Bloch was 73 years old when this quartet was premiered in 1953 by its dedicees, the Griller Quartet. Having written his String Quartet No. 1 as a young man, he had not returned to the genre until 1945 when he wrote his powerful, almost massive String Quartet No. 2. The String Quartet No. 3 is a much leaner affair.

Bloch almost totally avoids writing in the style which is well known from his Jewish works such as "Schelomo", "Trois Poemes Juifs", and the "Suite Hebraique for viola". Rather he writes in a much leaner vocabulary that allows the listener to concentrate on Bloch's craft which is evident at all times.

The first movement is forceful. Trills and stark rhythms predominate.

The second movement is more tranquil. In the middle, a syncopated accompaniment sets off a tune that is almost salonish. Bloch is never content to just repeat sections but develops new material all the time. The conclusion of this movement is a case in point, as it dies away over and under a 'd' pedal.

The third movement is a strange kind of scherzo. Although the trio section is supposed to be a contrast to the main theme, here it is done to the extreme. It opens with a series of 'false' harmonics that impart a spacy quality which is underlined by the spaciousness of the notes. This is spare writing that leads into a tranquillo section that ultimately introduces material from the second movement. This linkage of ideas is not a new technique to Bloch. The recapitulation of the scherzo includes some off kilter rhythmic writing and the reshaping of some of the themes from the first movement.

The final movement begins with a theme that uses all 12 tones, although Bloch is hardly a composer of dodecaphonic music. A fugue based on this line ensues leading concluding a quite work with a different sound from much of B loch's music.



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