Presents
Swan Hennessy
String Quartet No.1 'Suite', Op.46
Edward Swan Hennessy (1866-1929) was born in Rockford, Illinois and grew up in Chicago. It is not known where his early music education took place, though presumably it was in Chicago. Some sources suggest he studied at Oxford before attending the Stuttgart Conservatory. He lived in London for several years and finally settled in Paris in 1903. While his earlier works were firmly in the Romantic style a la Schumann, his later works were all influenced by the French Impressionists.
Hennessy composed his String Quartet No.1, which he title 'Suite', in 1912 in Paris where he had then been living for several years. It is clear from the opening movement, Allegro, that he was thinking of the French Impressionists and in particular Debussy. Of the second movement, Adagio, Hennessy wrote that he was striving to create the atmosphere of a calm and warm summer's night. The very romantic Allegretto which follows is an intermezzo. The finale begins Andante sostenuto and eventually leads to a Vivacissimo. Here, he uses two well-known Irish tunes--Sagairt tar teoradh and Molly on the shore.
This is an engaging work, good for concert or home and not at all difficult to play.
Parts: $24.95
