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String Quartet in A minor (Sibelius)

{{short description|String quartet by Jean Sibelius (1889)}}

{{Infobox musical composition

| name = String Quartet in A minor

| composer = Jean Sibelius

| image = JSibelius c1889.jpg

| image_upright = .9

| caption = {{center|The composer in 1889}}

| border = Yes

| catalogue = JS 183

| movements = 4

| composed = {{start date|1889}}

| publisher = {{ill|Fazer Music|lt=Fazer|fi|Musiikki-Fazer}} (1991){{sfn|Dahlström|2003|p=615}}

| duration = 28 mins.{{sfn|Dahlström|2003|pp=614–615}}

| premiere_date = {{start date|1889|05|29|df=y}}{{sfn|Dahlström|2003|p=615}}

| premiere_location = Helsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland

| premiere_performers = {{unbulleted list|{{ill|Herman Csillag|de}} (violin)|Wilhelm Santé (violin)|{{ill|Karl Wasenius|fi|Karl Fredrik Wasenius}} (viola)|Wilhelm Renck (cello)}}

}}

The String Quartet in A minor, JS 183, is a four-movement chamber piece for two violins, viola, and cello{{sfn|Dahlström|2003|pp=614–615}} written in 1889 by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. It is the second of Sibelius's four string quartets. The initial finale was the Fugue (JS 85) that Sibelius had written as an academic exercise at the Helsinki Music Institute under the direction of his teacher, Martin Wegelius.{{sfn|Barnett|2007|pp=47-48, 51}}

The A minor Quartet received its premiere in Helsinki on 29 May 1889 at the Helsinki Music Institute (now the Sibelius Academy); the performers were {{ill|Herman Csillag|de}} (violin), Wilhelm Santé (violin), {{ill|Karl Wasenius|fi|Karl Fredrik Wasenius}} (viola), and Wilhelm Renck (cello).{{sfn|Dahlström|2003|p=615}}

Structure

{{stack|File:JSibelius 29May1889 JS183StringQuartet Finland.png}}

The A minor Quartet is in four movements, as follows:

{{ordered list|list_style_type=upper-roman

|Andante{{spaced ndash}}Allegro

|Adagio ma non tanto

|Vivace

|Allegro}}

The piece was published posthumously in 1991 by {{ill|Fazer Music|fi|Musiikki-Fazer}}.{{sfn|Dahlström|2003|p=617}}

=Movement I=

The first movement begins with an Andante in {{music|time|6|4}} time before switching to {{music|time|4|4}} for the Allegro. It has a duration of about nine minutes.{{sfn|Dahlström|2003|p=614}}

=Movement II=

The second movement, marked Adagio ma non tanto, is in {{music|time|9|8}} time; it has a duration of about seven minutes.{{sfn|Dahlström|2003|p=614}}

=Movement III=

The third movement, marked Vivace, is in {{music|time|3|4}} time; it has a duration of about five minutes.{{sfn|Dahlström|2003|p=614}}

=Movement IV=

The fourth movement, marked Allegro, is in {{music|time|4|4}} time; it has a duration of about seven minutes.{{sfn|Dahlström|2003|p=615}}

Discography

The Sibelius Academy Quartet made the world premiere studio recording of the A minor Quartet for Finlandia in 1985.{{sfn|Dahlström|2003|p=615}} The sortable table below lists this and other commercially available recordings:

class="wikitable sortable" style="margin-right:0; font-size:95%"

!scope="col"|{{abbr|No.|Chronological number}}

!scope=col|Quartet

!scope=col|Violin I

!scope=col|Violin II

!scope=col|Viola

!scope=col|Cello

!scope=col|Runtime{{efn|All runtimes are official, as printed on CD or LP liner notes.|name=Runtimes}}

!scope=col|{{nowrap|{{abbr|Rec.|Year of recording}}{{efn|Refers to the year in which the performers recorded the work; this may not be the same as the year in which the recording was first released to the general public.}}}}

!scope=col|Recording venue

!scope=col|Label

!scope=col class="unsortable"|{{abbr|Ref.|References}}

scope="row"|1

|Sibelius Academy

|{{sort|Tukiainen|{{ill|Seppo Tukiainen|fi}}}}

|{{sort|Kantola|{{ill|Erkki Kantola|fi}}}}

|{{sort|Kosonen|Veikko Kosonen}}

|{{sort|Noras|Arto Noras}}

|28:22

|1984

|Convent Church, Naantali

|Finlandia

|{{center|{{efn|[https://www.discogs.com/release/11012148-Jean-SibeliusSibelius-Academy-Quartet-The-Complete-String-Quartets Sibelius Academy–Finlandia (4509–95851–2) 1992]}}}}

scope="row"|2

|Sophisticated Ladies

|{{sort|Jansson|Ulrika Jansson}}

|{{sort|Mannheimer|Annette Mannheimer}}

|{{sort|Bengtsson|Mona Bengtsson}}

|{{sort|Forsberg|Åsa Forsberg}}

|35:10

|1989

|{{ill|Petrus Church, Stocksund|sv|Petruskyrkan, Stocksund}}

|BIS

|{{center|{{efn|[https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7937616--sibelius-string-quartets Sophisticated Ladies–BIS (CD–463) 1989]}}}}

scope="row"|3

|Jean Sibelius

|{{sort|Arai|Yoshiko Arai}}

|{{sort|Pohjola|Jukka Pohjola}}

|{{sort|Kupiainen|Teemu Kupiainen}}

|{{sort|Kimanen|Seppo Kimanen}}

|31:12

|1991

|{{ill|Roihuvuoren kirkko|fi}}

|Ondine

|{{center|{{efn|[https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8000479--sibelius-string-quartets Jean Sibelius–Ondine (ODE 773-2) 1991]}}}}

scope="row"|4

|{{ill|Tempera Quartet|lt=Tempera|fi|Tempera-kvartetti}}

|{{sort|Vikman|Laura Vikman}}

|{{sort|Koskela|Silva Koskela}}

|{{sort|Kangas|Tiila Kangas}}

|{{sort|Lampela|Ulla Lampela}}

|34:20

|2005

|{{ill|Länna Church, Uppland|sv|Länna kyrka, Uppland}}

|BIS

|{{center|{{efn|[https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7947395--sibelius-string-quartets-1888-1889 Tempera–BIS (CD–1476) 2006]}}}}

scope="row"|5

|Flinders

|{{sort|Ayres|Helen Ayres}}

|{{sort|Chen|Shane Chen}}

|{{sort|Ireland|Helen Ireland}}

|{{sort|Knighton|Zoe Knighton}}

|30:20

|2015

|Wyselaskie Auditorium

|ABC Classics

|{{center|{{efn|[https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8123220--intimate-voices-flinders-quartet-plays-sibelius-string-quartets Flinders—ABC Classics ({{nowrap|ABC 481 1982}}) 2015]}}}}

scope="row"|6

|Leipzig

|{{sort|Munk|Conrad Munk}}

|{{sort|Büning|Tilman Büning}}

|{{sort|Bauer|Ivo Bauer}}

|{{sort|Moosdorf|Matthias Moosdorf}}

|33:39

|2016

|{{ill|Abtei Marienmünster|de}}

|MDG

|{{center|{{efn|[https://www.discogs.com/Jean-Sibelius-Leipziger-Streichquartett-String-Quartet-A-Minor-JS-183-String-Quartet-D-Minor-Op-56-V/release/14021067 Leipzig—MDG ({{nowrap|MDG 307 1957-2}}) 2016]}}}}

Notes, references, and sources

;{{large|Notes}}

{{notelist}}

;{{large|References}}

{{Reflist}}

;{{large|Sources}}

{{refbegin}}

  • {{cite book|last1=Barnett|first1=Andrew|year=2007|title=Sibelius|location=New Haven|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=978-0-300-11159-0}}
  • {{cite book|last=Dahlström|first=Fabian|author-link=:sv:Fabian Dahlström|title=Jean Sibelius: Thematisch-bibliographisches Verzeichnis seiner Werke|trans-title=Jean Sibelius: A Thematic Bibliographic Index of His Works|date=2003|publisher=Breitkopf & Härtel|location=Wiesbaden|language=de|isbn=3-7651-0333-0}}

{{refend}}

{{Jean Sibelius|state=collapsed}}

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Category:String quartets by Jean Sibelius

Category:1889 compositions

Category:Compositions in A minor