Music TheoryPrint

Anton Webern

String Quartet (Webern)

The String Quartet, Op. 28, by Anton Webern is written for the standard string quartet group of two violins, viola and cello. It was the last piece of chamber music that Webern wrote (his other late

Music#

It is in three movements: The string quartet is atonal and uses twelve-tone technique. The tone row on which the piece is based (B, A, C, B, D, E, C, D, G, F, A, G) is based on the BACH motif (B, A, C, B) and is composed of three tetrachords: : \override Score.TimeSignature #‘stencil = ##f \override Score.SpacingSpanner.strict-note-spacing = ##t \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 3/2) \relative c \time 4/1 \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo 1 = 60 bes1 a c b! dis e cis d ges, f aes g The first four notes of the row are the BACH motif itself, followed by its inversion, followed by same motif transposed up a minor sixth. A special property of this row is that its inversion (G, A, F, G, D, C, E, D, B, C, A, B) is equivalent to its retrograde.

  • *Program notes on the quartet (and other works) by Wayne Shirley
Composer
Anton Webern