This quartet can by right be called one of the strongest pillars in the genre of chamber music. Most of the string quartets out there would necessarily have it in their repertoire. It might seem that the negative emotions in our life, be it anger, fear, despair and what not, are the best catalysts for creating art masterpieces, compared to the emotions of happiness that trigger fewer grand works.
Schubert wrote the work in 1824, during a very hard period of life for him. He lived in poverty and his health was rapidly leaving him (assumable, syphilis). The moment he realized that death is soon and inevitable, is brightly depicted in this music work. Although death is the subject of the 2nd movement, one can note that it soars through the entire composition. The string quartet “Death and the Maiden” was not a completely new work. The composer took its theme from his earlier work of the same name, a lied based on a poem by Matthias Claudius that he wrote in 1817.
Reportedly, the first violinist to perform the quartet (Schuppanzigh) was not quite impressed with Schubert’s depressive composition. However, after being published 3 years after the composer’s death it promptly conquered its place at the concert stage. The work was soon transcribed by Robert Franz and Gustav Mahler and later, in the 20th century, versions for full orchestra appeared (J. Foulds, A. Stein). The memorable composition also inspired the creation of the play/film of the same name, as well as was used in a number of other films like “Sherlock Holmes” or Polanski’s “What?”, for example.
Personally, I like perhaps the only death-unrelated part of the work – the tarantella at the very end of the quartet. It is believed that tarantella dance used to be a traditional treatment for madness and a way of fighting off death (after a tarantula’s bite). Well, maybe this was the expression of the subtle hope that was still beaming in the heart of the dying composer.
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| Original manuscript of Schubert's "Death and the Maiden" |
Reportedly, the first violinist to perform the quartet (Schuppanzigh) was not quite impressed with Schubert’s depressive composition. However, after being published 3 years after the composer’s death it promptly conquered its place at the concert stage. The work was soon transcribed by Robert Franz and Gustav Mahler and later, in the 20th century, versions for full orchestra appeared (J. Foulds, A. Stein). The memorable composition also inspired the creation of the play/film of the same name, as well as was used in a number of other films like “Sherlock Holmes” or Polanski’s “What?”, for example.
Personally, I like perhaps the only death-unrelated part of the work – the tarantella at the very end of the quartet. It is believed that tarantella dance used to be a traditional treatment for madness and a way of fighting off death (after a tarantula’s bite). Well, maybe this was the expression of the subtle hope that was still beaming in the heart of the dying composer.
