Chadwick: String Quartets Nos. 1–3

George Whitefield Chadwick (1854–1931) is one of the most important American composers of the second half of the nineteenth century. His five string quartets must be regarded as a major contribution to the repertoire of chamber music in general, but particularly to the corpus of American music after 1870. The first two quartets were written in 1878 and 1879, respectively, while Chadwick was still a student at the Leipzig conservatory. The third quartet, dedicated to the composer Arthur Foote, a colleague and friend of Chadwick's, was finished in 1886.

 

As a student Chadwick had already emphasized the importance of a personal familiarity with string instruments for composing. Contact with outstanding performers like the famous Kneisel Quartet provided a further stimulus to Chadwick's chamber music production. Although his student works already show an astonishing individuality in construction and sonority, none of the first three quartets was printed during his lifetime. The practical difficulty of gaining access to scores and parts, which has discouraged performers from playing and experiencing the music, will be solved by this edition, which will make the quartets publicly available for the first time.

String Quartet No. 1 in G Minor

I. Allegro con brio

II. Andante non troppo lento

III. Menuetto: Poco vivace

IV. Finale: Allegro ma non troppo

 

String Quartet No. 2 in C Major

I. Andante; Allegro con brio

II. Andante espressivo ma non troppo lento

III. Scherzo: Allegro risoluto ma moderato

IV. Finale: Allegro molto vivace

 

String Quartet No. 3 in D Major

I. Allegro di molto

II. Tema con variazioni: Adagio

III. Allegretto semplice

IV. Finale: Allegro vivace