Second String Quartet

work by Ives

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July 13, 2026

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Charles Ives's Second String Quartet (1911–13) is a significant work in American music. Ives conceived it as a "conversation, political argument, and reconciliation" among four musicians, employing a rich tapestry of quotations from hymns, marches, and classical composers like Beethoven, Brahms, and Tchaikovsky. This piece exemplifies Ives's innovative approach, characterized by sharp dissonance, polytonal harmonies, and polymetric constructions, anticipating many 20th-century musical developments. The quartet is known for its complexity and the way Ives integrates diverse musical elements to create a unique sonic experience.1

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Charles Ives
Ives conceived his Second String Quartet (1911–13; composition on second movement begun 1907) as a conversation, political argument, and reconciliation among four men; it is full of quotations from hymns, marches, and Beethoven, Brahms, and Tchaikovsky. His Variations on America (1891; additions before 1894) is the earliest polytonal…
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Ives conceived his Second String Quartet (1911–13; composition on second movement begun 1907) as a conversation, political argument, and reconciliation among four men; it is full of quotations from hymns, marches, and Beethoven, Brahms, and Tchaikovsky. His Variations on America (1891; additions before 1894) is the earliest polytonal…
Read More