Presents
George Onslow
String Quintet No.17 in b minor, Op.40
For Two Separate Combinations: See Below
Although the first 3 of Onslow's string quintets were for the standard 2 violins, 2 violas and cello, thereafter, his quintets, with the exception of his last three, were for 2 cellos and one viola. He often added an an alternate viola part in lieu of the first cello allowing the work to be performed as a viola quintet as well. During his lifetime, Onslow, above all, was known as the composer of string quintets for 2 violins, viola and 2 cellos. With the exception of Boccherini, all of the other major composers before him, including Mozart and Beethoven, wrote string quintets for 2 violins, 2 violas and cello. (Schubert's great work remained undiscovered until 1850 and unknown for another decade after that.) Schumann and Mendelssohn ranked Onslow's chamber music with that of Mozart, Beethoven and Haydn. George Onslow (1784-1853), certainly illustrates the fickleness of fame. He was born the son of an English father and French mother. His 36 string quartets and 34 string quintets were, during his own lifetime and up to the end of the 19th century, held in the highest regard, particularly in Germany, Austria and England where he was regularly placed in the front rank of composers. His work was admired by both Beethoven and Schubert, the latter modeling his own 2 cello quintet (D.956) on those of Onslow and not, as is so often claimed, on those of Boccherini. As tastes changed after the First World War, his music, along with that of so many other fine composers, fell into oblivion and up until 1984, the bicentennial of his birth, he remained virtually unknown. Since then, his music, to the delight of players and listeners alike, is slowly being rediscovered, played and recorded. Onslow’s writing was unique in that he was successfully able to merge the drama of the opera into the chamber music idiom perfected by the Vienna masters.
String Quintet No.17, Op.39 in b minor dates 1831 and is the last work from the composer's middle period. It enjoyed considerable popularity throughout the 19th century and was often performed. It was dedicated to the violinist Johann Friedrich Eck (1767-1838) who had been active in Paris while Onslow had been studying there with Anton Reicha around 1808. Eck had been leader of the famous Mannheim Orchestra, was the teacher of Lousi Spohr and had enjoyed a solo career. The work is in b minor, which was an unusual choice for Onslow and one which his models, Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven generally avoided. The opening Allegro risoluto is exciting and very dramatic, featuring some virtuosic passages in the first violin part.. The second movement, marked Menuetto presto, is not a minuet but a rousing scherzo, hard driving and full of forward motion and rhythmic shocks. Next comes an Adagio cantabile in which the thematic material is only revealed like a slow motion video of a flower unfolding. The finale, Allegretto, has a wayward melody over which the first violin and then the others play rapid passages which create a nervous mood.
Long unavailable with no modern reprint, we have reprinted a very readable copy of the first edition. The work would make a good impression in concert.
| (A) 2 Violins, Viola & 2 Cellos-Parts | $29.95 |
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| (B) 2 Violins, 2 Violas & Cello-Parts | $29.95 |
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| (C) All Six Parts | $36.95 |
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