Gallery of the graduates

This classical string quartet based on the model of Joseph Haydn follows the traditional form of a sonata form. The work is characterized by an initially homophonic movement in which the parts are strictly divided into melody and accompaniment: The secondary theme contrasts with the opening movement through its polyphonic structure and the contrapuntal accompaniment. The development makes use of various means typical of Haydn, such as playing with syntax and the expectations of his listeners.

Both songs are modelled on Robert Schumann without imitating him 1:1. The first song, Der wunde Ritter, a setting of a text by Heinrich Heine, is about the heartache of a knight whose lover has been unfaithful. Special musical devices are the sighing motif in the piano and the combative rhythm in the third verse, which then changes into the throbbing of the sore knight's heart. The following song Meeresstille has a different character. Unlike in Goethe's well-known poem, in Joseph von Eichendorff's work the calm of the sea is not something threatening, but an image that inspires dreaming. The broken chords that flow along in the piano are intended to help evoke this mood; at the same time, they imitate the sound of a harp, which is mentioned in the text.

One area of application of stylistic composition is the completion of fragments. The model for this piano piece in the style of Franz Liszt is an entry from his sketchbook, which comprises a total of just under 17 bars. The task now was to continue the theme and harmony in a meaningful way, to construct a coherent formal structure and to embed elements typical of Liszt in the piano writing and tonal language. Based on the character of the first eight bars, the sketch could well have been another Consolation, i.e. No. 7 after the six by Franz Liszt.