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Schmitt- string quintet ?

Started by eschiss1, Thursday 17 May 2012, 02:26

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eschiss1

In a discussion of Honegger's first string quartet (1913) in his book "The Music of Arthur Honegger", Geoffrey Spratt compares the quartet to Florent Schmitt (its dedicatee)'s string quintet. Now Schmitt wrote a piano quintet around 1908 or so but this is new to me , if not a typo. Does anyone know ??

Balapoel

No string quintet as far as I know. There is the Suite for quintet (harp, flute, and strings) op. 84, the piano quintet, Op. 51, and a wind quintet (Chants Alizes, op. 125). That said, I don't know opp 111, and 122, so it's possible.

ahinton

Quote from: Balapoel on Thursday 17 May 2012, 03:11
No string quintet as far as I know. There is the Suite for quintet (harp, flute, and strings) op. 84, the piano quintet, Op. 51, and a wind quintet (Chants Alizes, op. 125). That said, I don't know opp 111, and 122, so it's possible.
I'v e never heard of one either. The most comprehensive list of Schmitt's works that I can trace is a http://imslp.org/wiki/List_of_compositions_by_Florent_Schmitt and, whilst opp. 111 & 122 a left undescribed (as though those numbers were either not allotted or they were allotted to pieces that no longer exist and of which we have no details), thee's no reference to a string quintet. The Piano Quintet is one of the finest works in its genre, so I suspect that the reference to a string quintet may have been an error.

eschiss1

Having helped compile (or in some cases, been the sole compiler, when no one else was remotely interested, probably reasonably enough :D ) an IMSLP and Wikipedia worklist or four in my (not so extensive) day, they're put together from bits and pieces - optimally there's a section specifying most of the sources used, but not always.  They are almost always works in progress whether that tag is on the page or no... (and if there is a string quintet by Schmitt, it may not be published, so it may be a missing entry in the works w/o opus number section.)

Ah well. I suspect the piano quintet, composed and published- I think- before Honegger's quartet and able to serve as an influence - was meant too - but did want to be sure. I think I've heard Schmitt's piano quintet- I have seen the score - and agree as to its remarkable (good, I mean) qualities. I have heard Schmitt's string quartet a time or two also (from an LP at the local university library), though not relevant given the time-frame.  But a string quintet, I think, and one fitting that description ("overwritten", hectic, ... - I sometimes find myself very drawn to such things, or music so described- a lot of Vermeulen and Pettersson sometimes fit that description too, perhaps even Sorabji on the first point if not quite as often the second) - would appeal to me  greatly- so I did want to know. Thanks and apologies!!

minacciosa

Florent Schmitt's String Quartet is his op.112.

eschiss1

Yes, from 1949. I'm guessing from context it probably wasn't meant, but...

ahinton

Quote from: eschiss1 on Thursday 17 May 2012, 17:42
Yes, from 1949. I'm guessing from context it probably wasn't meant, but...
Does it have a opus number?

nigelkeay

On that IMSLP page Op. 35 says "for harp", but in fact it's for quintet of string quartet & harp (1906).

Balapoel

Yes, but that's just an andante and scherzo (13 minutes), probably not inspiration for another piece.