Appraisal
These six quartets (counting the Große Fuge) comprise the last major, completed compositions by Beethoven, and are widely considered to be among the greatest musical compositions of all time. The musicologist Theodor Adorno, in particular, thought highly of them, and Igor Stravinsky described the Große Fuge as "an absolutely contemporary piece of music that will be contemporary forever". Wagner, when reflecting on Op. 131's first movement, said that it "reveals the most melancholy sentiment expressed in music". Also, it is said that upon listening to a performance of the Op. 131 quartet, Schubert remarked, "After this, what is left for us to write?"
Read more about this topic: Late String Quartets (Beethoven)
Famous quotes containing the word appraisal:
“Do your children view themselves as successes or failures? Are they being encouraged to be inquisitive or passive? Are they afraid to challenge authority and to question assumptions? Do they feel comfortable adapting to change? Are they easily discouraged if they cannot arrive at a solution to a problem? The answers to those questions will give you a better appraisal of their education than any list of courses, grades, or test scores.”
—Lawrence Kutner (20th century)
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—Marianne Moore (1887–1972)