String Quartet in G minor (1893)

Animé et très décidé

Assez vif et bien rythmé

Andantino, doucement expressif

Très modéré - très mouvementé

It seems unfair that César Franck’s achievement in creating the first great French string quartet, shortly before his death in 1890, should have been so soon surpassed by the Quartet in G minor of a comparatively youthful Debussy. Making liberal use of Franck’s cyclic methods of construction, Debussy fashioned a beautifully integrated score. Just about all the melodic material is either derived from or associated with the decisive opening gesture - two of the main themes of the first movement, for example, the dancing viola tune in the scherzo, the tenderly expressive melodies of the Andantino and, crucially, the passionate exclamation in violin octaves at the climax of the finale.

Animé et très décidé

Assez vif et bien rythmé

Andantino, doucement expressif

Très modéré - très mouvementé

Great French string quartets are almost as rare great French symphonies. The earliest, in spite of the best efforts of pioneers in the field like Lalo and Castillon, must be Franck’s Quartet in D major, first performed six months before his death in 1890. It seems almost unfair that only three years after that achievement of a lifetime the 31-years-old Debussy surpassed it in his Quartet in G minor and that ten years after that the even younger Ravel did it again in his Quartet in F - both of them making liberal use of Franck’s cyclic principle of construction.

Debussy’s thematic organisation is actually more thorough than Franck’s in that, with every appearance of spontaneity, he derives nearly all the melodic material from the opening bars. The most important element in the first theme is not the syncopations, which give its rhythmic thrust, but the little triplet turn which seems so insignificant at first but which proves to be an inexhaustible source of melodic inspiration. The relationship between the cyclic theme and the dancing line pursued by viola at the beginning of the second movement, against an intricate pizzicato accompaniment on the other three instruments, is clear enough. So too is the relationship between that theme and a much slowed down version expressively stretched out by first violin in the middle of the movement. The Andantino is not so rigorously motivated. The point of the brief introduction, featuring anticipations of the melody about to emerge on first violin, must be to alert the listener to the renewed influence of the triplet motif. But both here and in the somewhat quicker middle section the impulse is sentimental rather than structural.

The last movement, on the other hand, is concerned with tying the various thematic strands firmly together. Unexpectedly, its busy first subject - which enters on viola once the eloquent introduction has accelerated to the main tempo of the movement - is not based on the triplet element of the main theme. That distinctive feature is reserved for the second subject, an expansive melody which eventually provokes the central climax. Two further accelerations introduce close variants of the opening theme of the work and drive it irresistibly to its conclusion.

Animé et très décidé

Assez vif et bien rytmé

Andantino, doucement expressif

Très modéré - très mouvementé

At the same time as he was working on his Prélude à l’Après-midi d’un faune Debussy was also involved with his one and only string quartet. At the age of 31 he proved himself as masterly in that essentially traditional medium as any of his contemporaries. Indeed, if César Franck’s String Quartet in D major was the ultimate achievement of its kind in French music up to that point, Debussy’s in G minor excelled it in nearly every way - including even the application of the cyclic principle, which was Franck’s own speciality.

Debussy goes further than Franck here in that, with every appearance of spontaneity, he derives nearly all the melodic material from the opening bars. The most important element in the first theme is not the syncopations that give its rhythmic thrust but the little triplet turn which seems so insignificant at first but which proves to be an inexhaustible source of melodic inspiration. The sweetly lyrical second subject, eventually introduced after a dramatic crescendo, might sound distant from the main theme, but the reason for its late entry - which is made on violin in counterpoint with the first theme on cello - is that it needs time to develop its distinctive shape.

The relationship between the main theme and the dancing line pursued by viola at the beginning of the second movement, against an intricate pizzicato accompaniment on the other three instruments, is clear enough. So too is the relationship between that theme and a much slowed down version expressively stretched out by first violin in the middle of the movement. The Andantino is not so rigorously motivated. The point of the brief introduction, featuring anticipations of the melody about to emerge on first violin, must be to alert the listener to the renewed influence of the triplet motif. But both here and in the somewhat quicker middle section the impulse is sentimental rather than structural.

The last movement, on the other hand, though it is far from unemotional, is concerned with tying the various thematic strands firmly together. Unexpectedly, its busy first subject - which enters on viola once the eloquent introduction has accelerated to the main tempo of the movement - is not based on the triplet element of the main theme. That distinctive feature is reserved for the second subject, an expansive melody which eventually provokes the central climax. Two further accelerations introduce close variants of the opening theme of the work and drive it irresistibly to its conclusion.

Animé et très décidé

Assez vif et bien rythmé

Andantino, doucement expressif

Très modéré - très mouvementé

Great French string quartets are almost as rare great French symphonies. The earliest, in spite of the best efforts of pioneers in the field like Lalo and Castillon, must be Franck’s Quartet in D major, first performed six months before his death in 1890. It seems almost unfair that only three years after that achievement of a lifetime the 31-years-old Debussy surpassed it in his Quartet in G minor and that ten years after that the even younger Ravel did it again in his Quartet in F - both of them making liberal use of Franck’s cyclic principle of construction.

Debussy’s thematic organisation is actually more thorough than Franck’s in that, with every appearance of spontaneity, he derives nearly all the melodic material from the opening bars. The most important element in the first theme is not the syncopations, which give its rhythmic thrust, but the little triplet turn which seems so insignificant at first but which proves to be an inexhaustible source of melodic inspiration. The sweetly lyrical second subject, eventually introduced after a dramatic crescendo, might sound distant from the main theme, but the reason for its late entry - which is made on violin in counterpoint with the first theme on cello - is that it needs time to develop its distinctive shape.

The relationship between the cyclic theme and the dancing line pursued by viola at the beginning of the second movement, against an intricate pizzicato accompaniment on the other three instruments, is clear enough. So too is the relationship between that theme and a much slowed down version expressively stretched out by first violin in the middle of the movement. The Andantino is not so rigorously motivated. The point of the brief introduction, featuring anticipations of the melody about to emerge on first violin, must be to alert the listener to the renewed influence of the triplet motif. But both here and in the somewhat quicker middle section the impulse is sentimental rather than structural.

The last movement, on the other hand, is concerned with tying the various thematic strands firmly together. Unexpectedly, its busy first subject - which enters on viola once the eloquent introduction has accelerated to the main tempo of the movement - is not based on the triplet element of the main theme. That distinctive feature is reserved for the second subject, an expansive melody which eventually provokes the central climax. Two further accelerations introduce close variants of the opening theme of the work and drive it irresistibly to its conclusion.

Animé et très décidé

Assez vif et bien rytmé

Andantino, doucement expressif

Très modéré - très mouvementé

At the same time as he was working on his Prélude à l’Après-midi d’un faune - a score which, according to Pierre Boulez, was to bring “new breath to the art of music” - Debussy was also involved with his one and only string quartet. At the age of 31 he proved himself as masterly in that essentially traditional medium as any of his contemporaries. Indeed, if César Franck’s String Quartet in D major was the ultimate achievement of its kind in French music up to that point, Debussy’s in G minor excelled it in nearly every way - including even the application of the cyclic principle, which was Franck’s own speciality.

Debussy goes further than Franck here in that, with every appearance of spontaneity, he derives nearly all the melodic material from the opening bars. The most important element in the first theme is not the syncopations that give its rhythmic thrust but the little triplet turn which seems so insignificant at first but which proves to be an inexhaustible source of melodic inspiration. The sweetly lyrical second subject, eventually introduced after a dramatic crescendo, might sound distant from the main theme, but the reason for its late entry - which is made on violin in counterpoint with the first theme on cello - is that it needs time to develop its distinctive shape.

The relationship between the main theme and the dancing line pursued by viola at the beginning of the second movement, against an intricate pizzicato accompaniment on the other three instruments, is clear enough. So too is the relationship between that theme and a much slowed down version expressively stretched out by first violin in the middle of the movement. The Andantino is not so rigorously motivated. The point of the brief introduction, featuring anticipations of the melody about to emerge on first violin, must be to alert the listener to the renewed influence of the triplet motif. But both here and in the somewhat quicker middle section the impulse is sentimental rather than structural.

The last movement, on the other hand, though it is far from unemotional, is concerned with tying the various thematic strands firmly together. Unexpectedly, its busy first subject - which enters on viola once the eloquent introduction has accelerated to the main tempo of the movement - is not based on the triplet element of the main theme. That distinctive feature is reserved for the second subject, an expansive melody which eventually provokes the central climax. Two further accelerations introduce close variants of the opening theme of the work and drive it irresistibly to its conclusion.

Animé et très décidé

Assez vif et bien rythmé

Andantino, doucement expressif

Très modéré - très mouvementé

Great French string quartets are almost as rare great French symphonies. The earliest, in spite of the best efforts of pioneers in the field like Lalo and Castillon, must be Franck’s Quartet in D major, first performed six months before his death in 1890. So it seems almost unfair that only three years after that achievement of a lifetime the 31-years-old Debussy surpassed it in his Quartet in G minor and that ten years after that the even younger Ravel did it again in his Quartet in F – both of them making liberal use of Franck’s cyclic principle of construction. Dutilleux’string quartet Ainsi la nuit, though very much more complex in structure than any of them, belongs to the same tradition.

Debussy’s thematic organisation in his Quartet in G minor is actually more thorough than Franck’s in that, with every appearance of spontaneity, he derives nearly all the melodic material from the opening bars. The most important element in the first theme is not the syncopations, which give its rhythmic thrust, but the little triplet turn which seems so insignificant at first but which proves to be an inexhaustible source of melodic inspiration. The sweetly lyrical second subject, eventually introduced after a dramatic crescendo, might sound distant from the main theme, but the reason for its late entry – which is made on violin in counterpoint with the first theme on cello – is that it needed time to develop its distinctive shape.

The relationship between the main theme and the dancing line pursued by viola at the beginning of the (Assez vif et bien rythmé) second movement, against an intricate pizzicato accompaniment on the other three instruments, is clear enough. So too is the relationship between that theme and a much slowed down version expressively stretched out by first violin in the middle of the movement. The Andantino is not so rigorously motivated. The point of the brief introduction, featuring anticipations of the melody about to emerge on first violin, must be to alert the listener to the renewed influence of the triplet motif. But both here and in the somewhat quicker middle section, where the violin introduces two new (though related) ideas, the impulse is emotional rather than structural.

The last movement, on the other hand, is concerned with tying the various thematic strands firmly together. Unexpectedly, its busy first subject – which enters on viola once the eloquent introduction has accelerated to the main tempo of the movement – is not based on the triplet element of the main theme. That distinctive feature is reserved for the second subject, an expansive melody which eventually provokes the central climax. Two further accelerations introduce close variants of the opening theme of the work and drive it irresistibly to its conclusion.

Animé et très décidé

Assez vif et bien rytmé

Andantino, doucement expressif

Très modéré - très mouvementé

The work which established Debussy’s reputation as a composer quite out of the ordinary - in that it opened a window on a whole new sound world - was his Prélude à l’Après-midi d’un faune. While he was working on that revolutionary score he applied himself also to his one and only string quartet and, at the age of 31, proved himself as masterful in that essentially traditional medium as any of his contemporaries. Indeed, if César Franck’s String Quartet in D major was the ultimate achievement of its kind in French music up to that point, Debussy’s in G minor excelled it nearly every way.

One of the characteristic qualities of Franck’s music is its cyclic structure, in which a particularly significant theme recurs from movement to movement. Debussy goes further than that in deriving nearly all the melodic material from the opening bars - and in doing it with every appearance of spontaneity in harmony and colouring and emotional inspiration. The most important element in the first theme is not the syncopations, which give its rhythmic thrust, but the little triplet turn which seems so insignificant at first but which proves to be an inexhaustible source of melodic inspiration. The sweetly lyrical second subject, eventually introduced after a dramatic crescendo, might sound distant from the main theme, but the reason for its late entry - which is made on violin in counterpoint with the first theme on cello - is that it needed time to develop its distinctive shape.

The relationship between the main theme and the dancing line pursued by viola at the beginning of the second movement, against an intricate pizzicato accompaniment on the other three instruments, is clear enough. So too is the relationship between that theme and a much slowed down version expressively stretched out by first violin in the middle of the movement. The Andantino is not so rigorously motivated. The point of the brief introduction, featuring anticipations of the melody about to emerge on first violin, must be to alert the listener to the renewed influence of the triplet motif. But both here and in the somewhat quicker middle section, where the violin introduces two new (though related) ideas, the impulse is sentimental rather than structural.

The last movement, on the other hand, though it is far from unemotional, is concerned with tying the various thematic strands firmly together. Unexpectedly, its busy first subject - which enters on viola once the eloquent introduction has accelerated to the main tempo of the movement - is not based on the triplet element of the main theme. That distinctive feature is reserved for the second subject, an expansive melody which eventually provokes the central climax. Two further accelerations introduce close variants of the opening theme of the work and drive it irresistibly to its conclusion.

Gerald Larner©

Animé et très décidé

Assez vif et bien rytmé

Andantino, doucement expressif

Très modéré - très mouvementéClaude Debussy (1862-1918)

String Quartet in G minor (1893)

Animé et très décidé

Assez vif et bien rytmé

Andantino, doucement expressif

Très modéré - très mouvementé

The work which established Debussy’s reputation as a composer quite out of the ordinary - in that it opened a window on a whole new sound world - was his Prélude à l’Après-midi d’un faune. While he was working on that revolutionary score he applied himself also to his one and only string quartet and, at the age of 31, proved himself as masterful in that essentially traditional medium as any of his contemporaries. Indeed, if César Franck’s String Quartet in D major was the ultimate achievement of its kind in French music up to that point, Debussy’s in G minor excelled it nearly every way ­- including even the application of the cyclic principle, which was Franck’s own speciality.

Debussy goes further than Franck here in that, with every appearance of spontaneity, he derives nearly all the melodic material from the opening bars. The most important element in the first theme is not the syncopations, which give its rhythmic thrust, but the little triplet turn which seems so insignificant at first but which proves to be an inexhaustible source of melodic inspiration. The sweetly lyrical second subject, eventually introduced after a dramatic crescendo, might sound distant from the main theme, but the reason for its late entry - which is made on violin in counterpoint with the first theme on cello - is that it needed time to develop its distinctive shape.

The relationship between the main theme and the dancing line pursued by viola at the beginning of the second movement, against an intricate pizzicato accompaniment on the other three instruments, is clear enough. So too is the relationship between that theme and a much slowed down version expressively stretched out by first violin in the middle of the movement. The Andantino is not so rigorously motivated. The point of the brief introduction, featuring anticipations of the melody about to emerge on first violin, must be to alert the listener to the renewed influence of the triplet motif. But both here and in the somewhat quicker middle section, where the violin introduces two new (though related) ideas, the impulse is sentimental rather than structural.

The last movement, on the other hand, though it is far from unemotional, is concerned with tying the various thematic strands firmly together. Unexpectedly, its busy first subject - which enters on viola once the eloquent introduction has accelerated to the main tempo of the movement - is not based on the triplet element of the main theme. That distinctive feature is reserved for the second subject, an expansive melody which eventually provokes the central climax. Two further accelerations introduce close variants of the opening theme of the work and drive it irresistibly to its conclusion.