111. Circle Of Life

The string quartet is sometimes considered the most perfect of musical genres and an example of so-called “absolute music” – that is, music that is not illustrative and does not evoke non-musical associations. The “absoluteness” of music, however, is a debatable concept. Sometimes, after many years, musicologists discover evidence that works we consider to be pure music were actually inspired by literary or biographical sources. Fortunately, no music philosopher forbids the audience from making associations. And the audience often likes to connect the compositions they hear with something more tangible than sound. By some chance, more than one person often has the same association, and the piece is given a title (publishers also liked to give nicknames, as it was easier for them to sell Quartet “Something” than Quartet “Number”). This was the case, for example, with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s String Quartet Spring. The composer finished writing it in the middle of winter, and it earned its nickname because of its light and joyful character. The Spring Quartet is one of the six so-called “Haydn” Quartets, which Mozart wrote under the influence of his older colleague and dedicated to him. Haydn was delighted with them and, in turn, drew inspiration from them himself. His String Quartet Sunrise also owes its catchy title to the audience, who recognized in the opening of the piece – the rising, brightening melody of the first violin against the backdrop of a sustained chord played by the other instruments – a musical illustration of dawn.

– Dominika Micał (pisanezesluchu.pl)