Movement IV – overall comment
STRUCTURE: The structure of this movement is determined by the musical quotations used by Shostakovich – and there are more in
this movement than in any other movement in the quartet! It has been described as a ‘collage of quotations’. It can be divided into
six sections; the first four are separated by an unaccompanied dominant pedal (G#), and the last two are separated by an
unaccompanied tonic pedal (C#). The movement consists of three song-like arioso sections framed by more aggressive passages.
The movement has therefore been analysed according to the following outline:
Section A
Bars 1 - 27
Section B
Bars 28 - 61
Section A2
Bars 62 - 742
Section C
Bars 743 - 116
Section D
Bars 117 - 160
Section A3
Bars 161 – 187
MOOD: When composing works in five movements, it was usual for Shostakovich to make the fourth movement confessional in
mood and quite dark in tone– and this particular movement was to be no exception. War images are evident, and we can identify
attack, opposition and sorrow. The association with death and intimidation has been further strengthened.
TEXTURE: The movement depends on ideas based on chords and the melodies of the quotations. At times the texture is effective
and powerful, but rarely dense.
THEMES: Once again, the theme from the cello concerto has been quoted. Perhaps it’s quite fleeting appearance in III was part of
the plan; it is the only quotation that returns – and now it comes back changed. In this movement, the up-beats are more than four
times as slow, and the repeated chords erupt with obvious aggression. At this tempo, the theme reveals a more distant source. It
was from a piece that the composer composed called ‘Death of the Heroes’ (from his film score The Young Guard). So the only
positive theme so far now turns out to be a cover for something far more disturbing – it’s the quoting of a self-quotation. The
procedure so far has been to quote in chronological order – but with the quote from ‘The Young Guard’, the association goes back to
1947/8. This quartet is dedicated to the victims of fascism and war, and this slowed down version of the cello quotation was
described in earlier commentaries as being representative of the drone of aircraft and bombs falling on Dresden. More recently,
another theory emerged. In June 1960, just weeks before Shostakovich wrote this quartet, he was cajoled into applying for
membership of the Communist party, something he always swore that he would not do. But in poor health, (and between
marriages), he succumbed to the pressure. This betrayal of his personal principles apparently drove him to the brink of suicide – and
against this scenario, the violent chords were not bombs falling on Dresden, but represented the secret police banging on the door
in the dead of night, something he had lived in fear of under Stalin.
The allusion to funeral music from Wagner’s Götterdämmerung is significant because of the similarity of its themes of death and
destruction (i.e. the death of Siegfried / Destruction of Valhalla). The allusion to the first movement of the Tchaikovsky symphony
no.6 reinforces the mood that Shostakovich wants to create (i.e. loneliness and desolation). Incidentally, both these works had been
performed during the war in Germany.
The following table shows the quotations and allusions used in the movement:
Section A
Brutal eruption 1:



Cello
Concerto
The Young
Guard
Beethoven
Section B
1st Arioso



Section A2
Section C
Brutal eruption
2nd Arioso
2:
QUOTATIONS / Allusions
Semi-allusion
 Revolutionary
to the
Song –folk song
passacaglia
 Allusion to
from Lady
Tchaikovsky -11th
Macbeth
symphony/III
Allusion to the
 Shostakovich
funeral music
from Wagner’s
Götterdämmer
ung
Allusion to
Tchaikovsky first
movement of
6th symphony,
Pathétique.
Section D
3rd Arioso
Lady Macbeth –
Act IV
Section A3
Brutal eruption
3:
RHYTHM: The rhythm of the opening 3 quaver motif (the chords) in the lower three parts is particularly distinctive. 3/4 throughout,
and much use of sustained notes tends to suspend the momentum in some passages.
TONALITY: The main tonal centre is that of C# minor (plus some other unrelated keys).
HARMONY: Apart from the link into Section B, the harmonic content consists of modal shadings of the tonic C# minor. Note the
alternation of C# - G minor; also the Aª and A# oscillation in other passages. A good deal of the material is unison; other sections are
more dissonant and chromatic.
MOVEMENT 4: /Largo
Structure: A B A2 C D A3 (quite Rondo – like).
Section A
Section B
Section A2
SECTION
Section A
BARS
Bars 1 27
THEMES
 Theme a =
Section C
Section D
Section A3
COMMENTS
TEMPO: Largo.
MOOD: This has, quite importantly, been connected with actual events and is meant
 Compare with theme
to conjure up images associated with war: it has been said that the held A# is meant
Death of the Heroes, from to represent the drone of the bomber aircraft, while the ff chords are meant to
Shostakovich’s film, The
represent the explosion of bombs or aircraft fire. This imagery was perhaps the result
Young Guard:
of the composer’s visit to Dresden; but on a more personal note, these chords have
also been interpreted as the ‘knocks on the door’ by the Soviet soldiers. (See general
notes). The sustained A# is stubborn and threatening.
(The dissonant chords of theme a
also recall the execution scene
TONALITY: C# minor.
from the same film).
STRUCTURE: Four interjections of the harsh chords are interspersed with reference to
the triadic motif from the cello concerto, with a final 7 bars that gives another
reference to the Dies Irae (recognised initially at the end of the third movement).
RHYTHM: Note that the heavily accented opening chords start on the first beat of the
3/4 bars. In movement III they were found on the weakest beats of a 4/4 bar (i.e. the
2nd and the 4th beats).
TEXTURE: Apart from the A# pedal note held low in violin 1 which lasts here for 21
bars, the chords are a key feature –but also significant is the unison playing by the
lower three parts of the triadic motif from the cello concerto.
THEMES: Theme a is heard in the lower 3 parts. In bar 10, this motif is transposed up a
tritone. The melodic motif is continued with the chords, and now becomes part of the
theme, not just an answering phrase. At bar 21, the A# in violin 1 finally moves. This
feels like another reference to the Dies Irae chant.
HARMONY: It could be that the opening aggressive chords are approach chords,
preparing us for the key of C# minor, as suggested by the key signature. However, the
top and the bass of the chord is an F double sharp (enharmonic note G), so this
indicates that the held A# is more than likely to be heard as the minor 3 rd above that
(i.e. A# = B¨, a minor third higher than a root of G). The C# minor of the home key is a
tritone away from G natural, so that gives a link based on a favourite interval!
Remember, the highest and lowest pitches of the tetrachord gives a diminished 4 th
interval which creates tension in the music, and is sometimes called the ‘Devil’s
interval’( the “diabolus in musica”). It has been used for many years in music to
represent an association with evil, brutality or extreme sadness. However, the Aª in
the chord is a neighbour note which brings a dissonance - there are certainly
harmonic tensions here. So, at the start, the chord is an implied G minor chord. A C#
minor tonic chord is outlined at bar 4….and the alternation between these two chords
continues until there is a cadence into F# major in bar 20. Incidentally, this is the first
time that the A# has been harmonized since the start of the movement!
Section B
Bars 28 61
 Theme b =
 Allusion to the funeral
music from Wagner’s
Götterdämmerung.
 Allusion to the opening of
Tchaikovsky’s 6th
symphony /I
 Variants of the DSCH
MOOD: Meaningful, song-like / arioso.
TONALITY: C# minor, moving to D minor at bar 32; back to C# minor by the end of the
section.
STRUCTURE: Almost follows the path of movement I here as the second section is
arioso-like and confessional. Phrases are structured into 8 x 4 bar units, with many of
the first notes tied over to a minim or dotted minim.
TEXTURE: Theme b is heard in unison (monophonic texture) in the lower three parts
(in octaves). This is heard f until figure 55, at which point the first violin adds a
counterpoint, which actually emphasizes the first beat of each 4 bar phrase from then
on.
RHYTHM: Interesting, as it actually feels quite syncopated – very subtle.
THEMES: The passionate theme is a passionate declamation, funereal in style. It is an
allusion to the passacaglia from the composer’s opera Lady Macbeth, just after the
said character has murdered her father-in-law. Note the inclusion and dependence
here on the tetrachord variant 7123 (i.e. bars 313 – 33 in D min). The sources of the
Wagner and Tchaikovsky themes are important because the theme relies so heavily
on their content, as well as the DSCH motif!
HARMONY: The melodic line at the start implies a perfect cadence into C# minor,
although the minor third of this tonic is not reached until bar 31. The unison thematic
work then moves into D minor territory, against which the violin initially fights on with
a G# - the dominant of C# minor. However, it is swayed towards the D min with the
B¨s in its countermelody and attempt is made to move back to C# in bar 51. There is
eventual harmonic agreement as the section ends on a C# minor tonic chord in bar 61.
Section A2 Bars 62 -
 Theme a
MOOD: Another reference to violence, with a pp start of the motif leading to the
742
 DSCH at the very end of
the section, which
effectively introduces the
next quotation.
violence of the ff chords as before.
TONALITY: Is now more stable in C# minor (because of the dominant pedal).
STRUCTURE: This section is shorter. The original Section A = 27 bars in length, this
section A2 is just 13 bars long. Again, it is the G# pedal which acts as a link to the next
section.
TEXTURE: As Section A1, but the sustained note is now a G# in violin 1(the dominant
pedal of C# minor).
THEMES: Theme a, again in the lower three parts. The material is based on bars 4 - 8
of section A. The 5 bar phrase is basically repeated, but note the rhythmic diminution
of the up-beat triadic figure in bar 68 (crotchets instead of dotted minims).
From bar 72, we hear the transposed DSCH motif in viola and cello, again used to
herald in the next section.
HARMONY: The tonic chord of C# minor is outlined in the unison movement in lower
three parts against the pedal note of G# played low in violin 1. The chords in bars 65/6
- and obviously again in bars 69/70 - are repeated as in the opening section, and the
resulting clash (i.e. the F double #/G against the G#) is very dissonant.
Section C
Bars 743
- 116
 Theme c =
MOOD: Heartfelt, compassionate. Same quiet dynamic throughout.
TONALITY: Aeolian mode based again on C#.
(Revolutionary Song / folk song)
STRUCTURE: This brings contrast to this movement and indeed the entire quartet. A
32 bar melody.
TEXTURE: The tune is heard in the first violin, with harmonic support by violin 2. Both
lines are heard over a drone in the viola and cello. The texture is sparse, and both
violin parts are in a low register.
RHYTHM: Still in triple time, though apparently the original was always sung in 2 or 4
time. Very few contrasting rhythms used here.
THEMES: The source of this theme was that of a Russian revolutionary song said to
have been favoured by Lenin, and sung by young soldiers. It is a 32 bar diatonic
melody of folk origin, the longest quote in the work. At bar 108 there is another
allusion to the Tchaikovsky theme.
HARMONY: Harmonically rather static here, by virtue of the drone; however note the
chromatic content contributed by the 2nd violin (bar 80). The theme concludes with a
plagal cadence (bars 105 -107). The extension of the cadence, (bars 108 – 115) sees
the C# in the bass move up the interval of a tritone to G, which supports G minor
harmonies as it alludes again to the Tchaikovsky theme. (Remember: this interval
from G to C# was noted in section A, at the beginning).
Section D
Bars 117 160
 Theme d1 =
(This is a possible allusion to the
third movement of the 11th
symphony, Fig 108.)
 Theme d2 =
(Quotation from Katerina’s aria
from the last act of Lady
Macbeth.)
MOOD: This continues in the same vein.
TONALITY: F# minor – a key previously used by the composer in moments linked with
tenderness and love (i.e. between Katerina and her lover in the opera, and also the
final key of the 7th quartet which was dedicated to the memory of Shostakovich’s first
wife).
STRUCTURE: Once again, 4 bar phrases are used here.
TEXTURE: The texture is still thin. The tune (theme d1) continues in the first violin,
with held notes in all lower parts until the upbeat to Fig. 62. Following this, the
timbre is interesting, as the cello plays d2 high in the treble clef. This is the second
time the cello plays in its high register (the first time was in movement III). Here the
viola continues its sustained pedal, and the violins provide harmonic support; so here,
the texture involves a higher tessitura overall.
THEMES: Theme d1 in the violin, followed by theme d2 in the cello.
HARMONY: The section begins with F# harmony, with the chord in 2nd inversion as
the C# pedal note in the viola and cello continues. This chord is sustained, pp, until
bar 125, where the move to A# in violin 2 changes the mode to the tonic major
(actually typical of Shostakovich!). From Fig. 62, the violins move in major 3rds, in
harmony with the cello theme. Note the use of some neighbour notes in the harmony
(i.e. G double #). At bar 141, we note the return of Aª in the cello theme (as opposed
to the previous Gx). Below the final F# major chord of this passage, the held pedal C#
in the viola continues as a link into the final section of this movement.
Section A3 Bars 161
– 187
 Theme a
 Theme c
 DSCH
TONALITY: C# minor – but effortlessly moves down a semitone to end the section
back in C minor – the overall home key of the quartet.
STRUCTURE: This again repeats bars 4 – 8 of section A. Then follows a complete bar’s
rest before the opening of the revolutionary song is re-stated in violin 1, above the
now soft interjections of theme a in the lower 3 parts. The final D# is held for 7 bars in
the first violin before slipping down to the first 3 pitches of the DSCH motif. The final B
is not reached at this point, and there is a further bar’s rest, to delay the inevitable. At
bar 184, the DSCH motif is heard unaccompanied in violin 1 in its original form,
heralding the start of the final movement of this quartet.
TEXTURE: Note: there is no pedal note at the start of this section. Theme a is heard in
the lower 3 parts, before violin 1 adds the revolutionary quote (incidentally played
with mute). The chords are first heard ff in the first phrase, p pizzicato in the 2nd
response. The final phrase in lower parts quickly builds back to the more substantial ff
accented statement to conclude. The ending here is monophonic, which is a similar to
the texture at the end of section A.
THEMES: Theme a in violin2, viola and cello. Theme c in violin 1. At bar 179-180 it
feels as if the allusion to the Dies Irae will follow – but it becomes DSCH. Their
similarity is evident!
HARMONY: The unison motif outlines the tonic chord of C# minor, followed by the
violent chords as before, but without any pedal note to create further dissonance in
violin 1. The chord in bar 168 is effectively, that of G minor, (as Fx = G, and A# = B¨),
but the held C# of violin 1 - theme c – again brings that interval of a tritone to the fore
(G-C#). At Figure 64, the pitches of the unison motif outline the same chord (G minor,
though still enharmonically spelt), but it lands on a Dª which results in a dissonant
clash against the held D# of the first violin. This really is the final tonal assault. The ff
repeated chords hammer out the interval of a tone (i.e. C#s and D#s), before the first
violin continues on its own way, as the D# slips down a semitone, to play the first 3
notes of the DSCH motif.
(C) Copyright 1960 by Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Ltd.
Reproduced by permission of Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Ltd.