String Quartet No. 11 (Dvořák)

Antonín Dvořák composed his String Quartet No. 11 in C major, Op. 61, B. 121, between late October and early November 1881 to fulfill a commission from the Hellmesberger Quartet.^[1]

Background

In October, 1881 Dvořák finished the sketches for his new opera Dimitrij, when he learned in the Vienna newspapers, that the Hellmesberger Quartet is proposing the performance of his new string quartet in December 1881. He was thus forced to interrupt the work on the opera, and began to compose a quartet.

Dvořák began to compose in F major (on 7 October 1881),^[1] but he probably wasn't satisfied with that version, since later (on 25 October 1881) after completing the first movement, he decided to create an entirely new work, in C major.^[2]

The composition was supposed to premiere on 15 December 1881 in Ringtheater, but because of the catastrophic conflagration in the building of Ringtheater the performance was postponed. It isn't known today when the first performance occurred.^[2] The Czech première took place on 5 January 1884; the quartet was played by Ferdinand Lachner, Julius Raušer, Josef Krehan and Alois Neruda.

Structure

The composition consists of four movements, and lasts around 30 minutes in performance. Two themes based on a polonaise for cello and piano, B. 94, written two years earlier, reappear in the spirited scherzo of the third movement:

Allegro
Poco adagio e molto cantabile
Allegro vivo
Finale. Vivace

References

Footnotes

1 2 Šourek. p.89
1 2 Score, p. V

Bibliography

Otakar Šourek; Roberta Finlayson Samsour (Translator). The Chamber Music of Antonín Dvořák (PDF). Czechoslovakia: Artia.
Antonín Dvořák: Quartetto Ut maggiore, Op. 61.. (Pocket score). Prague: SNKLHU, 1955

External links

String quartets	No. 1 in A major No. 2 in B♭ major No. 3 in D major No. 4 in E minor No. 5 in F minor No. 6 in A minor, Op. 12, B. 40 Andante appassionato in F major B.40a No. 7 in A minor, Op. 16, B. 45 No. 8 in E major No. 9 in D minor, Op. 34, B. 75 No. 10 in E♭ major (Slavonic) String Quartet movement in F major B. 120 No. 11 in C major No. 12 in F major (American) No. 13 in G major No. 14 in A♭ major Cypresses B. 152

Other	Piano Quintet No. 2 in A major Piano Trio No. 4 in E minor (Dumky) Romantic Pieces Serenade in D minor for Wind Instruments Silent Woods Sonatina in G major String Quintet No. 2 in G major String Quintet No. 3 in E♭ major (American) String Sextet in A major Terzetto in C

Piano music

Named for Dvořák

Portal:Classical music

String quartets by Antonín Dvořák

No. 1 in A major, Op. 2, B. 8 No. 2 in B flat major, B. 17 No. 3 in D major, B. 18 No. 4 in E minor, B. 19 No. 5 in F minor, Op. 9, B.37 No. 6 in A minor, Op. 12, B. 40 Andante appassionato in F major B.40a No. 7 in A minor, Op. 16, B. 45 No. 8 in E major, Op. 80, B. 57 No. 9 in D minor, Op. 34, B. 75 No. 10 in E flat major, Op. 51, B. 92 (Slavonic) Quartet movement in F major, B. 120 No. 11 in C major, Op. 61, B. 121 12 Cypresses, B. 152 No. 12 in F major, Op. 96, B. 179 (American) No. 13 in G major, Op. 106, B.192 No. 14 in A flat major, Op. 105, B. 193

List of compositions by Antonín Dvořák

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