Presents
Franz Krommer
String Quartet in E flat Major, Op.18 No.3-New Edition
“Franz Krommer's Op.18 No.3 String Quartet in E flat Major is the third of a set dating from 1799. It begins with a Vivace. The etude-like main theme consists primarily of scale passages. Krommer takes this ordinary beginning and turns it into something quite interesting. The theme is hardly memorable, but the overall working out of it is excellent. The importance of each part here, vis a vis the thematic material, is entirely equal, and as such,. this cannot be called a concertante movement. Krommer places an Adagio next. Here, the first violin is given most of the thematic material, but again, the other voices are quite necessary to bring it off. An excellent, somewhat muscular, Haydnesque Menuetto, allegretto follows. All four equally take part. The trio section is quite unusual. Typical for Krommer, he takes an etude-like passage and then turns it into something quite special and original. Here, Krommer shows off his expertise in cross string bowing at speed, and the first violinist is required to have a technique to match. The finale, Presto, sports melodies which are memorable and appealing, the part-writing is good and, as always with Krommer, there are many little original and telling touches that make the music very attractive. Structurally, the music resembles the type of which Haydn was fond. However, the music itself anticipates and sounds more like George Onslow. The off beats in the cello are absolutely required to give some idea of the music. There are many original episodes and one can confidently say that this movement alone would justify having Op.18 No.3 played in concert. The Quartet deserves to be heard because it shows what other contemporary and original thinkers were able to accomplish alongside of Haydn and Mozart. And one ought not to ask whose works are better but rather to be thankful that there is yet another composer from this period who could, at times, rise to a very high level and give us works of great originality and freshness”.—–The Chamber Music Journal
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 beame 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.
"Despite the fact that so many of Krommer's String Quartets 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 them, will be amazed how appealing they are."---The famous chamber music critic Wilhelm Altmann, writing in his Handbook for String Quartet Players
Parts: $24.95
