Ludwig van Beethoven String Quartet, Opus 131
“After this, what is there left to write?” Franz Schubert
Beethoven’s nephew, Karl, had always given the composer trouble since acquiring joint custody with his sister-in-law in 1815. The custody arrangement was terrible: For years, and many lawsuits, Beethoven was determined to prevail. “ At least I have the satisfaction of saving an innocent child from the hands of an unworthy mother.” (Letter to Reis, February 28, 1816.) Karl became his raison d’être, his only family, and his obsession. By 1825, Beethoven was infuriated, disillusioned, and exhausted by Karl’s thievery, demands, and general worthlessness. “ I have been deeply grieved by your faithlessness…and you have betrayed my love for you…” (Letter from Baden, 1825). In 1826, Karl attempted suicide (unsuccessfully) and Beethoven was terrified: “I beg you to come back to me… no reproach shall pass my lips…come at once.” Attempted suicide was punished by imprisonment in Austria. Beethoven managed to place him in the military thanks to the kindness of Baron Joseph von Stutterheim who took the ingrate into his regiment. In gratitude, Beethoven dedicated Opus 131 work to his friend.
Opus 131 lies within the famous “Last Six” of Beethoven’s String quartets written during the last three years of his life. Were these “experimental?” Beethoven’s answer, “Art demands of us that we should not stand still” provides some guidance. Joseph de Marliave notes that these six reflect “expression of Beethoven’s most intimate spirit, …no external influence can touch the melodies, they are birthed in the soul of a musician…his ardor is unquenchable. The most beautiful example of his colossal variation form is Opus 131.”
Life often hinges on threads, and thus it is the history for Beethoven’s last quartets. In 1822, Beethoven, then in dire straits, received a commission from Prince Nicholas Galitzin for three quartets, spurred on by violist Zeuner in the St. Petersburg Quartet where Galitzin was the cellist. Galitzin admitted he had a “mania” for Beethoven. “As a deep admirer of your genius, I am taking the liberty to ask if you would write one, two or three new quartets for whatever fee you think adequate.” Truly, this was miraculous. With the open-ended commission in hand, Beethoven was off like a rocket. In November 1825, he finished the request for three quartets. Immediately thereafter he began more concentrated work on a new quartet, Opus 131.
In the case of 131, Beethoven worked on all movements at the same time (Sketch books.) On May 20, 1826 the composer wrote to his publisher Schott that “the quartet still was not quite completed, but it is “finished…you will very soon have the quartet in C sharp minor.” Nottebohm commented that he polished his material endlessly, “he takes a passage and repeats it in every possible way, and every possible variety of part writing.”
When Opus 131 was performed in Galitzin’s home, reception was confused, lukewarm at best. Galitzin noted his disappointment to the composer, but also wrote “I was undeterred by disparaging criticism from my effort to make known among artist and amateurs the last works of a genius several decades ahead of his generation.”
The seven movements are played without pause: three (only eleven measures), and six (only twenty-eight measures) are often considered introductory to the subsequent movements. Beethoven shows off his complete mastery traditional music form: fugue, theme and variations, sonata form, scherzo (in duple not triple time) rondo, and his mastery of the tonal system as it stood in his day. Though diverse, thematic kinship between first and seventh movements insures connectivity.
A musical x-ray reveals the following: Movement one: fugue: adagio, slow, intensely moving, unique placement as a first movement. Movement two: dance Movement three: a short recitative, introductory to Movement four: variations: among the finest Beethoven ever wrote: the central movement of the quartet, A major theme: breathless, conversational, delicate Movement five: scherzo: rapid, brilliant, jolly Movement six: introductory to Movement seven: sonata-allegro: contrasting themes, incredible mastery of sonata-allegro format.
Note: the equal importance of musical material assigned to each instrument; perfection of musical conversations; harmonic novelties and experimentation (for example modulations through augmented sixth chords, if you are so inclined to listen for things like this).
It has been said that Beethoven considered this not only his favorite, but also his finest string quartet “because there is less lack of fantasy than ever before.”