Presents
Joseph Bologne Chevalier de St. Georges
String Quartet No.4 in c minor, Op.1 No.1-New Edition
Joseph Bologne (circa 1745-1799) was born in Guadeloupe. His father Georges de Bologne de St. Georges was a wealthy French planter and a member of the nobility. His mother was an African slave. He was taken back to Paris with his father at age 7 and enrolled in elite schools and given lessons in fencing and violin along with his other subjects. He became a champion fencer, possibly the best in France and certainly one of the best in Europe. His fame was such that he was invited to London where he met the Prince of Wales and several champion British fencers. As a result of his exploits and because he was also part of the King's Bodyguard Regiment, the Louis XV allowed him to use the title Chevalier de St. Georges, which had been his father's. Not a lot is know about his musical training although it is thought he studied composition with Francois Joseph Gossec and violin possibly with Jean Marie Leclair or Pierre Gavinies. During the 1770s and 1780s he was also considered one of the finest violinists in France serving as a concertmaster of leading orchestras, as a soloist and a conductor. He also composed, mostly works for the violin, but also 12 string quartets. He personally knew many of the leading composers of the day including Mozart.
String Quartet No.4 in c minor, Op.1 No.4 is the fourth of the first set of six he composed during the early 1770s and were said to be influenced by the early string quartets of Haydn which were just becoming popular in Paris. Although the writing may show that he had learned something from Haydn's work, each of the Op.1 quartets only has two movements instead of three like the Mannheim School or four that Haydn began using early on. Both movements are relatively short. The first movement, Allegro moderato, has an engaging, somewhat yearning main theme. An echo effect can be heard from time to time. Every now and then, the first violin is given leave to play brief virtuoso passages, which Bologne perhaps intended for himself. The finale, Rondeau, is energetic and full of forward movement.
While no one would mistake this quartet as a masterwork, it is nonetheless important as it is among some of the earliest string quartets written in France and hence historically important. That said, it is also charming.
Parts: $17.95
Parts & Score: $22.95
