Presents
Franz Berwald
Quartet for Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn and Piano
Sometime during the 1850’s, a German music critic is reputed to have asked Franz Berwald (1796-1868) if he was still a composer. Berwald stared at him coldly and replied, “No, I am a glass blower.” This was neither a joke nor a sarcastic put-down of the critic by a bitter man whose music had been spurned in his own country and whose career in music had met with failure after failure. Berwald had in fact, at that time, actually been a glass blower! He had become involved with this successful business, and not his first, in order to make a living, something he could not do as a musician. Liszt, whom Berwald befriended in the 1850’s, told him, “You have true originality, but you will not be a success in your own lifetime.” Sadly, this prediction proved true. Berwald’s music remained unplayed and for the most part—especially in his native Sweden—unappreciated. Now, nearly a century and half after his death, he has been hailed by critics all over the world as a great Swedish composer. Born in Stockholm in 1796, Berwald was taught the violin by his father, a German who had settled in Sweden and was a member of the court orchestra. Berwald followed in his footsteps.
Berwald's three movement Quartet for Piano, Clarinet, horn and Bassoon dates from 1819. It was premiered in Stockholm in 1821 with three virtuoso wind players--Bernhard Crusell on clarinet, Johann Hirschfeld on Horn and Franz Preumayer on Bassoon. It was not well received and in fact was attacked by the Swedish critics who could not understand what they considered an unnecessarily original style. Though fairly typical of the emerging German Romantic style, it was considered avant garde cacophony in conservative Sweden which was far behind musical tastes in Germany and Austria. The Quartet is one of the few works for this combination from the early 19th century. It opens with a short Adagio introduction which leads to an upbeat and bustling Allegro ma non troppo. The middle movement, an Adagio is rather sedate. The finale, Allegro, begins attacca begins as a light hearted rondo but is interspersed with march–like episodes.
Parts $29.95
