Anton Webern String Quartet, Op. 28

Anton Webern (1883 1945) String Quartet, Op. 28 (1938) I. Mässig 0:00 II. Gemächlich 3:56 III. Sehr fliessend 5:45 LaSalle Quartet (1974) Webern s String Quartet, Op. 28, is his third major work for string quartet and typically lasts around 7 8 minutes. The piece is in three movements: Mässig (Moderately) a movement in variation form. Gemächlich (Leisurely) in ternary form (ABA), the outer parts being a fourpart canon with all the notes the same length (fluctuations in tempo aside). Sehr fliessend (Very flowing) a freer movement with numerous changes in texture and mood. In a letter to Erwin Stein, Webern described the middle part of this movement as a fugue. The String Quartet is composed using the twelvetone technique. The tone row on which the piece is based (B, A, C, B, D, E, C, D, G, F, A, G) is intricately constructed and based on the BACH motif (B, A, C, B