Presents
Jan Brandts Buys
'Christmas Quintet' in D Major for Flute, 2 Violins, Viola and Cello, Op.21
Jan Brandts Buys (1868-1933) came from a long line of professional musicians. His father was an organist in the town of Zutphen in the Netherlands where Jan was born. He studied at the Raff Conservatory in Frankfurt and in 1893 settled in Vienna where he got to know Brahms, who along with Edvard Grieg, praised his early works. His piano concerto won an important international prize and such famous artists as Lilli Lehmann often included his songs on the same program with those of Schubert. He was best known for his comic operas such as The Tailors of Schonau and The Man in the Moon, which gained considerable international acclaim. Of the ten chamber music works he wrote, his Quintet for Flute and Strings, composed in 1903, was one of the few performed with any regularity before disappearing shortly after his death.
The Quintet is in four movements and each movement has part of the text from the Nativity Tale, and the three wisemen, which accounts for its nickname. The first movement is marked Einleitung (introduction) and later Pastoral. No tempo marking is given. The text reads "and there were shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock at night." The text to the second movement reads, "and lo!, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone about them." There is not tempo marking, however, it is marked leggiero which one only finds in brisk tempi works. The third movement also has no tempo marking but only the text, "and there came wisemen from the East to worship the child." The finale, like the others, bears no tempo marking, but from the text, "I bring you good tidings of great joy, for unto you is born this day a Savior, one can surmise that the music is upbeat and jovial.
This is a work worth of performance on the concert stage, most certainly during the holiday season, but also whenever. And, it is not beyond the ability of amateurs.
Parts: $29.95
Parts & Score: $39.95
