#57: Synthesis
Section 7: Antonin Dvořák – String Quartet Op.51, ii: Dumka
Further work on b.20-26 built on the transformation in persona of #50, in ways that frequently invoked the idea of narrative. As the harmonic ‘tightens’ towards G minor in b.21 (beats 2-4), Hoffmann’s affective state turns on a dime: he seems to ‘live’ the semitone Eb-D in a manner that cannot be confined to a theoretical understanding of the key areas. It was revealing that we found it difficult to capture the particular way he achieves this ‘turn’ while also retaining a sense of momentum all the way down the scale in b.22. (See #10. We could recognise this aspect of their performance in description, but in coping it still felt unnatural: our first violinist remarked that “it’s not in my bones yet.”)
The distinctive continuity of Hoffmann’s execution of this turn directly affects how the pizzicato chords unfold in b.22-23. To ears unaccustomed to asynchronous onsets, these can sound disconcerting; but as we got used to their repertoire of concerns, this moment became surprisingly amenable to rationalisation. First, we needed to invert modern assumptions about ensemble pizzicato: that synchronisation is the de facto aim. Here it seemed as if they had made a clear decision that the D major chord on the down beat of b.23 would be synchronised; but this in fact marked it out from its surroundings, the greater harmonic tension of which would be communicated by less predictable, and thus less unanimous, individual timing. The effect of this is to create a central ‘pillar’ at the point of lowest tension – the harmonic resolution on D major. The synchronisation of the pizzicato accompaniment at this moment, would allow the different qualities (and functions) of the other harmonies to be experienced in starker relief.
We also felt that a significant dimension of this meaning was associated with the specific embodiment of this decision. When a pizzicato note is intended to be synchronised among the ensemble, the feeling of holding the string in one’s finger is very different from when one is searching for a fraction of instability in that collective timing. The complicating factor here is that it can plausibly go in both directions: one is aware of the tension in the timing itself, the ‘fizz’ of the connection with colleagues in that moment, and also the physical strength with which the string is held taut. A synchronised chord, then, can either be a point of repose, or of relaxation, depending on the way one’s whole body ‘is’ in the moment it takes place.
