Mozart String Quartet 19 (1/5) in Do Majeur "Dissonance"

Quatuor Mosaiques
period instruments

The String Quartet No. 19 in C Major, KV. 465 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, nicknamed "Dissonance" on account of its unusual slow introduction, is perhaps the most famous of his quartets. It is the last in the set of six quartets composed between 1782-1785 that he dedicated to Joseph Haydn.

According to the catalog of works Mozart began early the preceding year, the quartet was completed on January 14, 1785.

As is normal with Mozart's later quartets, it is in four movements: 1. Adagio-Allegro
2. Andante cantabile - in F major
3. Menuetto. Allegro. (C major, trio in C minor)
4. Allegro molto

The first movement opens with ominous quiet Cs in the cello, joined successively by the viola (on A♭ moving to a G), the second violin (on E♭) and the first violin (on A), thus creating the "dissonance" itself and narrowly avoiding a greater one. This lack of harmony and fixed key continues throughout the slow introduction before resolving into the bright C major of the Allegro section of the first movement, which is in sonata form.

The second movement is in condensed sonata form, i.e. lacking the development section. Alfred Einstein writes of the coda of this movement that "the first violin openly expresses what seemed hidden beneath the conversational play of the subordinate theme."[1]

The third movement is a minuet and trio, with the exuberant mood of the minuet darkening into the C minor of the trio.

The last movement is also in sonata form.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Mozart
• Dissonance
• quartet
• number
• 19
• in
• do
• majeur
• period
• instruments
• k.
• 465

[Lukecash12]

A wonderful performance, and a great piece of Mozart.

[DubbedTheUnforgiven]

@beethovenlovedmozart well this was dedicated to beethoven.... i wouldnt doubt it.

[GabrielleduVent]

@MrFpam Yeees, but Mozart was Haydn's "colleague". You can learn from your colleague, of course, but that does not imply that one is the said colleague's student.

Unfortunately, I hate Haydn with a passion and I hope to God that I never have to play any of his compositions ever again. Of all my musician friends I have yet to see one person who would tell me "my favourite composer is Haydn!". He may have been an excellent teacher, however.

[MrFpam]

@GabrielleduVent In fact Haydn and Mozart learnt a lot from each other.

The reason Mozart dedicated the first six of his late, great quartets to Haydn was because he had learnt so much from Haydn's Op.20 and Op. 33 quartets.

He lavished great care on these works in order to attain a satisfactory standard which would not disappoint! It's one of the great stories of musical history how Haydn was inspired to write more really great quartets!

[DubbedTheUnforgiven]

@andsoonetcetera yeah, thanks for the correction..... old comment.

[andsoonetcetera]

@DubbedTheUnforgiven Actually, it was dedicated to Haydn. FYI. Just saying.

[GabrielleduVent]

@danielbream For Mozart's Dissonance, I think this is unbeatable. The fragile balance, the tension... the synchronicity right before going into the body... is just amazing. I bought their CD just for this one track.

[danielbream]

The best performance ever heard

[GabrielleduVent]

@DubbedTheUnforgiven

Mozart was never Haydn's student. Beethoven was. Haydn and Mozart were friends.

[DubbedTheUnforgiven]

@DarkZekeX woops haha, meant haydn XD it was haydn who taught mozart

[DarkZekeX]

@DubbedTheUnforgiven It was dedicated to Haydn.