Hänsel: Three String Quartets, Op. 5

Contemporary critics viewed Peter Hänsel (1770–1831) as a principal representative of the "true" quartet school of Haydn and Mozart. Having studied composition with Haydn during the 1790s, Hänsel maintained a relatively conservative compositional stance throughout his career, carrying Haydn’s late style well into the nineteenth century while still managing to develop his own voice. A composer of almost exclusively chamber music, his fifty-eight string quartets stand out as his most significant contributions. The opus 5 quartets in particular represent Hänsel’s debt to Haydn and his mastery of the quintessential Viennese Classical idiom. This edition presents the opus 5 quartets for the first time in a modern edition, providing an important resource for Hänsel scholars and modern performers looking for new Classical-period repertory.

Quartet No. 1 in A Major

  I. Allegro molto

  II. Adagio

  III. Menuetto: Allegretto

  IV. Finale: Presto

 

Quartet No. 2 in E-flat Major

  I. Allegro non troppo

  II. Menuetto: Allegretto

  III. Andante

  IV. Rondo: Allegro

 

Quartet No. 3 in D Major

  I. Allegro vivace

  II. Allegretto scherzo

  III. Adagio cantabile

  IV. Finale: Allegro