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String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor, Op. 13 (1827)
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)

I. Adagio – Allegro vivace

Kelly Tsao, Violin
Sean Chang, Violin
Gloria Choi, Viola
Clare Choi, Cello

For Felix Mendelssohn, music always carried more meaning than words. Mendelssohn’s passionate belief in the communicative power of music can be traced back to his teenage years: it began with a simple lied (art song) titled “Frage,” German for “Question.” The song poses teasingly romantic questions seemingly directed at an anonymous lover of the eighteen-year-old composer. But composing just one lied wasn’t enough — Mendelssohn was so enamored with his lover that he composed an entire string quartet centered around the theme from “Frage.”
The String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor is among Mendelssohn’s first attempts to communicate his feelings through music. The rich, warm opening of the first movement confidently states what Mendelssohn truly meant to say with the three note motif from “Frage.” The remainder of the movement descends into a minor key, with quick, rising themes boiling over in a tumultuous storm. This romantic conflict is juxtaposed with moments of lyrical respite, musically illustrating the instability of juvenile love.
However, the composition has more depth than just its programmatic elements. The string quartet was also published the year that iconic composer Beethoven died. Beethoven’s death drew attention to his final compositions; among them were a number of string quartets. While many musicians were perplexed by them, Mendelssohn appreciated their innovative romanticism. Echoes of Beethoven’s last chamber works can be heard in the slow, introspective introduction of the Adagio, the contrapuntal themes in the Allegro Vivace, and the three-note motif that appears throughout the work.
Many scholars would say that the String Quartet No.2 was Mendelssohn’s first mature string quartet, achieved through his study of the late Beethoven quartets, Mendelssohn’s own compositional talents, and the catalyst of romantic infatuation. The String Quartet No. 2 stands as a testament to Mendelssohn’s belief that what music expresses: “What the music I love expresses to me, is not thought too indefinite to put into words, but on the contrary, too definite.”