Presents
Virgil Thomson
String Quartet No.1 in G Major
Virgil Thomson (1896-1989) was born in Kansas City, Missouri. There he studied organ after which, he attended Harvard University. Subsequent to his graduation, he traveled to Paris where he studied with Nadia Boulanger. He then settled in Paris where he lived from 1925 to 1940 before returning to the United States.He is often credited, along with Aaron Copeland, with having pioneered the so-called American sound. He composed two string quartets, both in 1931, while he was in France. He was influenced by several of the composers known as Les Six, including Germaine Tailleferre, Darius Milhaud and Francis Poulenc.
His String Quartet No.1 was completed while he was living in Villefranche sur mere near Nice. It opens with an Allegro moderato. The thematic material combines the French modernism as characterized by Les Six with more traditional tonalities. The Adagio which follows is lyrical with just a touch of dissonance here and there. The mood is melancholy but not funereal. Next is a Tempo di Valzer. It is, as the movement title suggests, a waltz. It starts off in a traditional manner but slowly morphs into a modernistic approach. The finale begins with a lengthy Lento introduction which eventually leads to the main section, a Presto. The music of the Lento recalls that of the second movement. Listening to the Lento, one does not get the impression much is happening or is going to happen. It is rather like what one might have sitting in a movie theater watching film and deciding in the middle that it is a better use of time to leave than to stay. However, if one stays, one gets to hear the superb Presto, which is first rate and well worth staying for.
Parts: $24.95
