String Quartet No. 1 (Shostakovich)

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Dmitri Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 1 in C major (Op. 49) was composed in 1938. It was premiered by the Glazunov Quartet, but carries no dedication.

This string quartet has none of the bravura of the fifth symphony which preceded it. Instead, the composer seemed to have discovered a new kind of distinctly Russian neoclassicism. The tone is chiefly optimistic, although the minor-keyed inner movements provide a contrast. Shostakovich wrote of this quartet "I visualized childhood scenes, somewhat naïve and bright moods associated with spring."^[1]

The work has four movements:

1. Moderato
2. Moderato
3. Allegro molto
4. Allegro

Playing time is approximately 14 minutes.

[edit] Notes

v • d • e String quartets by Dmitri Shostakovich No. 1 in C major · No. 2 in A major · No. 3 in F major · No. 4 in D major · No. 5 in B flat major · No. 6 in G major · No. 7 in F sharp minor · No. 8 in C minor · No. 9 in E flat major · No. 10 in A flat major · No. 11 in F minor · No. 12 in D flat major · No. 13 in B flat minor · No. 14 in F sharp major · No. 15 in E flat minor List of compositions by Dmitri Shostakovich