String Quartet 1931 (Crawford Seeger)
Ruth Crawford Seeger's String Quartet (1931) is "regarded as one of the finest modernist works of the genre".[1] The composition is in four untitled movements.
First movement
The first movement is a fine example of twelve-tone study. Haunting melodies are interspersed with fragmented lines in all of the voice parts to create a wide range of emotions that seem to pile up upon one another. It's clear that the main focus of this movement is controlled sound play, which is different for most listeners who are accustomed to a more "Western" melodic or harmonic structure and focus.
Third movement
According to Crawford's analysis (requested by Edgard Varèse), and others', the third movement is a sound mass composition in which a single composite melody line consists of successive tones from the different instruments. This is accomplished through the equality of the instruments, indicated by their cramped register and the frequent vertical crossing of their parts, legato bowing (with dotted slurs indicating preferably inaudible bow changes), and the gradual crescendos and decrescendos which are staggered among the instruments, meaning that one instrument is at its loudest while another is at its quietest. Each voice climbs over the top of the others as they move to the movement's highest dynamics, register, and climax, at which point they "break apart" or split into a four octave range created from triple-stops on all instruments. A performance in line with this reading is that of the Composers Quartet 1973 recording (Nonesuch H-71280).[1]
Fourth movement
The fourth movement uses a ten-note row and features the first violin, Voice I, contrasted with violin, viola, and cello, Voice II.[1]