String Quartet No. 1 (Ives)

String Quartet No. 1 is one of the most studied works by composer Charles Ives. The piece is composed for the standard string quartet of two violins, viola, and cello. The piece has four movements:

  1. Andante con moto
  2. Allegro
  3. Adagio cantabile
  4. Allegro marziale

Music

The first movement is fugal in form and is considered separate from the rest because of its difference in tone. This piece is also found as the third movement of Ives' Fourth Symphony, arranged for full orchestra. Historians agree that the fugal subject is based on "Missionary hymn" and the fugal countersubject is based on "Coronation".

The second movement is in ABA form. The A section is said to be based on the hymn "Beulah Land", which is quite apparent if the tune is familiar to the listener. The B section is said to be based on "Shining Shore", which is also used as the B section in movements III and IV. This use of the same theme or melody in several movements is an example of cyclic form. Cyclic form is meant to unify the piece as a whole by using similar themes in several movements.

The primary theme of the third movement is said to be based on the hymn "Nettleton", and is a perfect example of how Ives changes hymns to make them his own and develop them in different ways. Ives took the "Nettleton" hymn and changed the ending so he could develop it throughout the A section. The B section, as mentioned above, is believed to be based on an inverted (or upside down) version of "Shining Shore".

The fourth movement is one of Ives' first uses of polymeter: composing in 3
4 over 4
4 time. The main theme is said to be based on "Coronation" as well as "Stand up for Jesus". "Shining Shore" is said to connect the two hymns as a B section. The piece ends on a plagal cadence (IV-I), reinforcing the piece's heavy use of hymns. (Hymns typically end on plagal cadences).

gollark: I would of course replace the English lesson badness with bringing arbitrary books in to read yourself.
gollark: School but instead of reading random poems you memorise 'life skills' would be quite ae ae ae, as they say.
gollark: If I were to redesign school, it would be much less regimented (you would not be grouped by year etc.), more flexible (an actually sane schedule and more/earlier choice of subjects), and focus on more general skills (not overly specific reading of books, or learning procedures for specific maths things, or that sort of thing). Additionally, more project-based work and more group stuff.
gollark: Those are specific uses of some of those things, yes. Which is why those are important. Although programming isn't intensely mathy and interest is trivial.
gollark: I assume you mean interpersonal? School is really bad for that as it stands because you're artificially segmented into people of ~exactly the same age in a really weird environment.
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