Presents
Willibald Sommer
String Quartet No.3 in g minor, Op.3
Little information can be found about Bernhard
Willibald Sommer (1846-1935) other than the fact that he was a German composer, violinist
and poet. Sommer and his music, once well-known, have with the exception of one
work, fallen into oblivion. That one work, which occasionally is performed, is
the old German folk song Der Sang ist verschollen, der Wein ist verraucht. (The song
is lost, the wein is gone). However, during the
last half of the 19th century, his chamber music enjoyed
considerable popularity and was well thought of. The famous chamber music critic and scholar Wilhelm Altmann's,
writing of Sommer's chamber music, noted that it was effective to a great extent
because the part-writing was excellent, giving each voice a grateful role to
play. He added that Sommer's thematic material was fresh, pleasing and that his
music, while it did not sound like Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, from a
structural soundpoint showed their influence.
String Quartet No.3 in g minor was composed in 1897 and dedicated to his brother Adolf Sommer. It is in five contrasting movements. The first, an upbeat Allegro moderato, begins with a bang and is full of energy and forward motion. The second movement, Adagio molto, is a kind of Mendelssohnian song without words. Next comes an Allegro, which serves as a buoyant scherzo. The extra movement which comes fourth is marked Kleine Fuge (an ingenious little fugue) and is an Allegretto, finely executed and recalling Bach. The finale, Allegro moderato, is a toe-tapping affair from start to finish.
This quartet is strong enough to be given concert performance, but it is especially recommended to amateur groups looking for a first class work to bring to concert as it preseents no technical difficulties. Like so much else from the Romantic era, this attractive work disappeared after the First World War. We are pleased to reintroduce it
Parts: $24.95
