonality and has sometimes been labeled “neo-romanticism
Neo-romanticism
The term neo-romanticism is used to cover a variety of movements in music, painting and architecture. It has been used with reference to very late 19th century and early 20th century composers such as Gustav Mahler particularly by Carl Dahlhaus who uses it as synonymous with late Romanticism...
.” Rochberg described his goal in this new style as an attempt to achieve “the most potent and effective way to translate my musical energy into the clearest and most direct patterns of feeling and thought.”
Style and structure
String Quartet No. 3 is composed in five movements, with the first two and last two movements played without pause. This ultimately results in the work being heard in three large sections. Sections of atonality are superimposed with tonal and expressionist sections. The string quartet is written in a modified arch formArch form
In music, arch form is a sectional structure for a piece of music based on repetition, in reverse order, of all or most musical sections such that the overall form is symmetric, most often around a central movement...
.
Part A
I. Introduzione: Fantasia
As in the last movement, this movement presents the emotional contours of the third quartet in microcosm. The movement comprises six ideas repeated to form eighteen short sections. The work starts off with a highly charged glissandoGlissando
In music, a glissando is a glide from one pitch to another. It is an Italianized musical term derived from the French glisser, to glide. In some contexts it is distinguished from the continuous portamento...
motif
Motif (music)
In music, a motif or motive is a short musical idea, a salient recurring figure, musical fragment or succession of notes that has some special importance in or is characteristic of a composition....
, but quickly passes through sections of lyric tonality, atonality, and florid ornamentation.
II. March
This movement is a dissonant march which has been compared to Bartok. It begins without pause after the first movement.III. Variations
This central movement forms the cornerstone of the arch formArch form
In music, arch form is a sectional structure for a piece of music based on repetition, in reverse order, of all or most musical sections such that the overall form is symmetric, most often around a central movement...
. It is composed of new material in a traditional theme and variations form. Rochberg said this movement drew from “the harmonic/polyphonic palette of the Classical and Romantic traditions.”
IV. March
The central movement is followed by this second march, which is thematically connected to the first, but includes further development of the ideas.V. Finale: Scherzos and Serenades
This finale, which completes the quartet's arch form, is also written in an internally palindromicPalindrome
A palindrome is a word, phrase, number, or other sequence of units that can be read the same way in either direction, with general allowances for adjustments to punctuation and word dividers....
form. The scherzo is highly chromatic in character, although still tonal. It is followed by the expressive serenade. After several interruptions from the scherzo theme, the original glissando motive from the beginning returns to complete the work.
Critical reception and influence
Rochberg’s String Quartet No. 3 was immediately controversial. Its aesthetic, which appeared to draw from older tonal music, was heavily criticized by Rochberg’s academic colleagues. The composer's work was described by some major critics, such as Andrew Porter of The New YorkerThe New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, as “almost irrelevant.” At the time, the new music scene in America was dominated by the strict serialism championed by Pierre Boulez, and aleatory music, as championed by John Cage
John Cage
John Milton Cage Jr. was an American composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and artist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde...
. Rochberg’s music rejected both approaches, focusing instead on a style revolving around expressionism and detailed notation. Describing the controversy that surrounded his music, Rochberg told the Philadelphia Inquirer that "I was accused of betraying, in the following order, the church and the state, I was a traitor, a renegade." He went on to say that "If you're going to be a composer you have to have an iron stomach, fire in the belly, and fire in the brain."
While academics scoffed at the work, Rochberg’s String Quartet No. 3 was very popular with audiences and musicians. During the 1970s the piece received many performances, and the Concord String Quartet
Concord String Quartet
The Concord String Quartet was an American string quartet established in 1971. The members of the quartet were Mark Sokol and Andrew Jennings, violins; John Kochánowski, viola; Norman Fischer, cello. They gave their last regular concert on May 15, 1987...
quickly commissioned three more quartets.
Towards the end of the twentieth century, as the new-music climate became more open to tonality, some young composers came out in support of Rochberg; composers who have cited him as an influence include David Del Tredici
David Del Tredici
David Del Tredici, born March 16, 1937 in Cloverdale, California, is an American composer. According to Del Tredici's website, Aaron Copland said David Del Tredici "is that rare find among composers — a creator with a truly original gift...
and John Corigliano
John Corigliano
John Corigliano is an American composer of classical music and a teacher of music. He is a distinguished professor of music at Lehman College in the City University of New York.-Biography:...
.