Presents
Cyril Scott
Piano Quartet in e minor, Op.16
Cyril Scott (1879-1970) was born in Oxton, England not far from Liverpool. He showed a talent for music from an early age and was sent to the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt where he studied with Ivan Knorr. He worked primarily as a pianist and composer and was regarded as a late romantic composer, whose style was at the same time strongly influenced by impressionism. Some called him the English Debussy. Scott wrote around four hundred works and kept composing until three weeks before his death at age 91. Though he was considered one of England’s leading composers during the first two decades of the twentieth century, by the 1930’s as tastes changed, he was all but forgotten. By the time of his death, he was only remembered for a few popular pieces that he had composed over sixty years before.
His Piano Quartet in e minor, Op.16 dates from 1903. It is a relatively short work, consisting of four concise movements. There is little or no evidence of his infatuation with Impressionism, but rather it sounds as if he was still under the influence of the German romantics. One feature of the work is the doubling and even tripling of the melodic line, especially in the strings so that there are several unisono episodes The first movement, Allegro maestoso e con spirito is fresh and lilting. An expressive Andante molto espressivo makes a good impression. The third movement, Allegro amabile, muted in the strings, though not so marked, is an updated, quite striking intermezzo. The lively finale, Allegro non troppo, brings the quartet to an end.
It is pleasant both to hear and to play as it presents nothing out of the ordinary as to technical problems and as such would do well in concert and can also be recommended to amateurs..
Parts: $34.95
