28th Annual Student Research Conference
Quartet No. 3 in F Major, Op. 73
III. Allegro non troppo
By Dmitri Shostakovich
Ava I. Pacheco*, Nina G. Hemmer, Christopher A. Aman, and Leah M. Dieker
Dr. Brian Kubin, Faculty Mentor
Dimitri Shostakovich's Quartet No. 3 in F Major, Op. 73 was dedicated to and premiered by the Beethoven quartet in Moscow on December 16, 1946; however, the piece was withdrawn from public performances shortly after its premiere due to an attack on composers by the Soviet government in 1948. Shostakovich initially assigned subtitles to each movement, with the idea of presenting the piece as a programmatic work: "Calm unawareness of the future cataclysm"; "Rumblings of unrest and anticipation"; "The forces of war are unleashed"; "Homage to the dead"; and "The eternal question: why and to what purpose?". These subtitles are reflected in the piece--the quartet begins playfully and ironic but soon begins to darken while questioning its seriousness. The third movement is a violent scherzo in G sharp minor. Passages switch between a duple and triple meter, and the movement mimics an intense march by maintaining a steady pulse.
Keywords: Shostakovich, string quartet
Topic(s):Music
Presentation Type: Performance Art
Session: 1-3
Location: OP PERFORMANCE HALL
Time: 11:30