Václav Veit String Quartets Vol.1

[Alan Howe]

...forthcoming from Toccata Classics (scroll down):
https://toccataclassics.com/toccata-pipeline/

IMSLP lists 4 string quartets. Wikipedia has this about the composer:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C3%A1clav_Jind%C5%99ich_Veit

[eschiss1]

Thanks- I'm curious about his quartets, quintets and the symphony too. I may be wrong to be, of course!..., they may be boring (though the parts look at least somewhat interesting to me...) but ---

[Mark Thomas]

Interesting ... a real unsung. I'm always prepared to take a punt like this in the hope of discovering something new and special.

[Alan Howe]

Kudos to Martin Anderson, then.

[Santo Neuenwelt]

This is really great news and about time. I have played all four of Veit's String Quartets, Opp.3, 5, 7 and 16 and have played two of his five string quintets Opp.5 and 29. They are really quite appealing. While we at Edition Silvertrust own the parts to all of these works, we have only made the Op.29, Quintet No.5 available, the reason being there are no recordings and musicians will not take a chance on an unknown unless they can hear the music.

We had an amateur group sight read Op.29 and you can hear, warts and all, soundbites that we recorded from that play through. (http://www.editionsilvertrust.com/veit-string-quintet-5.htm) A play through for Op.5 is planned for next year.

The works are really very good. Robert Schumann in his AMZ gave high praise to these works.

Lastly, Veit (1804-64) never went by the name VACLAV which IMSLP and others are using. He was born a German living in Repnitz, then a German town in Habsburg Bohemia. His name is WENZEL Heinrich Veit (not Vaclav Jindrich Veit) . He went to the German abteilung of Charles University in Prague, studied law, was a respected judge etc and always signed himself Wenzel Veit. His birth certificate and tombstone say Wenzel Veit. Nonetheless, the Czechs have decided to rename him Vaclav in a burst of misplaced and anachronistic nationalism. Ironically, Veit, though German, was happy to use Czech folk melodies which he did before either Smetana or Dvorak.

Certainly the Czechs are justified in using the Czech names of Bohemnian composers of Slav origin such as Anton and Paul Wranitzky (Vranicky) and Franz Krommar (Frantisek Krammar) who Germanized their names when they got to Vienna, but not Veit...

Anyway, this is very good news and as soon as we can get the CD to make soundbites, we will make the parts available over time. I believe you can get the parts on IMSLP from Theo Wyatt's old collection. The quintets can be played with either 2 violas or 2 cellos.

[Alan Howe]

I am merely quoting the form of name used by Martin Anderson's label. Maybe someone should write to him about this?

[Santo Neuenwelt]

Sorry Alan was certainly not accusing you of the misnaming, but just referring to the trend that has taken away his real name and even by sources like IMSLP which ought to know better or be more careful. (They used to call Onslow Georges until we finally with some difficulty convinced them that it was George and not Georges and still some CD labels still call him that)

Anyway, I think it would be a good idea to contact Mr Anderson. Though maybe it is too late. It is just a shame to see someone rechristened in the name of misplaced patriotism...

[Alan Howe]

Here's his contact page at Toccata Classics:
https://toccataclassics.com/contact/

[eschiss1]

IMSLP's policy has generally tended to be, consult VIAF when possible (and when there's enough agreement).

[Alan Howe]

Very nice music indeed:
https://toccataclassics.com/product/wenzel-heinrich-veit-string-quartets-v1/?mc_cid=f9a864e55f&mc_eid=2ffe1271b8
...however, my teeth are on edge again. Could I listen to these original-instrument performances time after time? (And anyway, why does 'on original instruments' have to mean this sort of sound?)

[Mark Thomas]

This one doesn't set my teeth on edge. A must-buy for me. Order is in.

[Alan Howe]

I admit I'm sensitive on this issue. But oh for a tad more vibrato...

[Santo Neuenwelt]

I have not heard the recordings yet. Soon to order though. Original instruments---that is too bad, and also an anachronism. By the time Veit wrote his quartets, "modern" string instruments were in use. The change started around 1810 and certainly by 1830, few if any, performers were using lower bridges, old style fingerboards and bows and strings. Too bad. Same thing happened in the recording of the Reissiger Op.111 quartets. The performers even knew it but made some lame excuses in the jacket notes claiming to justify the use of original instruments. Composers who were alive while this change was taking place, such as Beethoven and Paganini and no doubt Veit and Reissiger, would have preferred to have heard their compositions played on instruments with modern improvements.

I hope, after contacting Mr Anderson, that Toccata used Veit's real name Wenzel Heinrich Veit and not the incorrect (see my earlier post) Czech version. And as for IMSLP using the Czech version, if they were are interested in accuracy, and had done their homework, they would use his correct name. I had the same problem convincing them that Onslow's name was George and not Georges. It is certainly a peculiar standard Eric quotes as to why IMSLP uses the Czech version. Just because lots of other sources are using an historically inaccurate name which the individual himself never used and was never born with does not make the usage right.

[Santo Neuenwelt]

Well done Mr Anderson! I just went to the Toccata site and found they have used Wenzel Heinrich Veit's actual name, the one he was born with and used throughout his life. I am sure if he is looking down or up from someplace, or not, he would be pleased.