Béla Bartók: String Quartet No. 4:4. Allegretto pizzicato

[dhhs91]

1:12 Bartok, slapping the funk out of strings since 1927.

[tubephr34k]

So Emanresu, what defines 'music' if we can't give it an attribute of 'good' or 'bad' in this world you painted? Would music that makes humans more creative be 'good' or music that makes humans less creative 'bad'? How about music that has only positive effects on nature in every single scientific test given, and music that only has a negative impact? Would we be able to call those 'good' or 'bad' if they exist?

[surirach]

Very interesting and beautiful.

[Emanresu56]

I know sceptember made the comment over a year ago, but there is no such thing as "good" or "bad" music. Sorry to burst that bubble.

[fredericfranc]

There was no forgiveness in Bartok's heart, making these dignified gentlemen discard their bows, and execute savage, destructive bounce-plucks on their istruments...

[Bobgoober16]

@fredericfranc Destructive perhaps, but a fine example of the versatility of strings.

[fredericfranc]

@Bobgoober16 The next logical step would have been to have the gentlemen use their teeth on the strings, as was to be the case with the electric guitars. Would make for a nice test of the versatility of human teeth...

[Bobgoober16]

@fredericfranc Though a bit destructive to the instrument plucking is a true technique, not some gross stage trick.

[fredericfranc]

@Bobgoober16 Being of rather flexible mind, perhaps too much so, I am looking for ways to "bridge the gap" between those two concepts. In the sixties destructiveness was widely employed in serious artistic contexts. Taking inspiration from the "Bartok pizzicato" whereby the string actually bounces off the soundboard, I want to take it further, but, no, I don't really want to force you to destroy your Strad right there on the stage...

[Bobgoober16]

@fredericfranc That is fair enough. It is certainly not right to ask these musicians to destroy their instruments for the sake of one composure.

[fredericfranc]

@Bobgoober16 Sad to admit, more than a composure is involved, more like real tears. Somebody like the Who?, no, it was Abbott and Costello, ripping the strings off their guitars, yes, with their teeth, yes, that will move me to tears every time. Can Bartok do that? But a Strad is a Strad, we are talking here about some real money...

[Strikr]

@fredericfranc They didn't HAVE to play it...

[fredericfranc]

@Strikr ...you expect, in the age (actually BEYOND the age...) of...Van Halen...and Metallica...to have the string players ignore a movement like this and look the other way?...just the other day I got into an exchange about the emotional impact of Eddie Van Halen putting the electric power drill to his guitar during a live performance...saying they didn't HAVE to play it is like saying the Amazon river didn't REALLY have to keep on flowing, it could relax for a change...

[NightShadeslayer]

6 Romanian Folk Dances is sooooooooooo awesome. If you like Bartok, go give it a listen, please, preferably a string ensemble

[chrismuscaroler]

@phlnchrs

Try Penderecki, a lot of his music was used in The Shining. Symphony No. 3 or his cello concerto are good. maybe the Berceuse from Firebird Suite by Stravinsky, if you dont mind being a little corny. umm, some more bartok, definitely. his 2nd string quartet, the first movement is just great, or the aforementioned music for strings, percussion, and celeste. thats all i can think of, hope it helped!

[kfarad]

@phlnchrs try the music for strings percussion & celeste

[composer333]

Everyone here could look a bit into this work & discover that it was written in 1928--this fact I think truly makes it sonic genius.

[jpchamant]

Surprenante exécution de Bela Bartok par les maître du genre Amadeus quartet.

Félicitations, Jipi92

[verabeatle]

haha after a while the look like disabled people!

[DavidTaylorRocks]

this music is beautiful and fitting, PERIOD. ya love it or ya hate it, those who love have an open mind

[TempoFurioso]

eh? hahaha! first time I've listened to an all pizzicato piece... never thought there were such

[iwanabana]

@TempoFurioso Tchaikovsky's 4th symphony 3rd movement...altho in the end they used their bows. still it's fascinating to listen to :D

[MrAMIBOOM]

wonderful !!!!!!!!!!!

[eidsdoll]

i feel really sorry for bartok.....

first: the quartet has a lack of interpretation, i agree with seanmchugh02...

second: before u comment about any piece of music work from bela bartok please!, study a little more music, then read more about the armony developed in all bartok's music, and please, if u dont know really much about that matters, stay quiet silently and listen more....

PS: sceptember..., man, look for the fibonacci series

[SeanMcHugh02]

Far too smooth and without inner dynamics- who are these genteel jokers?

[passingbynight]

Great horror movie/dark police thriller music ;-)

[hollymollyize]

my favorite movement!

[mightyafrowhitey]

something or understand something doesn't mean it's BAD. people are so presumptuous when it comes to things like that.

[mightyafrowhitey]

oh jesus. bartok was not trying to make some statement with this piece. imusic is like this... well any art is. either you get it or you don't if youlike it, cool. if you don't, oh well. when I fisrt started listning to Bartok is was VERY jarring to my ears. but I sensed it was good music, I don't know how I just did. so I listened to his string quartets over and over and over again until one day I just GOT IT. and his music became so obvious. bottomlike, just because you don't like

[retik8]

OHHH sceptember got OWNED IN DA FACE! He be all high talkin shit then Franz is like hell nah bruddah. You aint got shit!

[mansittingherenow]

blows my mind!!!!!

[sceptember]

I have to do a report on Bela Bartok and watching this I am DREADING it.

What the HELL IS THIS CRAP?

[FranzLisztian]

Considering you have twilight and two other bullshit videos on your profile sceptember, I don't think you have the privileges to comment here.

[sceptember]

Considering your ridiculous notion of authority and pompous attitude, I have two things for you.

1. Fuck you.

2. I will comment wherever I want.

Moreover, judging from your own page and the oblivious disregard for the definition of "favorite," I would say you are doing quite well perpetuating a certain stereotype. Something I'm quite sure doesn't fit in you're already-crowded and conceited little brain.

[FranzLisztian]

Someone found a dictionary.

And since you found out that I obviously like classical music you should know that I possess much more knowledge than you about it, so how about you shut up if you can't enjoy good music and go back to your mainstream Miley cyrus music?

[sceptember]

The fact you think a seasoned vocabulary is the result of dictionary reference only proves your shallow awareness level... not unsurprising.

Additionally, who cares how much knowledge you possess about classical music? You still fail at life and all you have to show for it is a wealth of useless information which you somehow believe entitles you to a pretentious and false guardianship over material that is trivial, at best.

Keep your fiddle and lute. I'm sure you'll go far!

[FranzLisztian]

Yeah I fail at life... not sure what I said that state that in any way but sure I do.

And if the material is trivial why are you even doing a report on Bartok? Or were you forced to?

Oh well good luck on your report...

[ajwiebe]

@sceptember I shudder at how long it likely took sceptember to construct this awkward rebuttal. Fingers crossed that there aren't any more. I'm off to go fail at life due to the knowledge of music I've accrued over the years.

[BeneBon]

@sceptember ok both you and Franz are being asses (82.4% you). I say this because your comment offends me. I feel that all the years of listening has refined my ear and provided a kind of enlightenment. To your final statement I say, have you ever heard of musicians?

Finally Franz shouldn't have said anything, everyone is entitled to an opinion, no matter what music they prefer, also listening to a piece multiple times can open one's ears to the wonders of that particular piece.

[Fretboarder7]

Haha philistine

[hebrewhammershabbat]

@sceptember Many composer's music reflect the environment in which they were living. For example, a composer from the countryside would often compose something relaxing, peaceful; a composer from New York's compositions would often be bustling. Many of Bartok's composition came after World War I, in which his country of Hungary was heavily damaged. Just because you're not open-minded enough to understand a piece of music, there's no need for exclaiming "What the HELL IS THIS CRAP?"

[YoliBuru]

Hahaha! I found myself suddenlly laughing on my own, jeje!

How charming!

[nakanevis]

HAHHAAHHAH man this is sooo cooollll

[laresoldo39]

Only the cellist is alive.

Sory

[Cantabilex33]

Cute piece

[ZioDjlan]

Gipsy!

[MitchBraddock54]

there are 5 movements and this is the 4th

[blueeaglerob]

i believe there are 6 movements. isn't it called Bartok's 6 string quartets?

[ADURG1]

purely amazing. thanks! for posting this gem of gems! fantastic to hear Amadeus quartet for 1st time....! ! : --.()-

[sousukesagaraJKD]

Amazing work (obvious, it's Bartok!) but I don't like very much the version of Amadeus Quartet.

[joanngelic]

This is so cute....like some creepy guy tryin to escape from sthg...:)

[gonef24]

CHORROOOOOSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!

[PityCard]

It's music that's why it should be appealing or interesting in any way.

There are several kinds of music that I personally do not enjoy, and that's fine. You don't offend anyone by saying you don't enjoy Bartok's work. Still though, if you need to find a reason to enjoy it, then maybe you should do some more listening. I personally didn't enjoy this music until I listened to stuff that was weirder than it.

[ADURG1]

enjoyin yer comment....and re: ' I personally didn't enjoy this music until I listened to stuff that was weirder than it. ".....i tink i can completely relate to that!! BARTOK rules! the earth! and all inhabitants thereon!

[nauJRodriguez]

This is only one movement. I think it is the third and there are 4 or 5. Try to listen to the whole work. It is very unusual and quite good.

[OAmus]

4 of 5

[RickvanVeldhuizen]

It's the 4th movement.

[tajtestajt]

They are the music.

It is too slow and not wild enough when it is needed.

I love Amadeus Quartet!

[ph33rbot101]

i can dig it

[wyldkatt2005]

it's as if some twisted german redirected a warner brothers cartoon

[ShockTheseTrees]

This is my favorite Bartók piece.

[glitzerperle]

einfach nur geil!!!

[ubettaluvme]

wow...i like this!haha

[nauJRodriguez]

This quartet is a great one. A moment of sheer genius for Bartok. Every string quartet should play this!

[alarihos81]

Ok I will post at least 2 audio responses for this video, because it's one of my favorite all time pieces of music. The Amadeus Quartet are masters of course but they belong to the old school of performing which tends to focus more on clarity and structure than aggressiveness, atonal sonority and changing time signatures. It is understandable of course because they were the first generation who had to pioneer this kind of music. I will post the same piece by the Keller and Zehetmeier quartets.

[blargfromouterspace]

Nice peice of music, really boring film clip. The Amadeus Quartet should watch the clip "Naked Girl Falling Down The Stairs" by The Cramps. They just need to SELL it.

[RoxyDollAimee]

lol...apart from the naked girl part

[ColossusOfRhodes]

awesome comment. best i've seen.... ever. no one has a goddamn sense of humor on the web.

[prawncymbal]

awesome!

[alfageme32]

bravo

[Will170392]

I love bartok - what a genius

[sebstpl]

thx and i love too my name is sebastian bartok and bela have ben my grand father

[marcuscorrentus]

you are an idiot.

[keetheman]

old school! love it.

tempo!!!! (tempi???)

[rollendrokk]

Mpfff... Poor, poor, megalomaniac u2bmetub. I mistook: you need more ice, more and stronger alcohol - and maybe a little bit of electroschock, kis fostarisznya, heheh...

[brownztone]

he needs a hug.

[rollendrokk]

He needs you.

[Blackmofasa92]

Jesus....

[rollendrokk]

Mruhahah... You need an ice-bath or strong alcohol.

[bunghole13]

and i shall join you on this escapade. I'll bring the formaldehyde!

[MillesRe]

your obviously a distinguished music authority with good taste and judgment, because you like absolutist classical music so much. and your obviously not crazy, because you evoke such nice scenes of corpse preservation with you words.

[rollendrokk]

Clap-clap-clap-clap...

[GintarasDautartas]

If you don't like it, don't listen to it.

[psychadelicbumblebee]

AMAZING! so creepy and hypnotic and...amazing!

[austen1955]

if you've got nothing intelligent to say why don't you just be quiet because no-one wants to be embarrassed by reading moronic rubbish

[housespider333]

If Mozart had been born in the 20th century he

would have been Bartok.

[rdnzl7878]

i'm not sure. but i love both. my favorites are bach, mozart and bartok.

[DjProdKK]

What the fuck is that?:D

[auresius88]

Sorry! I was getting some fun listening the most stupid thing I could write with this Audio Preview.. yes... I was so bored. But Bartok is GREAT!!!!!!

[greggoesacoustic]

This is a tad abstract for my taste.

[ChimichangaCongo]

This is some pretty tame shit.

[DeepSeaSeamus]

open you're ears

[greggoesacoustic]

Learn how to write.

[Emobyname]

this piece in innovative

but sketchy :S

[fbridge]

i think this was in 1972 hence the funny hairdos in the audience.

First violin: Norbert Brainin

Second violin: Siegmund Nissel

Viola: Peter Schidlof

Cello: Martin Lovett

[johnnynoirman]

Beautiful...like a million caterpilars advancing at your chamber door...

beauty beyond the clumsy utterances of man

like ghostly shadows gliding down the

a dozen deserted halls...while insects

scurry after their next meal....

[CavemanSynthesizer]

That is some intense pizzicato! Be careful not to snap a string...

[FlubAvatarfan]

XD true words, true words.

[ernesarctic]

PIZZICATO BARTOK

[ExtraFreshDinosaur]

you've got to be kidding! Mozart would have loved Bartok! and, I'm sure were he alive today, he'd definitely be into electronic music.

[BubCar2]

I think Mozart would have felt overwhelmed by Bartok & the other best composers of the 20th century. No place for wallpaper music in that century of discovery, except in pop music, which is where Mozart would have found his niche.

[esrevernidellepS]

Except for actual "wallpaper music"--ambient music, which was born of the 20th Century.

[Jafuet]

many mozarts live today

[k73f]

this is so unnique

[skandinavisk94]

not your typical string quartet! awesome!

[SOLDIERF1]

Not everyones cup of tea, I wonder what Mozart would have made of it? He would have wet himself, maybe?

I have heard and played other Bartok stuff I like much better.

[HARMONICO101]

To be honest, I think Mozart would have absolutely hated Bartok. Considering the sensibilities of the classical era, I don't think he nor his contemporaries would appreciate this kind of music.

[tillgrubb]

It's the classical sensibility in this and Bartok's other quartets that tie them to Mozart! That's evident even in the titles. His quartets are numbered rather than named, and they all specify a key center.

[logosmuziekfever]

Pizzilicious!! Bravo!!

[lkdsjflskdfj]

ughh.

[Fixme2]

If you like it, go get the Emerson Quartet recording. They do this movement divinely!

[mahvinel]

Bartok was the first to create a specific symbol for snap(Bartok)pizzicato

[maurice0773]

Meravigliosa musica, bellissima interpretazione. Grazie del video

[TheDopeMage]

pizzilicious

[rrddhh]

I've never heard this before.

This is amazing!

[ChristyC10]

hey, I got to see the Euclid Quartet play this whole piece at my school! it was sooo cool. they play the five movements at LaSalle Academy. it was awesome.

[necrovit]

pizzicato

but i don't know if he did

[gspaulsson]

What's the string-snapping technique called? I think Bartok invented it.

[MANCVSO]

please do not be ridiculous, this technique exist since 400years ago...

[gspaulsson]

I mean the technique of lifting up the string with two fingers and letting it snap against the fingerboard - not simple pizzicato.

[MANCVSO]

oh ok, by the way the original indications for pizzicato were like that, lifting up the string with two fingers and letting it go, the snap against the fingerboard is just because the intesity

[Rafaelbor]

That's not true, it's called pizzicato a la Bartók, I suppose it's because he was the first one to implement it that way.

[eldoctordeltac]

I think that's not exactly so, Mahler already had used that technique in his 7th symphony, but it's Bartók who made a wide use of it in his works.

[TheHumannBee]

It was invented by Bartok, it's called Bartok pizzicato...don't be ridiculous.

[thespewbrooklyn]

Anybody know what year this is from?

[golgicomplex]

1927

[777cc777]

At first I though this was a little slow, but it's great great great... would love to hear the final mvmt after this! Some composer eh?

[ProtoCosmos]

I like it at this tempo.

[totoogoo]

What a terrible performance!

Such old guys cannot play this difficult piece!

[dingding12321]

yeah, a lot faster, i agree, and they r a lil bit outta tune here n there...i saw a quartet visiting my school play it literally almost twice as fast. Still freakin sweet tho. :)

[itstimmy45]

the bald spots ruin everything

[bostock1002]

yes thanks. superb. love those quartets. will look for the 'Psycho' movement next...

[ConcertoMaster]

Very delightful piece, I enjoyed it. :)

[Violinist11288]

excellent performance! i would've liked to see them play it a tad faster though. Plucking isn't as easy as it looks.

[ajwiebe]

A little faster, I agree. Although they make up for it in their technique in this performance, especially in the section at 1:52 onward. They really bring out the dissonance.

[GrandPatzer]

this is so good

[ajwiebe]

When was this performed?

[ippolit23]

Amadeus quartett rocks!

[torbenbetts]

Excellent stuff! Thanks for posting it.