The First ViolinIn traditional string quartet music, the first violin very often has the sole melody out of all four instruments. Just as in the full string orchestra, the first violin plays the highest notes and has the most fast passages and difficult bits. Though the melody is sometimes taken over by the cello, the first violin retains it for the most part and thus is usually the leader of the quartet, signalling the beginning and ending of the piece of music and any changes of speed. Since they are so often asked to take the leading role in an ensemble, first violinists are jokingly renowned among musicians for their pompous attitudes.The Second ViolinTraditionally, the second violin’s part consists of supporting the first violin’s melodies with harmonies, counter-melodies1 and rhythm sections, usually played at the lower range of the instrument. This musician may not be as proficient as the first violinist2.The ViolaThe violists, due to their boring and simplistic parts, are usually the butt of the rest of the group’s jokes. In early chamber music ensembles of the Baroque and Classical eras3, the viola part was given to those musicians who were not proficient enough to play the violin parts. However, this is not the case today, and the viola part in a string quartet is considered by many to be quite a good gig to snag — despite the boredom caused by the repetitive nature of the parts.The CelloPlaying in the lowest tonal range of the standard quartet, the cello generally has the second-most-interesting part in the ensemble. Due to the complete opposite characteristics between the violin and cello, the cellist’s part often complements that of the first violin, doubling the melody or playing counter-melodies. Though in early chamber music (such as quartets) the cello was not given as prominent a role, playing primarily rhythm, more recent music (from the 19th Century onwards) has made use of the cello’s beautiful sound to create some nice combinations with the rest of the ensemble. The string quartet has long been a staple of classical musicians and classical music as part of the wedding band or ensemble of musicians at weddings in the UK . A standard string quartet consists of two violins, a viola, and a cello. However, this can vary greatly. Quartets can include two violins, a cello, and a bass; or one violin, a viola, a cello and a bass; or two violins, a viola and a bass and most likely any other combination that you can think of.The popularity of string quartets is based on their unique combination of versatility and fullness. The quartet combines almost all of the ranges available to the full orchestra— many pieces of music arranged for the string orchestra can easily be played by a quartet with very little change. The quartet, though, allows players to play more freely and independently of each other. Each player in the quartet is effectively a soloist in their instrument. Thus, faster and more complex music can be played because the player does not need to keep in time with other members of an orchestra playing the same part as him. The player only has to worry about staying in rhythm with the other parts in the group.Though, as was stated above, the string quartet can include any combination of four stringed instruments, the standard combination (two violins, viola and cello) will be discussed here in detail.
Category: Music Blog
