Presents
Moritz Weyermann
String Quartet in d minor, Op.17
There is almost no information available about
Moritz Weyermann (1832-1888). He was probably born in the German town of
Elberfeld, now part of the city of Wuppertal. The Weyermann family was well to
do. Moritz's grandfather Abraham Weyermann had founded a thriving textile and
dye company. Abraham had three sons, Rudolf, who took over the company upon his
father's death, Franz and Moritz. Franz's son Walther, who was Moritz's nephew,
was a good friend of Johannes Brahms. Brahms visited Walther Weyermann, owner of
Schloss Hagerhoff, in 1896 shortly after attending Clara Schumann's funeral for
a concert in his honor, in which he actually participated. Moritz Weyermann
most likely knew Brahms. He made his name primarily as a composer of songs and
poetry. Today, at least in Germany, Moritz Weyermann is remembered as the
translator of Charles Dickens' Five Christmas Stories and his Christmas Carol.
His String Quartet in d minor, Op.17 dates from around 1870. It was dedicated to his Elberfeld friend Wilhelm Ludwig Simons (1831-1905). The first movement has a substantial Andante introduction which leads to the main part of the movement, a turbulent Allegro ma non troppo. The second movement, Allegretto scherzando, though not so marked is a kind of sad Siciliano. A startly contrasting trio in the form of a jolly dance follows. Next is meditative Adagio. The finale is a nervous and exciting Allegro con spirito.
To this day, Weyermann's lieder are prized and still performed. His string quartet has many original touches for a mid Romantic era work and deserves to be heard in concert but can be warmly recommended to amateurs as it easy to play.
Parts: $24.95
