Presentation: Leo Samama
George Whitefield Chadwick, like Arthur Foote, was a prominent teacher and organiser of the American music life, particularly on the east coast, in the state of Massachusetts. Chadwick wrote five string quartets, of which the String Quartet No. 4 in E minor from 1896 is particularly worth studying. The second movement (Andante semplice) is clearly based on the church hymns that were so popular in New England.
Charles Griffes was a generation younger than Chadwick, studied in Berlin and made a name for himself with orchestral works such as The Pleasure-Dome of Kubla-Khan and The White Peacock in the last years of his short life. The first part of the Two Sketches Based on Indian Themes for string quartet is based on a farewell song of the Chippawa Indians, and the second is a reflection of a Hopi celebration.
In the Quartet in one movement, Amy Beach uses Inuit melodies from Alaska, like the Summer Song from the first movement.
George Chadwick – String Quartet No. 4 in E minor
1. Andante moderato, 2. Andante semplice, 3. Giocoso, un poco moderato, 4. Finale. Allegro molto risoluto
Performers: Kohon String Quartet
CD: Vox
Charles Griffes – Two sketches based on Indian Themes
1. Lento e Mesto, 2. Allegro giocoso
Performers: Kohon String Quartet
CD: Vox
Amy Beach – String Quartet in one movement, Op. 89
Performers: The Lark Quartet
CD: Arabesque Recordings
