Presents
Franz Krommer
String Quartet in B flat Major, Op.90 No.3
Krommer's String Quartet in B flat Major, Op.90 No.3 is the last of a set of three dating from 1813. Krommer, who was by then 54, and while he did not entirely abandon the late Viennese Classical style, nevertheless, his style had advanced in several ways and it would be fair to say that it was the harbinger of the emerging early Romantic movement. The opening movement, Allegro, opens with a big flourish which gives way to a march like main theme with a vaguely military flavor. It is the development sections which are more lyrical. The second movement is a stately, sedate, singing Adagio. The middle section features a dramatic dialog between the first violin and cello. A bright and lively Menuetto, allegretto comes next. Triplets dominate the more relaxed trio section. The finale is marked, Allegretto, but this only refers to the tempo and not the very dramatic mood created by the heavy, somewhat ominous drum-beat pounding in the lower voices over which the first violin presents an exciting theme full of energy and forward drive.
Franz Krommer (1759-1831) 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 the U.S. According to contemporaries, he was regarded along with Haydn as the leading composer of string quartets and as a serious rival of Beethoven. Krommer was a Czech 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. There are more than 300 compositions which were at one time or another published, much of which is chamber music. Wilhelm Altmann, in his Handbook for String Quartet Players writes that "Krommer knew how to write for string instruments and as a result what he wrote sounds brilliant."
We have reprinted an early edition which is both readable and performable, though it does not compare, of course, to a new edition.
Parts: $24.95
