There are three acknowledged string quartets in Britten’s output (though there are early pieces without opus numbers written for the ensemble).
The first quartet in D dates from 1941 and was written in the U.S.A. in response to a commission from Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge.
The second quartet in C was composed four years later (1945) and commissioned by and dedicated to Mary Behrend.
There follows a gap of thirty years until the appearance of a third quartet (1975). It was the composer’s last work, and bore a dedication to Hans Keller, the distinguished musicologist.
The Second Quartet was first performed in 1945 on the 21st November, the 250th anniversary of the death of Henry Purcell, an event which the quartet was written to commemorate.
It’s in three movements with the temporal and emotional weight falling on the finale; which, in homage to Purcell, takes the form of a chaconne (see above). (You can hear what was clearly Britten’s model for this movement – Purcell’s Chacony in g – in the video above.)
I Allegro calmo, senza rigore 00:03
II Vivace 08:53
III Chacony. Sostenuto 12:55
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