The World of the String Quartet

Syllabus
Welcome to the World of the String Quartet, led by instructors Arnold Steinhardt and Mia Chung, with
the Aizuri Quartet, quartet-in-residence at the Curtis Institute of Music.

Course Overview
The course is divided into seven units, which we call "programs." Each program contains videos
stories, analysis, conversations, and demonstrationswhich we call "segments." Most content is
available in Coursera. To help you explore further, supplementary materialsincluding performance
excerpts, trivia answers, and additional resource linksare on a private String Quartet Guide, hosted
on the Curtis Library's website.
Program 1 introduces us to the world of the string quartet with a brief history and a sampler of
quartets from across the repertoire. Programs 2 through 6 include segments on quartet stories from
the player's and listener's perspectives, the nuts and bolts of specific movements, demonstrations by
the Aizuri Quartet, and an exploration of legendary quartets. Program 7 looks ahead at contemporary
quartet music and beyond. In all, you will explore 29 quartets written by 24 composers and performed
by 25 groups. Each program includes "With No Strings Attached," a fun trivia question, in addition to
in-video quizzes and multiple-choice quizzes to reinforce learning. Written discussions encourage you
to share experiences, questions, and opinions among a community of quartet listeners and players.
The World of the String Quartet is designed to sharpen listening and descriptive skills and to increase
the engagement of concert-goers, as well as to inform the performance of amateur musicians. It
offers discoveries and conversation for everyone, regardless of musical background.

Tips
The course material is delivered primarily through videos, including reflections, analysis,
conversations, demonstrations, and brief excerpts of several quartets. Videos include English subtitles;
turn them on by clicking the talk bubble with four dots on the lower right of the video player.
Watching an entire program should take between one and two hours, with additional time for related
listening and learning activities. Since the course is available On-Demand, you may watch at your own
pace.

Additional course material guides you to learn more about related history, art movements, ensemble
insights, and terms. Visit the World of the String Quartet Guide and, for music theory basics,
the Learning Library to continue to discover the world of the string quartet.
To navigate through the course, on any page click the right arrow to go to the next page and the left
arrow to return to the previous one. To return to the main course page, click the link for The World of
the String Quartet at the top left of your screen.

Topics and Featured Repertoire

Program 1: The World of the String Quartet
BEETHOVEN Quartet No. 9 in C major, Op. 59, No. 3 (Razumovsky), IV. Allegro molto
Program 2: The Founders (Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven)
BEETHOVEN Quartet No. 13 in B-flat major, Op. 130, I. Adagio ma non troppoAllegro
Program 3: The Humanists (Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann, and Brahms)
SCHUBERT Quartet in D minor, D. 810 (Death and the Maiden), II. Andante con moto
Program 4: The Internationalists, Part 1 (Smetana, Dvok, Tchaikovsky, Borodin, and Bartk)
BARTK Quartet No. 5, III. Scherzo: Alla bulgarese
Program 5: The Internationalists, Part 2 (Debussy, Ravel, Barber, Shostakovich, and Britten)
DEBUSSY Quartet in G minor, Op. 10, II. Assez vif et bien rythm
RAVEL Quartet in F major, II. Assez vif, trs rythm
Program 6: The Explorers (Schoenberg, Webern, Berg, Ives, Cage, and Reich)
IVES Quartet No. 1: From the Salvation Army, IV. Postlude, Allegro marziale
SCHOENBERG Quartet No. 2, Op. 10, IV. Entrckung: Sehr langsam
Program 7: Space Odyssey, the Next Frontier
DAVID LUDWIG Pale Blue Dot (digital premiere live streaming on Curtis Performs on April 13, 2015, at
7 p.m. EDT

Quizzes
Many of the lecture videos include one quiz question to emphasize significant points. Each program
also includes one or two brief multiple-choice quizzes to reinforce your learning; they may be taken
more than once and are not graded.

For more about the quiz tool, refer to Coursera's Help Center.

Discussions
Join the global music community in conversations sparked by the quartets in the course, as well as
your own listening and playing. Discussions are positioned within each program, and you may also
post questions or comments about specific content on the related video's page. Curtis Teaching Staff
monitor forums Monday through Friday, intermittently between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET (Use a time
converter to find your local time) as time allows.

Suggested Readings
There is no required reading for the course. Learners interested in the performer's perspective may
enjoy reading Indivisible by Four by Arnold Steinhardt, about his experience as a member of the
Guarneri String Quartet, and The String Quartet: A History by Paul Griffiths, a survey of important
quartets from the repertoire.

Create Your Own Learning Goals

Your string quartet experience can grow from various sources and interactions:

Watching lecture videos.

Using in-video quizzes to test what you have just heard.

Participating in discussion forums with your classmates.

Exploring related material from the Learning Library.

Reinforcing your knowledge of lecture material through quizzes.

Listening to quartets and exploring them more deeply on your own.

You can set your own goals for the course. Perhaps you want to build your listening skills for the next
concert you attend, gain insight to pass along to your own students, consider another perspective
when practicing, or make connections with other classical music listeners.
There are many ways to measure learning, and setting personal goals will enable you to reflect on
your experience and enrichment. Enjoy the music and the company along your learning journey
which we hope will continue long after this course.

Help
Use the Help Center button on the right of the screen button on any course page to contact Coursera
for technical help or to report technical issues.