Presents
Henri Marteau
String Quartet No.2 in D Major, Op.9
Henri Marteau (1874-1934) was born in the French city of Reims. It was said that as a boy of 5, he was presented with a toy violin by Paganini’s only student, the virtuoso Sivori. He took private lessons from Hubert Leonard, head of the violin department at the Paris Conservatory and soon became one of the leading soloists of his time. Later he taught at the Geneva Conservatory and was appointed as Joseph Joachim’s successor at the Hochschule for Musik in Berlin. Besides his solo work, Marteau was a strong advocate of chamber music, frequently taking part in chamber music concerts and a great number of his compositions are for chamber ensembles. He was friends with many of the leading personalities of his time, including Brahms, Reger and many others.
Marteau's String Quartet No.2 dates from 1905 and was finished shortly after his first quartet. The influence of his friend Max Reger is often apparent throughout the work. The opening movement, Moderato, quasi andante, begins in a lyrical, romantic vein with a cello solo before the other join in. Densely scored, tension is slowly built. The music comes closer to Richard Strauss here than Reger. The second movement, a Scherzo, is playful and teasing but there is also an underlying sense of restlessness. In third place is a wayward, vaguely sad Andante sostenuto. The finale, Allegro con fuoco, is a bit of a misnomer at least at first, Although there is plenty of action and excitement, the fire does not show up for quite some time.
This is another highly original and riveting early modern work which truly deserves concert performance where it is sure to make an indelible impression. Though not a work for beginners, it is in not way beyond experienced amateur players. Out of print for more than half a century, we are very pleased to make it available once again and hope that players will give it a chance.
Parts: $24.95
Parts & Score: $33.95
