description Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 8 Overview
Dmitri Shostakovich composed his String Quartet No. 8 in C minor, Op. 110, in 1960. The work consists of five movements played without interruption and repeatedly uses the DSCH motif, built from the notes D, E-flat, C, and B in German musical notation.
It also quotes material associated with Shostakovich's other compositions, and its concentrated, mournful writing has led listeners and scholars to interpret it as partly autobiographical.
help Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 8 FAQ
What does the DSCH motif mean in Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 8?
DSCH converts the composer's initials into German musical note names: D, E-flat, C, and B-natural. Shostakovich used the four-note signature throughout the C minor quartet, Op. 110.
Why does String Quartet No. 8 have five movements?
The five contrasting sections are played attacca, without pauses, creating one continuous tragic span. The structure moves from the opening Largo through violent and dance-like episodes to a final Largo.
Was Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 8 autobiographical?
Shostakovich officially dedicated it to the victims of fascism and war, but the DSCH motif and self-quotations make it strongly autobiographical. The quartet was written in 1960, when he was under intense political and personal pressure.
Which other Shostakovich works are quoted in String Quartet No. 8?
The quartet refers to works including his Symphony No. 1, the opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, and Piano Trio No. 2. These quotations reinforce the sense that the piece is also a musical self-portrait.
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