String Quartet No. 1 (Prokofiev)

Sergei Prokofiev's String Quartet No. 1 in B minor, Op. 50 (1931) was commissioned by the Library of Congress.[1][2] The Quartet was first performed in Washington, D. C. on 25 April 1931 by the Brosa Quartet[3] and in Moscow on 9 October 1931 by the Roth Quartet.[1][2] The string quartet is in three movements, lasting around 20–25 minutes.

Movements

  1. Allegro
  2. Andante molto
  3. Andante

Analysis

The work is distinctive in that its key, B minor, is just a semitone below the limits of the viola and cello range. Another distinctive feature is that the finale is the slow movement, which is highly intense in emotion and full of sweeping melodies.

Prokofiev had liked the finale so much that he transcribed a version of it for string orchestra, as Op. 50a, and included a piano transcription in his pieces as Op. 52.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Staff (15 November 2010). "Foundations for Music (Library of Congress Music, Theater, Dance: An Illustrated Guide)". Library of Congress. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
  2. 1 2 Sorensen, Sugi (2005). "The Prokofiev Page - String Quartet No 1 in B minor, Op 50". Allegro Media. Archived from the original on 4 February 2012. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
  3. ↑ Nice, David (2003). Prokofiev: From Russia to the West, 1891-1935. Yale University Press. Page 293.
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