BEETHOVEN, Ludwig van

String quartet in B flat major op 18 no. 6

II. Adagio ma non troppo

Gerhard Schulz, guest Professor

Cuarteto Valentia de Lladró (08-09)
Marina Peláez, violin
Jorge Llamas Muñoz, violin
Marion Plard, viola
Pedro Peláez, cello

The Professor explains the character of the Adagio and they work on the bow movements that accompany this mood, the bow swings softly. The tempo and flexibility in the pulse is also important to get the correct character. He also explains the meaning of the triplets on the score, which Beethoven uses when the phrase jumps (he compares this resource with other works where it is used, it is a question of style). Shulz also talks about Haydn’s and Mozart’s quartets in comparison with the way to articulate in Beethoven’s. He gives indication about the shape of the phrases and the tensions and relaxations we can find. He recommends some exercises to the first violin in order to improve the left hand and corrects some shiftings. For a clearer explanation, Schulz always shows what he is saying by playing on his violin.

Language: English