27th Annual Student Research Conference
Grieg's String Quartet in G minor, Op. 27
Kathryn Byrd*, Daniel Yung, Ava Pacheco, and Christopher Aman
Dr. Brian X. Kubin, Faculty Mentor
Edvard Grieg composed the String Quartet in G minor, Opus 27 in 1877-78. Publication of this quartet was initially delayed when the first publisher Grieg approached believed the extensive and difficult double stops would require the piece to be rewritten as a piano quartet or quintet. The piece has many groundbreaking musical elements. All four movements are built on the theme from the first of his Six Songs, Opus 25, "Fiddlers." This is among the earliest examples of this all-encompassing thematic unity found in chamber music. Another unique characteristic of the quartet is its thickness of sound. Grieg was criticized for trying to get an orchestral sound from only four players by his use of fortissimo double stopping in multiple instruments at the same time, but Grieg responded that these passages "aim at breadth, to soar, and above all, at vigorous sound for the instruments for which they are written."
Keywords: Music, String Quartet, Edvard Grieg
Topic(s):Music
Presentation Type: Performance Art
Session: 3-2
Location: OP Performance Hall
Time: 2:45