This is not the first time that the two ensembles have been compared, but it might be the first time that the characteristics of the two have been discussed in full. I expect a large amount of input on this subject so read carefully with an open mind and feel free to share your opinion with your humble servant.
For subject material I chose the first movement of the very popular String Quartet No. 8 by Dimitri Shostakovich. My choice of the first movement was decided in order to put the Brass Quartet at a disadvantage because of the extremely soft dynamic level of this movement. Strings have the advantage because of the effortless dynamic control of the bowed instruments over the brass. I will repeat this comment in case any of my fellow brass players wish to jump in and tell me I don’t know what I am talking about. “Strings have the advantage because of the effortless dynamic control the bowed instruments have over the brass”. Brass players on the other hand can blow string players off the stage with sheer volume. Now I will rephrase this comment in case any string players wish to jump in and tell me I don’t know what I am talking about. “Brass have the advantage over the strings because of the tremendous amount of hot air brass players can generate”. Again, I will again remind you that I encourage audience participation.
Each ensemble has both advantages as well as disadvantages in a shootout such as this and I have no intention of deciding which ensemble is the better. I only strive to point out my opinion of the differences between the two.
As an illustration of the differences, I arranged, edited and recorded the parts from the original score in order to point out strong as well as weak characteristics between the two ensembles. There are several arrangements on the market which are specifically edited for brass quartets but because of this practice, it would be unfair to compare both ensembles with different arrangements. The only modifications I had to do was to change sections which were impossible to perform on brass instruments and I will indicate those changes later in the text.
String Quartet Advantages
- Ability to perform at extremely soft dynamics
- Ability to make extremely wide dynamic changes without a noticeable change in timbre
- Able to play continuous phrases without having to stop for a breath (adjustments were made to the Brass score)
- Intonation adjustments are much easier for string instruments
- String ensembles are more closely matched in timbre
- Extremely soft entrances are easier on string instruments
- The faster and more constant vibrato used on this movement is more characteristic of the piece
- Wide and connected skips are easier on string instruments
- The omnidirectional characteristic of the strings produce a more homophonous sound
- Due to the fact that the composer wrote this piece specifically for a String Quartet is an advantage
- The exaggerated body motion of the players tend to add emotion to the performance
Brass Quartet Advantage
- Each of the instruments add its own color to the sound
- Individual melodic solo lines stand out more distinctly
- A brass quartet sounds as if there are four different voices rather than four violi with extended upper and lower ranges
- The uniformly directional characteristic of the brass also adds to the separation of the different instruments
Now that you have heard some of my thoughts on this subject, listen to the following two examples and share your thoughts on the comparison of Strings verses Brass. I am interested in other musicians thoughts on the subject so don’t be shy for I hope this will be a discussion not a blood bath.
If I have time, I would like to continue with our comparison of ensembles using the second movement as an example. Whether I am able to finish the score for the second movement and learn the parts will be the determinant factor.
