String Quartet No.1 in C Op.49 (1938)

Shostakovich’s First String Quartet is not the statement of long-term intent one might expect from a work that was to be followed by 14 others in a series unparalleled in musical history since Beethoven. It seems to have been a fairly casual creation started, the composer confessed, “as a sort of exercise in quartet form, without any thought of completing it” and developed with “no particular idea or feeling in mind.” Considering that it was written only two years after the notorious denunciations in Pravda of not only Lady Macbeth but also The Limpid Stream, one can understand Shostakovich’s diffidence here and his avoidance of contentious issues.

Aptly described by the composer as a “springtime work,” the Quartet in C major is as attractive as it is unambitious. He takes a textural risk in the opening bars, presenting an upwardly espressivo cello melody under a more even line on first violin and leaving the priority between them undefined. In fact, as the early disappearance of the cello melody confirms, the main theme is in the violin part. The first violin also introduces the second subject, in this case over a rhythmic ostinato on viola and a comedy accompaniment figure with a prominent glissando on the cello. The development, devoted exclusively to the first subject, is short, the recapitulation abbreviated, and the coda quietly enigmatic.

The most substantial of the four movemnts is the second Moderato, which takes the form of variations on what could almost be a Russian folk song introduced in A minor by viola in the opening bars. Both the the first two variations are remarkable for their abrupt modulations (to B flat minor and E major respectively) and their contrapuntal interest. After a brief central climax, the A minor tonality and textural modesty are resumed.

Light is thrown on the enigmatic ending of the first movement when it reappears in variant form as the tuneful middle section of the Allegro molto, a fleeting, muted scherzo in C sharp minor. Originally intended to open the work, the closing Allegro makes a brilliant finale, exuberantly scored and unambiguous in its restoration of the C major tonality.