SKU: HL.370494

ISBN 9781705147009. UPC: 840126994025.

The First String Quartet in C major, Op. 37, was written in the autumn of 1917 and earned Szymanowski the first prize in a competition organized by the Ministry of Religious and in a competition organized by the Ministry of Religious and Educational Affairs in January 1922. The First String Quartet is notable for its clar and simple construction. The first movement is in the formof a sonata allegro; the Andantino semplice (in modo iuna canzone) in the middle is a cross between ternary and variation form. The final Scherzando alla burlesca also keeps to the form of a sonata allegro. The combinations and proportions of formal factors and the treatment of thematic material betray a fairly conventional adoption of classical models. Similarly, the expressive and structural use of melodic material shows a respect for traditional norms. Szymanowski created, in other works from the same period, his own individual type of melodic line, which was strongly expressive and achieved its effect chiefly by its tonal qualieties; nevertheless in this Quartet he returns to a fluid, cantilena-like, symmetrically shaped melodic line, which runs along in broad phrases of a concentrated, reflective character. Melody becomes the chief factor in the development of the form, both in thematic usage and in the application of a more polyphonic texture. Harmonic and tonal means are considerably simplified in the Quartet []. Most of the writing is linear, or horizontal, with individual treatment of each part, the parallel continuation of the four sound planes, almost a matter of principle. The functions of the particular instruments in realizing these planes are constantly changing,which accounts for the even greater variedy of tone-colour. The decision to forego experiment with forms and sonorities is reflectedin the overall approach to musical expression. The predominant atmosphere of restrained emotion, quiet lyricism and serenity is strongly suggestive of classical aestetic models. (Based on Zofia Helman Commentary on Szymanowski Complete Edition, Vol. B6) (II) The ''Second String Quartet'' represents an interesting attempt to revert to classical form coupled with the new harmonic and tonal vocabulary worked out previously in the ''Slopiewnie'', ''Stabat Mater'' and ''Mazurkas''. It was also the first time the composer had used folk elements in the framework of a major classical form. The ''Second String Quartet'' is in a special category among Szymanowski's works. Though it dates from the composer was still occupied with folk music, it nevertheless shows him returning to classical models, but at the same time using an aesthetic of subjective expression, which gives the work its own individual stamp. The ''Second String Quartet'' synthesis of the various directions in which Szymanowski was attempting to develop. The sonority and texture used in the first.

SKU: OU.9780193583122

ISBN 9780193583122. 12 x 8 inches.

This four-movement work represents the composer's desire 'to write a piece of real chamber music, intimate and conversational in tone, drawing the listener into its worlds'. The result, he writes, 'is a rather inward-looking, reflective work, not without a capricious aspect, but only occasionally raising its voice.'.

SKU: SU.29120020

String Quartet No. 1 is a powerful and harmonically dynamic string quartet in four movements. It mixes both tonal and dissonant musical landscapes in an elegant way. The quartet may also be experienced as a kind of coming-of-age story. After the calm first movement’s confident simplicity of youth, the second movement reflects the increasing complications and conflicts of young adulthood, with fraught exploration, the discovery of possible romance, and new tensions now replacing the youthful calm. The third movement reflects on maturity and the experiences of love and loss, before the finale—a set of complex chromatic fugues—evokes the fight against fate and time to achieve one’s goals in life. The movement’s end briefly recapitulates the first movement, suggesting that ultimately life comes full circle as we see the totality of our experience. As LA Opus music critic, John Stodder, said about this work, The protagonist discovers the presence of life's purpose. String Quartet Duration: 19' Composed: 2019 Published by: Todd Mason.