Books › Musical instruments, 1925 › scan 173
Scan 173
Musical instruments, 1925
2 lines. Read by computer on 21 September 2026. Printed page 159. See the scan on archive.org.
1tone to tone which is possible to the human voice, many music lovers regard the string quartet as the ideal phase of abstract music. A discussion of this form belongs to the departments of Appreciation and History, but a word should be added at this point concerning the instrumental combination. There are two Violins, known as "First" and "Second" playing respectively the soprano and alto parts. The Viola furnishes the tenor and the 'Cello provides the bass. The spirit of the ideal quartet is through and through democratic. True, at times the melody is given to a Violin, the Viola or the 'Cello, while the others play subordinate parts, but the real essence of this type of work demands that each one shall have the right to discuss the various themes of the work. Note this attractive theme of Beethoven at the opening of his F-major Quartet, Op. 18. At first all take it up in unison for four measures (No. 45, A) then the First Violin elaborates it while the others add the harmony. A fragment of what is called the "development sec-
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.