In autumn 1895 after returning from New York once and for all Dvo ák took up his former position as teacher at the Prague Conservatory. This clearly had an inspiring impact on him because in the space of just four weeks hecomposed a new string quartet in G major. Together with the Quartet in A-flat major op. 105 it forms a glorious close to his chamber music oeuvre. Echoes of Bohemian folk music are here mixed with cantabile themes while hismotivic working shows him to be a master at the height of his powers. Even today it seems almost as if we can feel the composer?s satisfaction with this work: ?I am working so easily and it is going so smoothly that I could notwish it better?.

Quoting Saxton: My Fantazia for String Quartet was complete in December 1993 in response to a commission from the London International String Quartet Competition for a test piece for the 1994 competition. Funds were provided bythe John S Cohen Foundation.The title gives the clue to the nature of the music: the viol fantasia was the chosen form of composition for the greatest English composers of the mid-seventeenth century Lawes Jenkins Ferraboscoin particular. They inherited the techniques of vocal polyphony from Byrd and Gibbons and forged a new instrumental polyphonic style. The culmination of this genre was reached in the magnificent works of Henry Purcell around1680 and it was Purcell who adopted the spelling ‘Fantazia’.I have always loved this music and when asked to write a short piece for strings I decided to pay tribute to this under-rated tradition. Most fantazias consistedof short joined sections and I have expanded this to create and eight-minute piece in three larger sections the essence being contrapuntal interplay and equality of part-writing. (Any idea of stylistic reference would be absurdion the late twentieth century). The first section is a lyrical allegro moderato which leads into a sustained and intense slow movement; this in turn gives way to a final quick section of a dancing character a featurefrequently encountered in Purcell’s own consort pieces.

The string quartet is generally considered as the chamber-music genre of the classical era: invented by Haydn elaborated by Haydn and Mozart and brought to its compositional peak by Beethoven. All later quartet composers had to measure themselves against the works of these three masters. This applies first and foremost toMendelssohn who has always been called a “classical romantic.” His Quartet in a minor op. 13 in particular is said to have strong Beethovenian stylistic traits. It was composed in late summer and fall 1827 shortly after Beethoven’s late quartets appeared in print works that Mendelssohn was no doubt familiar with. The Quartet in E flat major op. 12 was written two years later during Mendelssohn’s first tour of England.A textually identical score of the two quartets is published in Henle’s Study Scores series (HN 9270).

This fantastic short medley will make an addition to any Christmas concert. A third violin part has been included so the quartet can be performed by groups with no viola player. Contains: Jingle Bells Silent Night and Joy To The World.

May be performed in traditional Western string quartet configuration or as a quartet of Persian Kamanche. Full performance and tuning instructions included. Premiered in the US and Europe.

Anne Boyd's String Quartet No. 3 was commissioned for Musica Viva Australia by Geoff Stearn. It was premiered by Orava String Quartet Huntington Estate Music Festival 29th November 2015. This work is dedicated in memory to the late composer Peter Sculthorpe.

for String Quartet-Eine kleine Nachtmusik (K.525) (Urtext).str qrtParts(parts for String Quartet)

Described by its composer as ???a fantasia??? Carl Vine???s dramatic String Quartet No.5 (2007) contains six clear sections but like much of his music is cast in one continuous movement. There is some repetition and development of material throughout the 22-minute work (which has been recorded by the Goldner String Quartet on ABC Classics) but this is less important to its structure than the vivid musical contrasts which delineate its formal arc.

Score-The years from 1935 to 1950 were difficult ones for Elliot Carter. Wide recognition came only in 1951 when he was forty-three with this work The First String Quartet. This work features diversified textures dramatic passages and several string solos and duets in each movement. Duration: 40 minutes.

Following a commission from BBC Bristol in 1992 Szymanski's Five Pieces For String Quartet was premiered in the autumn of 1992 by the Brodsky Quartet and subsequently recorded by them in 1994 on the Silva Classics label.