Presents
Felice Giardini
Piano Quartet in B flat Major, Op.21 No.2
Giardini's Piano Quartet in B flat Major, Op.21 No.2 was part of a collection of six quartets for keyboard and strings published in 1779, while he was residing in London. Three of the quartets are for Violin, Viola, Cello and Piano, the other three for 2 Violins, Cello and Piano. All are in three movements. Here we have an Allegro, followed by a Grazioso and then an Allegro assai. His chamber music combines the so-called “Style Gallant” with the mid 18th classicism of J.C. Bach and the Mannheim school. In the “Style Gallant”, the writing emphasizes the soloistic qualities of the instruments, rather than the integrated writing of all the parts. The keyboard is no longer merely an accompaning voice as was typical in baroque works but now is given a role equal to that of the strings.
Felice Giardini (1716-1796) was born in Turin. When it became clear that he was a child prodigy, his father sent him to Milan. There he studied singing, harpsichord and violin but it was on the latter that he became a famous virtuoso. By the age of 12, he was already playing in theater orchestras. In a famous incident about this time, Giardini, who was serving as assistant concertmaster during an opera, played a solo passage for violin, the composer Jomelli had written. He decided to show off his skills and improvised several bravura variations which Jomelli had not written. Although the audience applauded loudly, Jomelli, who happened to be there, was not pleased and suddenly stood up and slapped the young man in the face. Giardini, years later, remarked, “it was the most instructive lesson I ever received from a great artist." During the 1750s, Giardini toured Europe as a violinist, scoring successes in Paris, Berlin, and especially in England where he eventually settled. For many years, he served as the concertmaster and director of the Italian Opera in London and gave solo concerts under the auspices of J.C. Bach with whom he was a close friend. He was widely regarded as the greatest musical performing artist before the public. (1755-1770). In 1784, he returned to Naples to run a theater, however, there he encountered financial setbacks. In 1793, he returned to England to try his luck. But times had changed and he was no longer remembered. He then went to Russia, but again had little luck, dying in Moscow in 1796.
While the quartet can stand on its own merits, it is also of historical importance as it illustrates the early classical development of the piano quartet. We have reprinted the first edition.
Parts: $15.95
