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“I hope these quartets will correspond
to your order, and that they will not only
please you, but that all music lovers will enjoy
them. Whether they are published together or
separately makes no difference to me.”
String Quartet no.1 in E minor, op.61
The first movement (
Allegro moderato
) is written in keeping with the basic
principles of the classical sonata. The first theme opens with the instruments
playing in unison, and is characterised by the rising leap of a tenth which occurs
during a descending passage. The first violin takes over, and passagework leads
to the second theme in F major. The exposition ends with a brief reminder of the
first theme. A Mazurka opens the development section. The first theme returns
in a series of variants played by the different instruments. Harmonic interest is
provided by numerous seventh chords and small intervals. After a short stretto
passage based on the first theme, the recapitulation offers a brighter version of
the second theme, now transposed into E major. The first violin leads the three
other instruments to the end of the movement in a descending line played as a
decrescend.
14 KALLIWODA