String Quartet No. 8 (Villa-Lobos)


String Quartet No. 8 is one of seventeen works in the medium by the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, written in 1944. A performance lasts approximately twenty-five minutes.

History

Villa-Lobos composed his Eighth Quartet in Rio de Janeiro in 1944. The name of the quartet that gave the premiere in the Auditório do MEC on 5 September 1946, Rio de Janeiro, is not certain. However, the score is dedicated to the Quarteto Iacovino.

Analysis

The quartet consists of four movements:
  1. Allegro
  2. Lento
  3. Scherzo
  4. Quasi allegro
According to the composer, the Eighth Quartet is systematically atonal throughout.
The first movement lacks the expected development section, while the slow, second movement displays the qualities of the Brazilian improvisational instrumental serenade called a choro. The finale is marked by a rhythmic pattern that is especially difficult from the performers' point of view.

Discography

Chronological, by date of recording.