Hello everyone,

We've started our A2 Music course now (AQA) and we were having a look at what we could do for the composition segmant of the course. I've chosen to do the Brief A which consists of harmonising a Bach Chorale piece aswell as a Classical String Quintet. Though I do love Classical music, my main instrument is Piano so I typically listen to Solo Piano pieces or Concertos. However, my teacher has given me some exercises to do regarding to Bach Chorale pieces, but I'd like to familiarise myself with both the Classical and Romantic String Quintets. Has anybody got some reccomendations for some lovely String Quintets too listen too? Particulary those of Mozart/Haydn, and maybe Schumann/Schubert (If they wrote any?), and particulary the Minuets of these Quintets, as that's what typically comes up on the brief.

Regards,

Sam

Strange - are you sure it's a quintet rather than a quartet? the specification (here) says quartet, and that's what I did last year.

The piece we were given to harmonise was not at all minuet-like either!

If it's a quartet then maybe start with the Mozart 6 quartets dedicated to Haydn, but really anything at all by Mozart or Haydn - off the top of my head the 'lark' op 64 no 5 is lovely but so are dozens of others. If you want to keep going after that then maybe the Beethoven op 18 quartets, but they aren't that similar to what you'll have to write really.

Whatever you listen to, follow the score on imslp.org or from a hard copy, it really helps.

Oh yes, my mistake! It is Quartet! Thanks for the suggestions Rosie.
Any tips for the coursework?

Thanks for your help!

If it really is string quintets (and why not!) there are three works you must experience:

With two violas, Mozart, K515 in C major and K516 in G minor;

With two 'cellos, Schubert, in C major, written in 1828 and called Op. posth. on my score.

These works are the pinnacles of their composers' achievement in string chamber music, in each case matched by very few of their other works.

Ah well its quartets, there is however a terrific quintet by Schubert .

I quite like the Op74 Quartets by Haydn , particularly the second in F Major, and its not that difficult to play.
Daughter did it at school .

(PS Nice to have someone posting from Chester)

It's difficult to narrow the 'classical quartet' down to just a couple of works, but the ones I would go for are the Beethoven last quartet, with the grosse fugue, and 'Death and the Maiden' by Schubert. Both are amazing pieces, and capture the string quartet at it's most idiomatic imo

Beethoven wrote magnificent string quartets, but he and Schubert both have elements of Romanticism in their late compositions. To hear a quartet in the centre of the Classical style, you should choose at least one of Haydn's.

I agree. Haydn would be the best for your purposes - there are loads to choose from. Prob best to choose one of his popular ones that have been named (Joke, Bird, Hunt, Sunrise etc)

Mozart would also be good, but Haydn stuck more to the rules. If you look at Beethoven stick with the opus 18s, anything later will be getting too complicated.

If you want to look at Schubert then again his early stuff - steer clear of 'Death and the Maiden', again too complicated for a classical study at this level.

However don't let this stop you from listening to and appreciating string quartets (late Beethoven has already been mentioned). It is a fantastic genre.

And for something not at all classical and quite challenging try listening to the Bartok and Shostakovich quartets .

Enjoy your exploration

Also Debussy and Ravel. They are both early works but very good. The Ravel, especially, stands comparison with much of his mature work.

Wasn't the brief classical/romantics?

Not according to the original poster, but if it were, a good example would be Mendelssohn's Op12 quartet in Eb, written in 1829. This is a delightful work, much more straightforward than late Beethoven.