String Quartet No. 2

Roger Sessions · 1896–1985 · American

For 2 violins, viola, cello

Level 9 · Virtuoso — about FRSM / FTCL, with the parts evenly matched

DramaticDarkLesser-known

Listen

Open on YouTube More recordings

Ensemble: String quartet
Hardest part: Balanced
Form: Full work
Length: About 34 min
Composed: 1951
Era: 20th century

Notes

Five movements, four of them slow; serial in approach, with long contrapuntal lines

Suggest a correction

A step before · level 8

String Quartet No. 1, Op. 7, Sz. 40

Béla Bartók

2 violins, viola, cello

String quartet2 violins, viola, cello

29 min

SlowDarkWell-known

8balanced

String Quartet No. 6, Sz. 114

Béla Bartók

2 violins, viola, cello

String quartet2 violins, viola, cello

28 min

DarkDramaticWell-known

8balanced

String Quartet 1931

Ruth Crawford Seeger

2 violins, viola, cello

String quartet2 violins, viola, cello

12 min

SlowDarkWell-known

8balanced

Black Angels (Thirteen Images from the Dark Land)

George Crumb

2 violins, viola, cello, electronics

String quartet2 violins, viola, cello, electronics

20 min

DarkDramaticWell-known

8balanced

A step after · level 10

Livre pour quatuor

Pierre Boulez

2 violins, viola, cello

String quartet2 violins, viola, cello

55 min

DramaticDarkLesser-known

10balanced

String Quartet No. 5, Op. 15

Alois Hába

2 violins, viola, cello

String quartet2 violins, viola, cello

29 min

DarkDramaticLesser-known

10balanced

String Quartet No. 10, Op. 80

Alois Hába

2 violins, viola, cello

String quartet2 violins, viola, cello

20 min

DarkDramaticLesser-known

10balanced

String Quartet No. 11, Op. 87

Alois Hába

2 violins, viola, cello

String quartet2 violins, viola, cello

12 min

SlowDarkLesser-known

10balanced