String Quartet in C-sharp minor op. 131. Many anecdotes surround String Quartet op. 131: Beethoven is said to have considered it to be his finest quartet and of his late period works, the one dearest to his heart. It is also believed that the composer invested so much of himself in it: his ailing health, the social isolation brought about by his deafness and the suicide attempt of his nephew Karl. In addition it was reported that Franz Schubert asked to hear this piece once more on his deathbed. Even if these anecdotes are not all true, they reveal what generations of musicians felt they heard in this quartet: Beethoven?s most personal musical idiom and a vulnerable message from the final period of his life. This new edition by Jonathan Del Mar represents a thorough revision of this highly complex work. Meticulously incorporated are Beethoven?s pencil markings that were previously almost completely ignored.

This new scholarly-critical edition of String Quartet Op.127 the first of Beethoven’s late quartets follows upon Urtext publications of Opp.18 59 74 and 95.Once more the editor is the renowned Beethoven authority Jonathan Del Mar. All surviving sources have been consulted including sketches to clarify the conflicting readings in the autograph. Not only has Del Mar reconstructed Beethoven’s original beaming phrasing articulation and length of crescendo hairpins he has also corrected wrong notes that have taken hold in editions published over the years and has supplemented missing notes.Urtext edition at the cutting edge ofscholarship with detailed separate Critical Commentary (Eng)Parts ideally laid out for performance purposesParts (BA9029) & study score format 22.5 x 16.5cm (TP929) available for saleAlready published: String Quartets Op.18 BA 9016 parts TP 916 study scoreString Quartets Op.59 BA 9017 parts TP 917 study scoreString Quartets Opp.74 95 BA 9018 parts TP 918 study score

String Quartet in a minor op. 132-The heart of Beethoven?s Quartet op.132 is the ?Holy song of thanksgiving? in which Beethoven takes up old counterpoint techniques and Gregorian simplicity. In this unusuallybeautiful and well preserved manuscript Beethoven generously makes the most of the space on its pages. The lavish four colour printing allows the composer?s occasionally unconventional manner of notation to come to life. Itpermits a unique insight into the creative process which continued after it had been written down in the form of multiple additions and changes. The edition is rounded off with a preface by the pianist András Schiff withwhose generous support this valuable facsimile was made possible.

The E-Flat Major String Quartet Op. 127 is a key work not only in Beethoven’s oeuvre but in the entire history of the genre. The first of the late quartets it 'transfers the formal and symbolicaspects of his two major works for Chorus and Orchestra [the Missa solemnis and the Ninth Symphony] to the more intimate domain of chamber music' (William Kinderman). For years music lovers have been waiting for a new editionbased on the scholarly text from the new Beethoven Gesamtausgabe. The wait has paid off! The highly complex source situation was examined for the first time and thus Beethoven’s 'final intentions' are nowavailable in an urtext edition. The set of parts (HN 740) and the score (HN 9740) both come with a detailed preface and editorial notes.

The 1st & 3rd Position String Quartet series offers excellent training material for String Quartet using only 1st & 3rd positions throughout.This volume features three works from the classical era skillfully arranged for String Quartet - Beethoven's Minuet in G (from Six Minuets) Mozart's Sleigh Ride (German Dance No.3) and Pleyel's Sonatina No.3 (from Opus 48).