Presents
Kaspar Kummer
Quintet in D Major, Op.66
For Flute, Violin, 2 Violas & Cello or Flute & String Quartet
Kaspar Kummer (1795-1870 sometimes Caspar or Gaspard) was born in the German town of Erlau. He was trained as a flutist and was a noted performer on that instrument as well as a composer for it. Although today, very little information is to be had about him, during his life he was quite well-known and his compositions enjoyed a fair amount of popularity. He also worked as a teacher and among his students were Friedrich Kiel and Felix Draeseke. Most of his compositions include the flute.
Kummer's Quintet in D Major for Flute and Strings dates from 183o. In four movements, it opens with a genial and tuneful Allegro non tanto. The second movement is a lovely Adagio which is followed by an appealing Menuetto with a nicely contrasting trio. The finale is a lively, toe-tapping Allegretto con moto. All too often, works of this type are little more than a vehicle for the wind instrument with the strings simply playing an accompanying role. Not so here. The part-writing is extraordinarily fine. Each of the string instruments is given a grateful part and chances to shine, making this one of the very best works of its kind from this era.
The work was originally for an ensemble of flute, violin, 2 violas and cello, a combination for which composers at the time frequently wrote. Today this combination is rare. Hence we created a version which replaces the second viola with a second violin part making it more accessible to modern groups.
| (A) Flute and String Quartet | $29.95 |
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| (B) Flute, Violin, 2 Violas & Cello | $29.95 |
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| (C) All Four Parts | $36.95 |
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