USUO: On Demand – Mozart & Mendelssohn String Quartets

Felix Mendelssohn was bent on forging connections between the musical world of his time and the music of past generations. This program echoes a similar bridge between the opening movements of Mozart’s high classical String Quartet in D Minor and the final movements of Mendelssohn’s Opus 44 String Quartet.

It is believed that Mozart’s quartet in D minor was written while his wife, Constanze, was in labor. The rising motives in the second movement are thought to correspond with her cries from the other room.

The final movement of Mendelssohn’s quartet in D Major is a driving saltarello (a 16th century dance) reminiscent of the final movement of his Italian symphony.