String Quartet No. 1 (Martinu)
Encyclopedia
String Quartet No.1, (the French Quartet), is a chamber composition by the Czech
composer Bohuslav Martinů
.
form from his childhood. He composed his first quartet, based on the poem Tři jezdci by Czech poet Jaroslav Vrchlický
, at the age of eight. However, Martinů's juvenile works remain forgotten, are now archive material, and it is difficult to reconstruct them. Martinů made his first step into the world of the quartet writing with his "French Quartet". The work was composed in Polička
in 1918. In 1925 Martinů intended to have the composition performed in Paris
, with the Ševčík Quartet
. However, the quartet was not premièred until 1927 in Brno
.
:
The French Quartet, named for the work's Impressionist mood, is influenced by the works of Debussy
and Ravel
. It is the longest of all Martinů quartets. His typical individual style is not yet apparent, but the quartet contains the unquestionable quality and counts among the interesting examples of the composer's early chamber works.
The approximate duration of the work is 36 minutes.
Czech people
Czechs, or Czech people are a western Slavic people of Central Europe, living predominantly in the Czech Republic. Small populations of Czechs also live in Slovakia, Austria, the United States, the United Kingdom, Chile, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Russia and other countries...
composer Bohuslav Martinů
Bohuslav Martinu
Bohuslav Martinů was a prolific Czech composer of modern classical music. He was of Czech and Rumanian ancestry. Martinů wrote six symphonies, 15 operas, 14 ballet scores and a large body of orchestral, chamber, vocal and instrumental works. Martinů became a violinist in the Czech Philharmonic...
.
Background
Martinů was strongly drawn to the string quartetString quartet
A string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string players – usually two violin players, a violist and a cellist – or a piece written to be performed by such a group...
form from his childhood. He composed his first quartet, based on the poem Tři jezdci by Czech poet Jaroslav Vrchlický
Jaroslav Vrchlický
Jaroslav Vrchlický was one of the greatest Czech lyrical poets. He was born Emil Frida, Vrchlický being a pseudonym.He also wrote epic poetry, plays, prose and literary essays and translated widely from various languages, introducing e.g. Dante, Goethe, Shelley, Baudelaire, Poe, and Whitman to...
, at the age of eight. However, Martinů's juvenile works remain forgotten, are now archive material, and it is difficult to reconstruct them. Martinů made his first step into the world of the quartet writing with his "French Quartet". The work was composed in Polička
Policka
Polička is a town on Bohemia-Moravia borderline in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has cca 10,000 inhabitants. It is about 17 km west of Svitavy.- History :Polička was founded in the year 1265 by Bohemian king Přemysl Otakar II...
in 1918. In 1925 Martinů intended to have the composition performed in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, with the Ševčík Quartet
Ševcík-Lhatsky Quartet
The Ševčík-Lhatsky String Quartet was a well-known Czech musical ensemble founded originally as the Ševčík Quartet at Warsaw in 1903, which remained in existence in the 1930s.- Personnel :The founding members of the Quartet were as follows:...
. However, the quartet was not premièred until 1927 in Brno
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
.
Structure
The composition consists of four movementsMovement (music)
A movement is a self-contained part of a musical composition or musical form. While individual or selected movements from a composition are sometimes performed separately, a performance of the complete work requires all the movements to be performed in succession...
:
- 1. Moderato. Alegro ma non troppo
- 2. Andante moderato
- 3. Allegro non troppo
- 4. Allegro
The French Quartet, named for the work's Impressionist mood, is influenced by the works of Debussy
Claude Debussy
Claude-Achille Debussy was a French composer. Along with Maurice Ravel, he was one of the most prominent figures working within the field of impressionist music, though he himself intensely disliked the term when applied to his compositions...
and Ravel
Maurice Ravel
Joseph-Maurice Ravel was a French composer known especially for his melodies, orchestral and instrumental textures and effects...
. It is the longest of all Martinů quartets. His typical individual style is not yet apparent, but the quartet contains the unquestionable quality and counts among the interesting examples of the composer's early chamber works.
The approximate duration of the work is 36 minutes.