Presents
Andreas Romberg
Piano Quartet in d minor, Op.19
Andreas Romberg (1767-1821) was born in the German town of Vechta and studied violin and composition with his father. He became one of the leading virtuosos of his time and with his cousin Bernhard Romberg, a cellist, toured throughout Europe. He eventually took a position at the Bonn Court Orchestra where he met Beethoven. Later in Vienna, he resumed his friendship with Beethoven who arranged for him to give concerts there. He also became a close friend of Haydn. Shortly after 1800, Romberg gave up the life of a touring virtuoso and concentrated on composing, taking up residence in Hamburg where he remained for most of his life. Like most from this era, he was a prolific composer writing many symphonies and operas. As far as chamber music was concerned, he mostly concentrated on writing string quartets and has at least some 30 to his credit. The influence of Haydn upon his chamber music is unmistakable. A review about Romberg's string quartets in the Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung, the prestigious and most important music journal of the time had this to say:
“Not only experts but also a large number of educated amateurs have been spoiled so much by Haydn's and Mozart's quartets that almost nothing more in this genre of music which is not by one of these masters will please them. Given the fact that, especially as concerns the latter, since in the form of a public edition, their admirers have been forced to make eternal repetitions, which in the end will have to make even the most zealous among them sick and tired of them. It is thus a true joy that we can recommend the quartets of Andreas Romberg, which, in every respect, can be heard with pleasure even among the more outstanding ones by Haydn and Mozart.”
For reasons unknown, other than this piano quartet, he did not write chamber music for piano and strings. His Piano Quartet was composed in 1806 and published the following year by the Hamburg firm of Jean August Böhme. We were able to obtain a clean copy of the first and only edition located in Staats und Universitäts Bibliothek which has a large collection of Romberg's music. The work is in three movements. The opening Allegro spirituoso begins with the strings playing a few ominous chords before the piano is given a lengthy turbulent episode. The writing is akin to that of what one hears in Haydn's piano trios, however here, the strings are given a a larger role than they play in Haydn's trios. The middle movement, Larghetto, is calm and stately. The finale, Allegro, is a toe-tapping Mozartean rondo.
We wish to thank the Hamburg SUB for providing us with a copy of this work which was edited by Santo Neuenwelt to make this new edition. As Haydn wrote no piano quartets, this work would certainly be welcome on concert programs where a piano quartet from this era is desired. It can also be recommended to amateur ensembles..
Parts: $34.95
