Why a string sextet is not just a quartet with two extra people
In short: In classical music, adding more players doesn't always mean making the music bigger. For composers like Brahms and Strauss, the string sextet presented a unique structural puzzle: how to balance six voices without letting it devolve into two competing quartets.
The difficulty of the string sextet lies in its inherent architecture. As Professor Christopher Hogwood explains, a quartet is defined by two violins holding a dominant stance against everyone else. In a sextet, however, that hierarchy collapses. With two violins, two violas, and two cellos, the lower instruments can 'aid and abet' each other, creating complex groupings that do not exist in smaller ensembles. These specific groupings offer many possibilities that are unavailable to a quartet.
This structural challenge was so significant that even Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky complained bitterly about it when commissioned to write "Souvenirs of Florence." Having been trained in the string quartet tradition, he found the technique of writing for six instruments extremely difficult. It requires a fundamental shift in concept; as Hogwood notes, you cannot simply play one quartet off against another. Hogwood previously explored the Mendelssohn Octet as another example of difficult combinations. He noted that an octet must avoid sounding like two quartets playing together.
Two masters approached this problem from opposite directions. Johannes Brahms looked backward to the Baroque era, focusing on sonority as his primary solution to organize the six voices. In contrast, Richard Strauss took a forward-looking approach with his Sextet from Capriccio, which is described as perhaps the most exquisite music ever designed to be played off-stage. Brahms specifically composed his String Sextet Op.18 to address these issues. Strauss's work was performed by students from the Royal Academy of Music.
Understanding these nuances reveals how instrumental grouping can 'make or break' a composition. The goal for a true sextet is to find moments of interaction that are unique to the six-person configuration, ensuring the music remains a cohesive whole rather than a collection of smaller parts. Gresham College has provided free public lectures since 1597. Their current tradition includes making about five weekly lectures available for download.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: The Joy of Six: Brahms and Strauss - Professor Christopher Hogwood
- Also: The Joy of Six
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