No. 4 ("Sunrise")
The Quartet No. 63 in
B major, Op. 76, No. 4, is nicknamed
Sunrise due to the rising theme over sustained chords that begins the quartet.
I. Allegro con spirito \relative e' { \key bes \major \time 4/4 r2 r4 e( \p f4. a8 \acciaccatura c8 bes a bes d) f4.( a,8 bes d f a) bes4.( a8 g f es d( c4-. r d-. r es4-. r r2 }
Exposition The opening of the movement begins in a way that seemingly contradicts the allegro con spirito marking. Violin II, viola, and cello sustain a
tonic chord while the first violin plays the melody (the "sunrise"
motif) on top. In measure 7, the same instruments sustain a
dominant seventh chord while the first violin again plays a rising solo on top. In measure 22, all instruments reach
forte, and allegro con spirito character is apparent through the sixteenth-note movement and lively
staccato eighth notes trading off between the parts. In measure 37, the opening sunrise theme returns, this time with the solo in the cello and the sustained chords in the violins and viola. The lively sixteenth-note section returns in measure 50, beginning with sixteenth notes in the cello which move to the viola, and finally, the violins. In measure 60, all instruments drop to
piano for a six-measure staccato eighth-note section before jumping to an all sixteenth-note
fortissimo in measure 66 to finish off the
exposition.
Development The
development in measure 69 begins with the same
texture as the opening of the movement—with the 2nd violin, viola, and cello sustaining a chord while the 1st violin plays a solo on top. The first chord, sustained from bars 69–72, is a D minor chord, the
relative minor of the dominant, F major. The second chord, sustained from bars 75–79, is an F
diminished seventh chord, resolving to
G minor in measure 80, which signifies the return of trading moving sixteenth notes. The following five measures revolve around G minor, only to modulate to
E major in measure 86. The major tonality lasts but two measures, as it shifts to
F minor in measure 88, F diminished in 89, and G minor in measure 90. In measure 96, the violins play staccato eighth notes followed by eighth-note rests, while the viola and cello fill in the violins' eighth note rests with their own eighth notes. This sets up a pattern for the rest of the development section, in which one instrument, mainly the 1st violin (in measures 98 to 102), fills in an eighth rest with a lone eighth-note, thus giving each measure a steady eighth-note pulse. Throughout this section, the dynamic gradually drops from
forte to
pianissimo by means of a
poco a poco decrescendo. When the
pianissimo is finally reached in measure 105, the
retransition to the
recapitulation begins, ending on the dominant seventh chord (F) of the original key, B major.
Recapitulation In measure 108, the beginning of the recapitulation begins just as the beginning of the exposition, with the 2nd violin, viola, and cello sustaining a tonic chord while the 1st violin plays the sunrise motif above it. In measure 135, the allegro con spirito sixteenth-note section returns in the 1st violin, punctuated by staccato eighth notes in the other instruments. The sixteenth notes trade off to the 2nd violin, culminating in an all-instrument
unison in measure 140. After this, the opening
theme returns again, with the solo line beginning with the cello and moving up through the viola to the 2nd violin. In measure 151, all strings
crescendo to the returning sixteenth-note theme in measure 152. In measure 162, the staccato eighth-note trade-off section returns, in the tonic key and
piano dynamic. A
fortissimo appears in measure 172, beginning the lead into the I7 chord
fermata. Beginning in the following measure, the viola, and two violins pass each other the opening sunrise motif for a measure at a time, while the remaining instruments sustain chords. The tonic returns in measure 181, with a brief teaser of the staccato eighth-note theme, to be replaced by the sixteenth notes played by all instruments in the
fortissimo dynamic. In the final three bars, all four instruments play a succession of tonic B major chords.
II. Adagio \relative es' { \key es \major \time 3/4 es4( d es) f4 g2\espressivo \fermata f4( e f) g4 as2 \espressivo \fermata c4( b c) g4 as~ as16( bes!32 c bes as g f) es4.( d8 as' d,) es8( g bes d es g) }
III. Menuetto. Allegro \relative a' { \key bes \major \time 3/4 \partial 4 a8( \f bes) a8( bes) a8( bes) d( bes) f'4-. f-. a,8( bes) a8( bes) a8( bes) d( bes) f'4-. f-. a,8( bes) a8( bes) a8( bes) g'( bes,) bes'8( bes,) bes'( bes,) bes'( bes,) bes'8( g) e( c) bes( g) f4 r }
IV. Finale. Allegro, ma non troppo \relative f'' { \key bes \major \time 2/2 \partial 4 f8( _\markup { \italic "mezza voce" } es) d4( es) c-. d8( c) bes4( c) \appoggiatura { g32 f e } f4 g8( a) bes4-. c-. d-. \appoggiatura { es16 f } g4 \fz \acciaccatura d8 c8( bes c d) c4-. } == No. 5==