Strings Theory
String quartet no. 22 was written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1790 and dedicated to the King of Prussia, Friedrich Wilhelm II. A string quartet is a musical composition composed of two violins, a viola, and a cello. Mozart wrote 26 of them. The 22nd is the second of three Prussian quartets and is composed of four movements: Allegro, Larghetto, Menuetto, Allegro Assai. The piece follows the most popular 18th century structure, the sonata-allegro form: exposition, development, then recapitulation. To understand the Prussian quartets one must first consider the context of which it was composed.
Lucrecia R. Kasilag was a Filipina composer, performing artist, and cultural entrepreneur. Known for her prize-winning “Tocatta for Percussion and Winds, Divertissement and Concertante,” Kasilag was a pioneer in taking ethnic Filipino music and fusing it with Western influence. Her work that is most similar to Mozart’s Prussian string quartet is her guitar quartet. The guitar quartet is composed of four guitars and twelve short movements.
The Prussian quartets were some of Mozart’s final works. During the later stages of his life, Mozart experienced a lack of drive and motivation. He was receiving the same lucrative success as Haydn at that time, yet he still found himself in financial crises. He was simply irresponsible when it came to money. When he had money, he would spend it, and when he didn’t, he suffered. His ill-fortune and self-doubts had also worsened as his reputation and influence grew. Some sources say he was a gambler and there are many accounts and debates as to whether he died poor or not. All things considered, Mozart’s talent and genius was never held back by poverty.
Although the Prussian quartets are considered, like most of Mozart’s works, timelessly beautiful, there is also an argument that they do not live up to his greatness. According to “Musical Pilgrim” by author and composer Thomas Dunhill, the Prussian quartets were a “pathetic sequence” and “an unfortunate decline in musical inventiveness, as well as certain retrograde tendencies. This may be attributed to the many financial struggles he had throughout his life. When he was writing the Prussian quartets, he also had to give more importance to the role of the cello since the King Friedrich was an amateur cellist. Surely the idea of Mozart’s musical prowess being reduced to mediocrity is refuted by the brilliance showed in his string trio and clarinet quintet.
Although Kasilag has composed more than 250 works ranging from different genres, most of it is unpublished and inaccessible for academic and practical use. Fortunately, her guitar quartet is available and open to study. In this quartet, we hear the different moods Kasilag aims to capture through the use of the guitar’s versatility. Its beauty and intricacy is definitely on par with 18th century works like Mozart’s and Haydn’s. She entitled her first movement of the quartet Allegro. It is extremely different from the Allegros I have heard before, yet it is clearly an Allegro based on the speed at which it is played. Kasilag samples a few Philippine classics as well in the sixth movement entitled “Philippine Medley.” The two most notable tunes are “Bahay Kubo” and “Leron Leron Sinta.” Here, one can really see the respect she pays towards the classic Philippines folksongs. The way Kasilag makes each guitar sound distinct yet work in perfect harmony with one another is something I have only heard from her.
In the three Prussian quartets, it is clear why some say it lacks innovation. There is a lot of repetition. However, these repetitions and the variations on the repetitions are what makes the Prussian quartets different. Mozart also definitely gave the cello a more dominant role. He often pushed the second violin and viola to the background in order to have exchanges with the first violin. This is especially clear with the repetition of chords in the Allegro of the 2nd quartet. In the 2nd quartet, the cello is often heard following the rhythm of the violin. There are some parts where the cello is slower, yet the presence of it is still felt. Despite Mozart's efforts in giving the cello a more dominant role, the role of the cello in the piece, overall, is still somewhat blurred. In parts like the Menuetto and the Allegro, it responds to the violin. In the Larghetto, it provides the bass under the high notes of the other instruments. There is a good mix of both roles in the Allegro Assai, making it a very well-rounded finale to the piece. This really reflects the importance and versatility Mozart was trying to give the instrument and the piece as a whole reflects who Mozart was at the time.
Both composers should be considered legendary in their own right: one known as arguably the greatest composer of all time, and the other a pioneer who elevated Philippine music as more than just a composer. Both pieces, although having somewhat different intentions, are written extremely well. We should consider ourselves incredibly lucky to able to study these works of art.
Bibliography
Mozart.com.” 1790: Mozart in Vienna: "Così Fan Tutte", www.mozart.com/en/timeline/life/mozart-and-money/.
“Prussian Quartets (Mozart).”, Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 23 Aug. 2017,
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prussian_Quartets_(Mozart).
“Origins and History.” Serial Killers - Jaci Charney-Perez, iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Fall05/lubarsky/history.html.
“String Quartet No. 22 in B Flat... | Details.” AllMusic, www.allmusic.com/composition/string-quartet-no-22-in-b-flat-major-prussian-2-k-589-mc0002370563.
Shostakovichs String Quartet No. 8, www.quartets.de/articles/origins.html.
“Mozart’s Prussian Quartets in Relation to His Late Style” https://www.jstor.org/stable/1193913?Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=prussian& searchText=string&searchText=quartets&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery% 3Dprussian%2Bstring%2Bquartets%26amp%3Bgroup%3Dnone%26amp%3Bfc%3Doff%26amp %3Bacc%3Don%26amp%3Bwc%3Don&refreqid=search%3A493bd152c36f9bba5005b5fbd3b4 e2a9&seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
“New Light on Mozart’s ‘Prussian’ Quartet” https://www.jstor.org/stable/1193913?Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=prussian &searchText=string&searchText=quartets&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery% 3Dprussian%2Bstring%2Bquartets%26amp%3Bgroup%3Dnone%26amp%3Bfc%3Doff%26amp% 3Bacc%3Don%26amp%3Bwc%3Don&refreqid=search%3A493bd152c36f9bba5005b5fbd3b4e2a 9&seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
National Commission for Culture and the Arts,
“National Artist - Lucrecia R. Kasilag.” ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/culture-profile/national-artists-of-the-philippines/lucrecia-r-