Presents
Franz Weiss
String Quartet No.1 in C Major, Op.1 No.1--New Edition
Franz
Weiss (1778-1830) was born in the province of Silesia. He studied violin with
Gotthard Anton Stolle in Konigsaal near Prague. By the time he arrived in
Vienna, sometime around 1800, he had perfected his technique as a virtuoso
violinist and violist. Some sources indicate that he may have then taken lessons
in composition with Emmanuel Aloys Forster. After arriving in Vienna, he
proceded to give several concerts as a violin soloist which eventually attracted
the attention of Ignaz Schuppanzigh (1778-1830) who invited him to play viola in
an informal string quartet. Some years later, in 1808, at the behest of the
Russian diplomat and chamber music patron Count Andrei Rasumovsky, Schuppanzigh
formed a string quartet which served as the Count’s private house quartet. It
gave concerts on a weekly basis at Rasumovsky’s palace in Vienna. This informal
quartet, as were all such groups at the time, evolved into the first
professional string quartet in Europe. It was the first quartet to give public
subscription concerts. Schuppanzigh, a close friend of Beethoven, to whom he had
given violin lessons, was Beethoven’s obvious choice to premiere his string
quartets, including, of course, the so-called Rasumovsky Quartets which the
Count had commissioned. When Schuppanzigh left Vienna in 1814, a few years
later, Josef Bohm reformed the Quartet in which Weiss again took the role of
violist. When Schuppanzigh returned to Vienna in 1823, he took over the Quartet
again with Weiss as violist. They then premiered all of Beethoven’s Late
Quartets. This in itself gives the Schuppanzigh Quartet historical significance.
Weiss, being the violist of the Quartet, had a front row seat, so to speak. In
addition to his role as violist in Schuppanzigh String Quartet, Weiss frequently
performed in concert as a violin soloist, and also organized quartet concerts in
which he played first violin. While most of his compositions were for chamber
music ensembles, he did write concertos, operas and a symphony
String Quartet No.1 is the first of a set of three which were brought out in 1802 by the famous Viennese music publishing house Kunst- und Industrie-Comptoir, also known as the Bureau d'Arts et d'Industrie. (the Vienna Bureau of Arts and Industry). Between 1802 and 1808, they published more than 40 first editions of Beethoven’s. The Op.1 quartets of Weiss were dedicated to Johann Tost, who had been principal second violinist in the Esterhazy Orchestra which Haydn conducted. Eventually, Tost became a successful Viennese cloth and wine merchant who commissioned works from several Viennese composers including Haydn and Mozart. The Weiss’ Op.1 quartets, though published in 1802, were probably composed around 1800. Though original sounding, they do show the influence of Haydn. The first movement, Allegro, begins with a series of chords reminiscent of the openings which Haydn used in several of his quartets. The music is lively and pleasant. The second movement, dominated by a repeated rhythmic figure in all of the voices, is a stately Adagio. Next comes a lively and original sounding Menuetto, allegro. There is a fetching, dance-like, contrasting trio section in which the melody, given to the first violin, and is played over a pizzicato accompaniment in the other voices.The toe-tapping finale, Poco presto, concludes the Quartet.
Our new edition, complete with rehearsal numbers, is based on the original 1802 published by the Bureau d'Arts et d'Industrie, as you can see from the title page pictured above, and was edited by Nikolaus Hübner. This Quartet deserves concert performance because it is historically important not only because it shows what composers in Vienna other than Haydn and Mozart were doing at the time but also because it is by the violist of the famous Schuppanzigh String Quartet. The Quartet was almost certainly aimed at the home music making market and as such can be recommended to amateurs and professionals alike.
Parts: $29.95
Parts & Score: $38.95
