Arnold Schönberg’s Disinclination Against the Traditional Durchführung

The Second Movement from the Second String Quartet, op. 10

Abstract

The article discusses Arnold Schoenberg's handling of the traditional development section, especially in the second movement of his String Quartet No. 2 op. 10. Schoenberg himself disparagingly referred to certain developmental practices as ‘Spandelmachen’, referring to overly simple, outdated sequencing practices. An analysis of Schönberg's writings, teaching materials and sketches highlights his own approaches to shaping a development section. The focus here is on the second movement of String Quartet No. 2 op. 10, as extensive revisions can be found in the source material. Comparisons are also made with Ludwig van Beethoven's String Quartet op. 59/2.