Benjamin Britten String Quartet

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Rachael Knapp

Music History III

Spring 2011

The String Quartets of Benjamin Britten

The English composer Benjamin Edward Britten (1913-1976) was the most among the

prolific chamber music composers of his time1, and in his vast chamber music output, there are

three numbered string quartets. These pieces demonstrate the composer’s skill and creativity,

some of the general traits of all his work, especially chamber music, and are good examples of

how his style and technique changed as he matured and changed as a composer. There are

similarities and differences to be seen between these three quartets, which were written in 1941,

1945 and 1975 respectively.

Chamber music was really important to Britten as both a composer and performer.

According to Donald Mitchell, a close friend of Britten and student and advocate of his music,

all of Britten’s music can be approached from a chamber music perspective. He says, “I am

tempted to suggest that there is no distinction to be made—that all Britten’s music is, or aspires

to the condition of, chamber music.”2 He favored smaller ensembles and regardless of the

medium, he used chamber-music like traits. Similar to how Mahler included chamber musical

qualities in symphonies.3 His music often has “very precisely calculated sound with transparency

as the main objective, and spare, often sparse textures.”

He was also greatly influenced by fellow composer and chamber musician Frank Bridge

(1879-1941), whom he met through his first viola teacher, and at whose home Britten spent a

1 Mitchell, Donald, “The Chamber Music: An Introduction,” in The Britten Companion, ed. Christopher Palmer (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1984), 370.2 Ibid. 3 Ibid., 369.

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great deal of time.4 By the time he was a young teenager, Britten had written over a hundred

pieces, and Bridge was very impressed with his work. Britten was allowed then to travel to

London for composition lessons with him. One of his ideals that had a big influence on Britten is

to “find yourself and be true to what you found.” This can be seen in the non-musical aspects of

Britten’s life as well as his music.5 Britten’s String Quartet in F, written in 1928 was one of the

first major pieces written under Bridge. In addition to composition lessons, they would also play

chamber music together for fun, something which they continued to do for the rest of Bridge’s

life.6 Britten was primarily a pianist, but he also played viola, and so had firsthand chamber

music experience as a string player.7

Britten had an extensive knowledge of the standard repertory. He regularly studied,

listened to performances on the radio, or attended live performances of chamber music, as well

as performing chamber music as a pianist. While he was in college especially, he would take

every opportunity to hear whatever he could. He was quite a dedicated listener and would notice

details about the music he was hearing. And as he was maturing as a composer, before his main

quartets came out, he was becoming very familiar with the chamber music of the standard

repertory.8

Most of his chamber music was written for his friends, and they were usually “carefully

designed to display each player’s individual virtuosity to its best advantage.”9 The majority of his

chamber music is for one or two instruments, but it is interesting to note that he never did write a

4 Philip Brett, et al, "Britten, Benjamin," in Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/46435, accessed 11 May 2011.5 Ibid.6 Ibid.7 Mitchell, “The Chamber Music,” 371.8 Ibid., 370.9 Matthews, David, “The String Quartets and some other Chamber Works,” in The Britten Companion, ed. Christopher Palmer (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1984), 384.

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major work for solo piano.10 According to David Matthews, fellow composer and long-time

friend of Benjamin Britten, “at least half [of Britten’s chamber music works] are relatively

lightweight; a few are masterpieces,” and “the three numbered string quartets are…the finest of

all his chamber works, and the most fruitful to discuss from a technical point of view.” 11

Before he got to writing his three numbered string quartets, Britten had already had a lot

of experience writing for that medium. Among his earlier works are a Phantasy Quartet for oboe

quartet (1932), Phantasy Quintet for strings (1934), and a String Quartet in D major, which he

wrote in 1931 and which was published in 1975 after some slight revisions. That was the only

early string quartet that was published while he was alive.12 In his early days of chamber music

composition, Britten was hesitant to write an actual string quartet. He was very critical of his

own work, and the string quartet was so significant a genre that it would have surely been judged

very critically by others as well. 13

He wrote String Quartet no. 1 in D, op. 25, in California in the summer of 1941. By that

point he had developed excellent compositional technique, and this work was, in part, a way for

the young composer to show off his skill. This quartet does do that; it is impressive in a number

of ways. One interesting thing is the way the sonata form is handled in the first movement.

According to Matthews, “The majority of Britten’s sonata movements are found in his

early works, and the First Quartet is the culmination of this early, intensive concern with the

sonata.”14 The interesting layout of the tempo changes has the effect of disguising the form. The

movement opens with a slow section that seems like an introduction with the first violin, second

violin, and viola parts on the high F#, E, and D, respectively (see Example 1a). Then at measure

10 Ibid., 383.11 Ibid.12 Ibid., 385.13 Mitchell, “The Chamber Music,” 372.14 Ibid.

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119 (see Example 1b), at the beginning of what we might call the recapitulation, we see almost

the same thing, but the first violin part has all three of those notes, doubled by the second violin

two octaves lower. A careful listener will recognize the familiar sonority, and the change in

texture is very refreshing. So after the slow introduction, the quicker second theme, and some

toying around with tonality and rhythms, we come back to the opening in an innovative and

exciting way, but the outline of sonata form can still be traced.

Ex. 1aString Quartet no. 1, op. 256, mvt. I, measures 1-3.

Ex. 1bString Quartet no. 1, op. 25, mvt. I, measure 119-121.

Another interesting aspect about this movement is the tonality. D major is fairly clearly

presented throughout, but the note C natural keeps popping up, especially in the cello part. So

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when we do arrive at the final cadence in D major, it doesn’t seem completely convincing.15

There is a section in the middle of the development section, approximately measures 75-95,

where F is a temporary tonic. Then the recurring C natural we’ve had all along becomes a

dominant, and the transition works well.

The Finale of Quartet no. 1 is also reminiscent of Beethoven in texture, dynamic contrast,

and intensity, as well motivic usage. The rhythm of two sixteenth notes followed by an eighth is

all over throughout the movement, and reminds me of the way Beethoven used motives,

especially rhythmically. It is interesting to note that, although Britten admired and was

influenced by Beethoven’s work early in his compositional career, “the mature Britten found

much of Beethoven’s music unacceptable.”16

I also discovered in this fourth movement some interesting similarities to the first

movement, including the way he organizes the voices. Recall example 1 above, the opening of

the first movement, where the upper three voices are sustaining together, and the lone cello has

pizzicato notes underneath. Now we can see in example 4, in this section in the fourth movement

beginning in measure 498, the upper three voices are actually in unison, playing a more sustained

melody over the cello’s heavy rhythmic line.

15 Ibid., 387.16 Ibid.

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Ex. 2String Quartet no. 1, op. 25, mvt. 4, measures 497-506

The upper voices are playing one of the main recurring themes of this movement, and it helps to

bring a sense of unity to the piece as a whole to have this major textural similarity.

Between the writing of the First Quartet and the Second, Britten returned home from America,

came back to England, and wrote Peter Grimes. String Quartet no. 2 in C major was written in

1945 immediately after Peter Grimes. It was commissioned to commemorate the 250th

anniversary of Henry Purcell’s death17, which is interesting to note for a couple of reasons. There

were similarities between Purcell’s career and Britten’s; Purcell began composing in his

childhood and was well-known by his 20s. Also, the fourth movement is a chaconne after the

style of Purcell, and the title of the movement is even spelled how Purcell would have spelled it:

“chacony.”18

17 Felsenfeld, Daniel, “A Unified Voice,” Strings 19/10 (May 2005): 28.18 Ibid.

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It is a more mature, assured work, not as “youthful” as the first one. It was written during

his peak as a composer, when he was really becoming well-known. Peter Grimes was one of his

most major works, and it essentially took him from amateur to professional, which is also shown

in his Second Quartet.19 Britten himself said, “It is the greatest advance I have made, and

although it is far from perfect, it has given me encouragement to continue on new lines.”20 It’s

about 30 minutes long, but most of the length comes from the third movement, which is close to

20 minutes.

The tonality of this quartet is very interesting to study. Britten proves Arnold

Schoenberg’s famous statement, “there is still plenty of good music to be written in C major,”

with this quartet. But it’s not exactly in C major how we might expect C major to be. Daniel

Felsenfeld, a contemporary composer and scholar, describes it well:

This is not to say it is in C major as Haydn or Mozart would write in C major, but Britten

has the note C, and a certain majorness to it; in the case of the second movement a

minorness to draw on, using the rules of tonality more like a guide: C is a constant “home

note.” …Each separate movement adventures in and out of the home key in a fascinating,

telling, and puckish way. Subtly, Britten’s very British sense of humor is on full display

here.”21

The very beginning, with the opening chord of a tenth, signals to us that we are, in fact, in

C major. But then the melody rises to an A flat, introducing to the tonal conflict that continues

throughout the rest of the movement (see example 3). Britten also has three parts against one

again in this piece, as in the first quartet. In the opening we see three voices together in unison,

and the fourth voice sustaining. But this time it’s not just upper three voices together; as we can

19 Ibid.20 Ibid.21 Ibid.

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see in example 4 below, this movement starts with the violins and cello together, and the viola

just sustaining that interval of a tenth.

Ex. 3String Quartet no. 2, op. 36, mvt. I, measures 1-5

Then later on, the sustained note switches to the second violin, then to the cello part. Also

notice in this example, the A-flat in the third measure, which undermines the C major tonality.

But this opening section is as clearly in C major as the movement will get, for before too long, it

wanders off until we’re really not sure what’s going on tonally (see example 4). By the time we

get to letter E, we have violin 1 on G-sharp, violin 2 on B, and viola on A. They continue in that

clustered fashion for a while, through a section chock full of sharps; it gets pretty much as far

away from C major as is possible to get. It does come back eventually, but we can see in these

examples how unusual this supposed C major tonality really is.

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Ex. 4String Quartet no. 2, op. 36, mvt. 1

The second movement is a brief Vivace that is mostly in C minor. It is quick and

energetic, and it gives a striking contrast to the placid mood of the first movement. The third

movement is a nearly twenty-minute chaconne. It seems logical to end a piece dedicated to

Purcell with a chaconne, and this one is intense. It consists of a theme plus twenty-one

variations, separated into four sections by three cadenzas, played by the cello, viola, and first

violin. It is not surprising that the viola cadenza is particularly brilliant, as Britten was an

excellent violist and had a certain fondness for the instrument.22

The last fifteen measures of the movement contain twenty-one C major chords, one for

each variation, which, when played together and in tune, produce a stunning effect. The same

22 Felsenfeld, “A Unified Voice,” 30-31.

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rhythm we heard at the beginning is brought back, and C major is reinforced, although sprinkled

with a few extra pitches, like B-flat, E-flat, or D, here and there.

After his Second Quartet, Britten didn’t write another one for thirty years. During that

middle section of his career, he focused on opera, and left the instrumental music at the

beginning and end of his career.23 But then finally, at the end of his life, he wrote his Third String

Quartet, op. 94, in October and November of 1975. This piece is in five movements with

interesting and significant titles: Duets, Ostinato, Solo, Burlesque, and Recitative and

Passacaglia.

According to Michael Kennedy, an English writer and music critic, the place of this

Third Quartet in Britten’s compositional output can be compared to that of Beethoven’s late

string quartets.24 He says, “The simplicity and tranquility of…this quartet represent the essence

of Britten’s musical achievement over a creative span of fifty years.” 25 It is a really fascinating

work, but I have found it less readily understood than the others, and actually than most of his

instrumental music. The organization is less of a traditional string quartet and more of a suite-

like collection of memorable movements, a form which Britten was fond of, especially in his

chamber music.26

The final movement, subtitled La serenissima, opens with a recitative section, which

gives a feeling much like that of a recitative section of a traditional opera. When the passacaglia

starts, the cello states part of the barcarolle from the composer’s opera Death in Venice, and

other bits from the opera are heard in the other instruments throughout the rest of the

movement.27 The movement ends quite calmly, but just when we expect to hear a cadence in E

23 Matthews, “The String Quartets,” 383.24 Kennedy, Michael, Britten (London: Dent, 1981), 265.25 Ibid. 264.26 Mitchell, “The Chamber Music,” 371.27 Kennedy, Britten, 266.

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major, the final chord is something else that leaves us with a feeling of ambiguity (see example

5).

Ex. 5String Quartet no. 3, op. 94, mvt. V, ending.

This ending can leave us questioning; the seventh chord doesn’t resolve at all, but just

fades away. It seems a fitting ending for a composer who contributed so much to Chamber

music, and to the genre of the string quartet. David Matthews sums up well the place that this

quartet, Britten’s last piece of chamber music, holds:

Composers have often reserved some of their finest thoughts for chamber music

and especially for the string quartet. Britten’s Quartet No. 3 proves no exception

to that general rule and also unforgettably consummates the rich contribution to

the genre made by a composer who was entirely a chamber musician in whichever

field he worked.28

Bibliography

28 Matthews, “The String Quartets,” 384.

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Brett, Philip, et al. "Britten, Benjamin." In Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/46435 (accessed March 9, 2011).

Britten, Benjamin. String Quartet no. 1, op. 25. Boosey & Hawkes, 1942.

Britten, Benjamin. String Quartet no. 2, op. 36. Boosey & Hawkes, 1946.

Britten, Benjamin. String Quartet no. 3, op. 94 (1975). London: Faber Music, 2006.

Felsenfeld, Daniel. “A Unified Voice.” Strings 19, no. 10 (May 2005): 28, 30-31.

Kennedy, Michael. Britten. London: Dent, 1981.

Mark, Christopher. Early Benjamin Britten: a Study of Stylistic and Technical Evolution. New York: Garland, 1995.

Mitchell, Donald. “The Chamber Music: An Introduction.” In The Britten Companion, edited by Christopher Palmer, 369-374. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1984.

Palmer, Christopher. The Britten Companion. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1984.

Matthews, David. “The String Quartets and some other Chamber Works.” In The Britten Companion, edited by Christopher Palmer, 383-392. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1984.

Payne, Anthony. “Britten and the String Quartet.” Tempo 163 (1987): 2-4, 6.