Presents
Maddalena Lombardini Sirmen
String Quartet No.5 in F Major, Op.3 No.5-New Edition
Information about Maddalena Lombardini Sirmen (1745-1818) varies depending upon which source one consults. Some list her birth year as 1735 and her year of death as 1799. The spelling of her first name appears differently and often she is referred to only by her maiden name Lombardini, while other times her married name Sirmen is used. What is known for sure is that she was born in Venice to impoverished nobility and sent to one Venice's Ospedale, institutions famous for educating poor girls. She was given violin lessons and adjudged a child prodigy and hence was shipped off to study with Giuseppe Tartini in Padua. Back in Venice, the only way girls could leave an Ospedale was either to become a nun or marry. Lombardini married a violinist Ludovico Sirmen, sometimes spelled Syrmen. She and Sirmen toured throughout Europe for a few years, eventually separating. She then performed by herself as either a violinist or a singer or on occasion both. She retired in 1785.
She was not a prolific composer and the Op.3, a set of six string quartets dating from 1769, were the only ones she ever composed. As such, they are among the earliest string quartets composed, coming less than 10 years after Haydn's Op.1 quartets. They enjoyed considerable popularity throughout the 18th century and were republished in London, Amsterdam, Stockholm and Vienna. Five of the six quartets, including No.5, consist of two movements. In this case, a substantial first movement which begins and ends with a pensive Larghetto section in the minor followed by a lively Allegro. The second movement is a rather original sounding Minuetto. Of note is the fact that the inner parts are not ignored.
| (A) String Quartet No.5---Parts | $19.95 |
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| (B) String Quartet No.5---Parts & Score | $24.95 |
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| (C) Special Offer String Quartet Nos.4-6 Parts | $44.95 |
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| (D) Special Offer String Quartet Nos.4-6 Parts & Scores | $59.95 |
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