Narratology in the Practice Session Model of Elliott Carter's String Quartet No. 5

Abstract

Elliott Carter's programme notes for his String Quartet No. 5 describe it as being about the embodiment of human interaction within the rehearsal process. This article develops this concept, evaluating the musical figures that are foreshadowed by the fragments that Carter suggests are rehearsal outtakes. Certain motives are reiterated and developed through slight variations, thus exemplifying the rehearsal process, and perhaps the editorial process, in detail. Interactions within this model are suggestive of the character types that Carter has delineated in his previous string quartets, notably No. 2. Using the Practice Session model also alludes to the real-life circumstances of the preparation of previous quartets by ensembles, and anecdotes about the Juilliard Quartet's rehearsals for the premiere of the String Quartet No. 3 can enhance a narratological understanding of the No. 5's construction. Finally, String Quartet No. 5 is considered as an example of one of the transitional works that initiate Carter's late style and its consolidation of material; its use of all-interval chords, their subsets and supersets reflects the constructive elements of human interaction that Carter has stressed as a principal thematic element.