String teachers have long turned to the First Album series to fulfill the need for fun, educational first-year solo and ensemble music. Familiar classics and original works are presented, each in elementary first position. All material has been carefully edited and bowed.
First Quartet Album - easy arrangements of 20 classics by Haydn, Beethoven, Schumann, Mozart and more
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Parts only for: 2 violins, viola and cello.
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The composition cost him his sleep. In October 1842, when Schumann had finished his piano quintet in a short period of time, he was physically and emotionally drained. The work in no way reflects this, quite the contrary. “Full of strength and freshness” said Clara Schumann of the new composition, as well as “extremely brilliant and effective.” Even Richard Wagner added his voice to the great wave of admiration. Thus op. 44 soon became one of Schumann's most successful compositions, which today is still a jewel in chamber music literature. If the quartet reminds one of a piano concerto with orchestra in string quartet format at times, this is explained by the fact that it was intended for Clara's repertoire. The work was also dedicated to this brilliant pianist.
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Franz Schubert composed the song “Death and the Maiden” in 1817, and in 1824 used that melody in the theme-and-variations second movement of his String Quartet in D minor D. 810. The song's popularity in the second half of the 19th century was responsible for the string quartet becoming known by the title “Death and the Maiden.” Like all of Schubert's mature chamber music works, it captivates with its technical perfection and high intellectual demands. Very prominent here is Schubert's desire to motivically link the movements together. Oddly enough, the work was neither performed nor published during his lifetime; the incomplete autograph score and the posthumous first edition of 1831 have thus served as the sources for our edition.
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After a twelve-year interval, Dvorák once again turned his attention to the string quartet in summer 1893. He had been musical director in New York since autumn 1892 and spent the summer in Spillville (Iowa) where a group of Czech immigrants had settled, thus making him feel at home. The beautiful natural surroundings led him to write this unconventional string quartet in the tradition of Beethoven's “Pastoral” - even down to the imitation of birdcalls. Since the first performances, certain rhythmic and melodic characteristics have been traced back to the influences of the folk music of Native Americans and African Americans, which led to the soon popular work being called the “American Quartet”. For the first time since 1955, the quartet is once again being published in an Urtext edition.
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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 to Mendelssohn, 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 Score series (HN 9270).
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Pulitzer Prize winning composer George Walker's first string quartet was composed in 1946 after his graduation from the Curtis Institute of Music and debut as a prodigious piano soloist with Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra. The first movement presents strongly contrasting themes in a clearly defined sonata form. The second Adagio movement would later become the basis of Walker's most popular work, Lyric for Strings. The third movement is a large-scaled Rondo which closes with a reflective coda.
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Johannes Brahms's Piano Quintet is not only one of the mightiest works in its genre but a climax in his chamber music oevre. This new volume adopts the definitive text from the New Complete Edition of Brahms's Works.
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“Masterly and full of new ideas”: thus the Swedish ambassadorial secretary Silverstolpe when he first heard these pieces in 1797. Haydn's friend, the music historian Charles Burney, reported in 1799 that he had “never taken greater pleasure in instrumental music.” Our new edition of these six works, including the famous “Emperor Quartet,” follows the text of the complete edition prepared by the Haydn Institute in Cologne. Both the study edition (HN 9214) and the set of parts (HN 214) have highly informative notes on the source materials and alternative readings. Fold-out pages in the parts allow for optimum page turns.
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Leonard Cohen's most recognizable hit arranged for string quartet.
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Rhythmic drive and modal harmonies are just a part of the intrigue of this Beatles classic, known for its revolutionary inclusion of a string quartet with a pop-rock song. Larry Moore gives us a solid arrangement that features the unique blend of the classical and pop-rock style that is Eleanor Rigby's continuing legacy.
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Quartets will love playing this arrangement of what Billboard magazine ranked as the best song from Swift's 2022 album Midnights. Larry Moore's excellent arrangement artfully captures the catchy rhythms and energetic drive of the song that broke the world record for opening-day streaming!
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The five string quartets in this volume are generally designated as Beethoven's “middle quartets,” even though stylistically they do not all build a closed unit. More than three years lie between the inception of the three quartets op. 59 (1806) and the quartet op. 74 (1809/10). In the quartets op. 59, Beethoven sprinkled several Russian folksong themes – an homage to Prince Razumovsky, who had commissioned the works.This is why the pieces are often called the “Russian Quartets.” The next quartet, op. 74 in E flat major, was also given a nickname: thanks to extended pizzicato passages in the first movement, it is frequently called the “Harp Quartet.” The F minor Quartet op. 95, in turn, bears the autograph title “Quartett serioso.” All five quartets are mature masterworks which demand high interpretative and technical mastery.
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Brahms had already composed over 20 string quartets (he confessed to a friend that he had burnt all of that “stuff”) before he finally presented his Opus 51 to the public. In the end only three surviving works managed to withstand his high self-criticism; numerous layers of corrections bear witness to his struggle with each detail. We are now publishing the two passionate dark Quartets op. 51 separately from the rather more lively Opus 67. The basis for this edition is the volume in the New Complete Edition of Brahms' works, published in 2004 by Henle, for which previously missing sources in a Swiss bequest were consulted for the first time.
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Composed December 1933-February 1934, Britten's Simple Symphony was based on material he wrote between the ages of nine and twelve. 18 minutes.
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Every student wants to play the exciting music from this mega-hit film, and Larry's approachable version for strings is certain to be a concert favorite. Solid writing with rhythms, keys and tutti scoring make it a winner. Includes: The Medallion Calls and The Black Pearl.
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When it came to the genre of the string quartet, Beethoven was a relative latecomer. He was already 28 years old when he obtained the contract for the composition of the Quartets opp. 18 from Prince Lobkowitz, and 30 when he completed them. These are mature works that clearly distinguish themselves in their technical demands from, say, those of Mozart's quartets; yet on the other hand, they orient themselves musically on Mozartian practice. The A major Quartet K. 464 obviously served as a model for Op. 18 no. 5. Be that as it may, Beethoven's six Quartets op. 18 are completely autonomous works that are on a par with many of the major contributions to this genre.
In the 1980s, scribal copies – in which Beethoven had presented the quartets to his patron Prince Lobkowitz – once again became accessible. They represent a stage prior to the final version, having richer dynamics and articulation marks that make them interesting from a performance practice point of view. As the autographs of the Six Quartets op. 18 are no longer extant, these manuscripts assume a singular importance. This Henle Urtext edition is the first to take these manuscripts into consideration.
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The study edition complements the parts of the String Quartets op. 20 that have already been published in Henle Urtext (HN 208); a new preface by Christin Heitmann provides illuminating background information. Haydn did not assign the nickname “Sun Quartets”: it alludes to an edition of the time, in which the title page was decorated with a rising sun. The Quartets op. 20 are the last series in a group of earlier string quartets, but are clearly ahead of their time. The demanding fugues which close three of the six quartets are a particular structural feature.
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This extraordinary collection of wedding favorites is the perfect solution for wedding planners looking for just the right music for that upcoming wedding ceremony. The arrangements are appropriate for the string quartet of for strong orchestra. The optional contrabass part provides additional flexibility. Selections include: Aria (Handel); Bridal Chorus (Wagner); Wedding March (Mendelssohn); Trumpet Voluntary (Clarke); Largo from “Winter” (Vivaldi); Rigaudon (Campra); Theme from 1st Symphony (Brahms); March (Mozart); Trumpet Tune (Purcell); Canon (Pachelbel); Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring (Bach); Allegro from “Winter” (Vivaldi).
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Embark on a thrilling musical journey with this accessible string quartet arrangement by Robert Longfield. This captivating medley of themes will bring the magic of dragons to life! With captivating rhythms and mesmerizing melodies, your young string players will soar to new heights! Let the power of dragons captivate your ensemble and create an unforgettable performance!
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This extraordinary collection of wedding favorites is the perfect solution for wedding planners looking for just the right music for that upcoming wedding ceremony. The arrangements are appropriate for the string quartet of for strong orchestra. The optional contrabass part provides additional flexibility. Selections include: Aria (Handel); Bridal Chorus (Wagner); Wedding March (Mendelssohn); Trumpet Voluntary (Clarke); Largo from “Winter” (Vivaldi); Rigaudon (Campra); Theme from 1st Symphony (Brahms); March (Mozart); Trumpet Tune (Purcell); Canon (Pachelbel); Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring (Bach); Allegro from “Winter” (Vivaldi).
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Although Schumann's first attempts at composing for this supreme form of chamber music in 1838-1839 were only fragments, the three String Quartets Op. 41 in A minor, F Major and A Major were written in one go in June/July 1842. At the first private performances the audience was enthusiastic and it was Mendelssohn's praise in particular that occasioned Schumann to dedicate the new works to him. The composer wrote to his publisher in an appropriately confident manner: “Be assured, I have spared no pains in creating something very decent, indeed I sometimes think it is my best”. As is generally known, today Schumann's Opus 41 forms part of the core repertoire for quartet players.
“All three quartets are outstanding in their Romantic fervor and virtuosity...This immaculate urtext edition will be welcomed by quartet players as their text of choice.”--Strings magazine
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