Five Pieces for String Quartet (Fünf Stücke für Streichquartett)

The "Fünf Stücke für Streichquartett" or "Five Pieces for String Quartet" by Erwin Schulhoff was premiered on August 8, 1924 [ [http://www.fuguemasters.com/schulhoff.html Erwin Schulhoff ] ] at the International Society for New Music Festival in Salzburg. Composed in Prague during the December of 1923, the piece is dedicated to famed composer Darius Milhaud, a fellow Dadaist.

“Five Pieces” is essentially a modernized Baroque Dance suite [ [http://www.sierrachamber.com/ProgramNotes.htm The Sierra Chamber Society ] ] and incorporates five movements:

I. Alla Valse Viennese (allegro)

II. Alla Serenata (allegretto con moto)

III. Alla Czeca (molto allegro)

IV. Alla Tango milonga (andante)

V. Alla Tarantella (prestissimo con fuoco)

I. Alla Valse Viennese

The first of the “Five Pieces” captures one of the central aims of Dadaism, which sought to overthrow those conventions – social, political, artistic – that it deemed destructive. For this movement, the protests often relied heavily on those institutions against which they were waged. This suite itself acts as a Dadaist dissent, creating the illusion of 3/4 meter although this Viennese waltz is actually written in 4/4. Dissonant pizzicato chords open this piece and continue on the first of every 3 beats, establishing the boom-cha-cha waltz rhythm for this movement. Over this discordant base, a viola solo begins and eventually merges with the second violin; then the first violin and the cello line join in with the pizzicato line. The first half concludes with a stringendo, leading to a Vivace after which a momentary silence follows. The more relaxed second half begins with the same pizzicato ostinato in the cello line, and the three other lines work their way back to a recap of the first theme.

II. Alla Serenata

The haunting second movement is set in 5/8 meter. The second violin comes in on the second measure of the piece over a steady rhythm played by the viola and cello. The first violin joins in at measure five, and, eventually, the cello alone must keep the pace as the other three come together. The entrance of the tumultuous second theme interrupts the peaceful serenata – the first and second violins enter with violent fortissimo major 7th and jarring diminished 5th doublestops, cascading into 32nd note runs. The first and second theme then alternate until the movement slows to a soft and delicate ending.

III. Alla Czeca

Despite its brevity, this is the most exciting of the five movements. It is very evocative of its peasant dance roots and does not bother with the relatively refined feel of the other movements. The movement is in 4/4 meter. The viola, sometimes accompanied by the cello, has straight eighth notes for the majority of the movement, with an especially interesting accent on the last upbeat of every measure which helps propel the music forward and keeps the music very lively.

IV. Alla Tango milonga

Schulhoff’s inclusion of an Argentine Tango reflects not only his own love of popular culture, but also his open mind with regards to non-European music. [ [http://www.fuguemasters.com/schulhoff.html Erwin Schulhoff ] ] The tango had only been introduced to Europe a few years earlier and was wildly popular at the time. The beautiful and exotic melodic line given to the first violin is contrasted with a clear tango rhythm in the cello. During the second theme, the tango rhythm is adapted to a 16th note pattern and is played by the viola and second violin. Syncopated eighth notes throughout the melody mirror the flourishes made by Tango dancers as they improvise across the floor.

V. Alla Tarantella

The final movement is a relatively traditional Tarantella set, as usual, in 6/8 meter. During the first theme, the cello keeps a steady rhythm of dotted quarter notes as the violins and viola play increasingly frenetic triplets over it. In the second theme, the violins begin to keep rhythm as the lower strings take over the melodic line.

Schulhoff’s choice of the tarantella as the final dance is interesting in itself. The story of the tarantella, fraught with venom, feverish motion, and death, exemplifies the Dadaist concern. Much “art,” they felt, embraced the chaotic and destructive, and perhaps Schulhoff, with his dissonant rendition, offers some commentary with an anti-tarantella.

References

1. http://www.fuguemasters.com/schulhoff.html

2. http://innova.mu/notes/578.htm

3. The Sierra Chamber Society, Program Notes, April 1, 2007, page 9. http://www.sierrachamber.com/ProgramNotes.htm