Side by Side

Some of the notable similarities between these two quartets by Bartók and Shostakovich are their usage of folk melody, their insistent, exhilarating rhythmic vitality, their harmonic complexity, and their symmetrical nature. Bartók was fond of writing in the arch form, in which material from different movements would appear and develop in unique ways. Both Shostakovich's string quartet no. 8, and Bartók's no. 4 are written in five movements, and both are very symmetrical works. Although Bartók's symmetry is more obvious, there is still an underlying arch idea at work in Shostakovich's 8th. In the final movement of the 8th quartet, Shostakovich returns to the famous DSCH theme in the German notation, (representing his name), and develops it into a full fugue. In the same way, Bartók reintroduces a theme from the first movement of the fourth quartet into the crushing finale. A remarkable coincidence is that both themes are very similar, with the first two notes being identical. (D Eb E D Db for Bartók, D, Eb C, and B for Shostakovich.)