DAILY DOSE OF BEETHOVEN (September 30, 2020)
THE SECOND MOVEMENT
The second movement seems light-hearted enough that it’s almost a Minuet. But, it continues the idea of two motives in constant play that characterized the first movement. The first motif is deceptive:
1. The accent is on the 2nd beat, not the 1st.
2. These first 2 notes are the same as in the 1st movement: G#-A.
3. It comprises a half-tone and a major 3rd, G#-A-C#, and is thus bounded by an ascending 4th, G#-C#.
3. It is identical to the inversion of motif "E" in Diabelli's Waltz EFA EFA F#GB F#GB with the same intervals and even the accent on the 2nd beat. (see measures 9-12 in the chart from the posting of August 27, 2020. It is circled in pink and labelled E inverted.)
4. It consists of a series of such 4hs: G#-C# C#-F# A#-D# D#-G# (shown in red in diagram below in picture.)
The second motiv is a descending scale C# B A G# E# F#, which is bounded by the inversion of the 4th, a descending 5th. Over 6 measures we hear 3 such 5ths (shown in blue), C# F#, D G# (dim 5th) and A E (not shown.)
These two motives are in constant play throughout the first and last parts of the movement. THE KEY TO MAKING THAT PLAY WORK, is to keep accenting the 2nd beat in the first motif after the 2nd motif enters (as shown in this very clear diagram). Most quartets do not. They relapse into accenting the 1st beat. The Amadeus Quartet gets it right.
The middle section, which begins at 03:44, has the character of a “Musette” from Bach's time (see posting of September 9, 2020 on Brahms “Handel Variations”, particularly the discussion on Variation 22 and what is a “Musette“).
The second idea in the middle section which begins at 04:09, is drawn from the opening of an earlier work, woO81