Presents
Louis Clapisson
String Quartet No.1 in c minor
Louis Clapisson (1808-1866) was born in the Italian city of Naples where his father Antoine a professional horn player was a professor at the Naples Conservatory and first horn of the San Carlo theater. After Napoleon’s defeat, he returned to Bordeaux in France. Louis first studied violin with Hus-Desforges in Bordeaux and then at Paris Conservatory with Francois Habeneck. Composition lessons were with Anton Reicha after which he pursued a career as a soloist and served as first violin at the Italian Theater and second violin at the Paris Opera orchestra. Later, he became a professor at the Conservatory. He made a name for himself primarily as an opera composer, which at the time was all that Parisian audiences cared about.
His String Quartet No.1 in c minor dates from 1839 and exhibits many of the characteristics which made him a successfial opera composer. The first movement, Allegro moderato, begins in operatic fashion. Over the pulsing accompaniement of the inner voices, the cello and first violin sing a restless duet back and forth. The second movement, Andante con espressione, has the quality of an aria, sung by the first violin, Third is a Menuetto un poco vivace, which harks back to the classical minuets of Haydn. The finale, once again exhibits operatic characteristics, much in the way of an overture.
f three which he published. This was common practice because it was generally
We have reprinted 1839 edition, which to our knowledge is the one and only one ever made. As you might expect from a 200 year old piece of sheet music, it is like a modern edition but it is perfectly readable. This is a worthwhile quartet, not at all hard to play and would be interesting in performance as an example of how music was changing in France at this time.
Parts: $24.95
