Presents
Peter Hänsel
String Quartet in C Major, Op.20 No.3
Peter Hänsel (sometimes spelled Haensel, 1770-1831) was born in the town Leppe in what was then Prussian Silesia. He was trained as a violinist and worked in Warsaw and St. Petersburg before obtaining employment in Vienna where he studied composition with Haydn during the 1790’s. Other than two years he spent in Paris during 1802-1803, his entire life was spent in Vienna, working as a violinist and composer. He devoted himself almost exclusively to the genre of chamber music, writing nearly 60 string quartets, 6 string trios, 5 string quintets and works for several other small ensembles. His style remained firmly rooted in the classical era and is closely related to that of his teacher Haydn but he also introduced French and Polish elements into his works, the result of his sojourning in those lands.
Op.20 No.3 is the last of a set of three string quartets published in Vienna by the firm of Artaria around 1810. They were dedicated to the violinist Ignaz Schuppanzigh, the leader of the string quartet which bore his name and introduced most of Beethoven’s string quartets. In four movements, the powerful opening Allegro con brio is richly scored and produces an almost orchestral effect. The second movement, Adagio, is reflective and dreamy. In third place where one would normally find, at least in Vienna, a minuet, Hänsel places a Polonaise. He was quite fond of this dance form and his long years in Poland, helped to make his Polonaises among the very best of their type. The dance has a rustic quality and one can almost imagine the footstomping of peasants. The finale, Allegro molto, is a bit of a show piece for the first violin but there is also a clever fugue inserted midway through.
We have reprinted a copy of the first edition. Here and there you will find a few specks as one might expect of from paper over 200 years old but it is eminently readable. This is an excellent work from the late classical era which can be recommended to both amateurs and professionals.
Parts: $24.95
