Presents
Franz Krommer
String Quartet in G Major, Op.23--New Edition
Op.23 in G Major was composed sometime between 1797 and 1799 and was published a few years later in Vienna around 1803. At the time, it was the general practice of composers to compose and publish their quartets in either sets of three or more commonly six, for example Haydn’s Op.76 or Beethoven’s Op.18. And, in fact, nearly all of Krommer’s seventy plus string quartets were published in sets of three, and as was the standard practice, dedicated to an important person such as a duke, a prince or baron. But the Op.23 quartet appeared by itself and was dedicated to no one, a sign that Krommer was particularly proud of this work and it is, in fact, a first rate quartet on a par with any of those from the time coming out of Vienna before 1800. In four movements, it opens with an engaging and upbeat Allegro con brio, brimming with good spirits. Next comes a Menuetto, allegretto, interesting by virtue of its emphasis on the third beat of each bar. The trio is particularly effective. The work concludes with a Rondo moderato which begins with a fetching, toe tapping, finger snapping theme, but the second subject is a more robust, thumping Hungarian style tune, which reflects the many years Krommer spent in Hungary working as music director for several Hungarian princes.
Writing of Franz Krommer’s string quartets in his Handbook for String Quartet Players, the famous critic Wilhelm Altmann has this to say: “When it comes to string quartets, few composers, Haydn being one, wrote more of them than Franz Krommer. Despite the fact that so many of these works were treasured by amateurs and professionals alike during his lifetime and long afterward, today few have even heard of him and fewer yet have heard his string quartets. Unfortunately, there have been virtually no new editions of these works. However, whomever takes the trouble to get acquainted with these wonderful string quartets will be amazed how appealing these Haydnesque works are. Mostly written in concertante style, all of the instruments are given solos while the others accompany them. The first violin part, in particular, always has charming passages with clever embellishments. And every violinist can learn something from Krommer, who himself was an excellent violinist. Krommer knew how to write for string instruments and was often able to achieve some very brilliant effects.”
Franz Krommer (1759-1831) was born in town of Kamnitz then part of the Habsburg Austrian Empire (today Kamenice in the Czech Republic) It had a mixed population of Germans and Czechs and though baptized František Vincenc Kramář by the time he was 15, Krommer began using the Germanized version of his name for the rest of his life, the name by which he became known to the world. Krommer was one of the most successful composers in Vienna at the turn of the 18th Century. His reputation was attested to by the fact that his works were frequently republished throughout Germany, England, France, Italy, Scandinavia and even the United States. According to several contemporary sources he was regarded with Haydn as the leading composer of string quartets and as a serious rival of Beethoven. Krommer was a violinist of considerable ability who came to Vienna around 1785. For the following 10 years he held appointments at various aristocratic courts in Hungary. He returned to Vienna in 1795 where he remained until his death, holding various positions including that of Court Composer (Hofmusiker) to the Emperor, Franz I, an enthusiastic quartet player. He was the last composer to hold this august title and one of his duties was accompanying the Emperor on his various campaigns so that he could relax in the evenings playing quartets. There are more than 300 compositions which were at one time or another published, much of which is chamber music. He wrote more than 70 string quartets, 35 quintets, perhaps as many as 15 string trios, but also several works for winds and strings.
This work would do well in concert and would make a welcome substitute for the inevitable Haydn and amateurs will get great pleasure from it as well. Our new edition was carefully edited by Santo Neuenwelt and based on the original and only edition by Giovanni Cappi in Vienna in 1803.
Parts: $24.95
Parts & Score: $33.95
