Presents
Wenzel Heinrich Veit
String Quartet No.1 in d minor, Op.3
His String Quartet No.1 in d minor dates from 1834. The main theme to the opening Allegro moderato is first introduced by the cello but quickly picked up by the rest. It is a lively and dramatic affair showing the influence of Onslow. The second movement, Menuetto, allegretto, is charming and slightly sad. The trio section is bright and lively and a bit faster than the minuet. Third comes an Andante marked Theme Russe. The theme is, in fact, the then at the time newly composed Russian National Anthem, God save the Tsar, by Alexei Lvov. It is followed by four effective variations. The finale, Presto agitato, opens in very dramatic fashion and the main theme is a responsion between the first violin and cello. The lovely second subject is more lyrical.
Wenzel Heinrich Veit (1806-1864) was born in Repnitz, at the time a German town in the Bohemian part of the Habsburg Empire. Until recently, he was ignored by the Czechs who have suddenly claimed him as one of theirs and have "baptized" him with the Czech version of his name Vaclav Jindrich Veit. Veit attended Charles University in Prague and studied law. He pursued a dual career of lawyer and judge as well as composer, mostly in Prague, although for a short time he held musical directorships in Aachen and Augsburg. Although he he wrote a symphony, most of his works are either for voice or chamber ensembles, including 4 string quartets and 5 string quintets which were highly praised by Robert Schumann. The reason Veit and his music were ignored by the Czechs was two fold. First, because he was an ethnic German. But Veit was not a German nationalist. To the contrary, he supported an independent Bohemia, took the trouble as an adult to master the Czech language and wrote many songs in Czech using Czech folk melody. The second reason his music was ignored was that it did not sound Slavic enough. But this ignores the time period in which he wrote which was before the Czech national awakening. The Wranitzkys, Krommer, Vanhal and many others all moved to Vienna and there is nothing particularly Slavic about their music either, but now they all have been repatriated as Czechs in good standing. They, however, were at least ethnic Czechs. But the truth with regard to Veit is that he was the most important Bohemian writer of chamber music before Dvorak. And, he did use Czech folk music in some of his works. What is unfair is that now, even English sources (such as Wikipedia) wrongly refer to him by the Czech version of his name. A name he never used and which does not appear either on his baptismal certificate or gravestone. But music surmounts petty nationalism and we can all enjoy his fine compositions.
This exciting work, which if performed in concert would bring the house down, has long been out of print we are pleased to make it available once again. We have reprinted the original and only edition but have added rehearsal numbers. We warmly recommend it to both professonals and amateurs.
Parts: $24.95
