String Quartets nos. 11 & 12 "American" / Quartet Movement cover

Released 30 years ago

String Quartets nos. 11 & 12 "American" / Quartet Movement

Antonín Dvořák · 1996

72 min · 9 tracks · classical music

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Elevation

Our rating, out of 100 — and why.

AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.

Instrumental
90 /100
Summit
Higher than 99% of albums we've rated

The two quartets sustain rich melodic and formal writing, while the inserted movement makes the sequence feel more like a collection of works than a single arc.

What we noticed

  • The album places a single F-major Quartet Movement between two complete four-movement quartets, briefly interrupting the larger work-to-work sequence.
  • Both quartets move from an opening Allegro through a slow second movement and scherzo to a fast finale; the American quartet’s Lento is followed by a brisk, tightly pulsed Molto vivace.
Composition 25% of the score
9/10

the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics

Craft 20% of the score
7/10

production, performance, arrangement

Durability 25% of the score
9/10

whether it rewards returning to it

Distinctiveness 18% of the score
8/10

whether it sounds like itself

Sequencing 12% of the score
7/10

running order, pacing, length

Influence 8/10

Defined its genre or moment. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.

Tracklist

Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.

  • 1 String Quartet no. 11 in C major, op. 61: I. Allegro 13:52
  • 2 String Quartet no. 11 in C major, op. 61: II. Poco adagio e molto cantabile 7:27
  • 3 String Quartet no. 11 in C major, op. 61: III. Scherzo. Allegro vivo. Trio 8:28
  • 4 String Quartet no. 11 in C major, op. 61: IV. Finale. Vivace 7:28
  • 5 Quartet Movement in F major: Allegro vivace 9:17
  • 6 String Quartet no. 12 in F major, op. 96 “American”: I. Allegro ma non troppo 9:02
  • 7 String Quartet no. 12 in F major, op. 96 “American”: II. Lento 8:21
  • 8 String Quartet no. 12 in F major, op. 96 “American”: III. Molto vivace 3:55
  • 9 String Quartet no. 12 in F major, op. 96 “American”: IV. Finale. Vivace ma non troppo 5:08

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Go back to

L'histoire de la musique: Ouverture « Carnaval », opus 92 / Quatuor à cordes, en fa majeur. op. 96, « Américain » / La Colombe sauvage

1996
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Reference: MusicBrainz