String Quartet No. 1 (parts/score) by Charles Ives
Preface by J. Peter Burkholder, published by Peer Music
Charles Ives (1874-1954) was the first American composer to gain international recognition. He was a maverick of his time, forging a highly original style and introducing modernist concepts and techniques in his music that would become commonplace much later in the century. His music is intellectual, yet experimental and instinctive, often drawing from hymn tunes and popular music. Largely ignored during much of his career, he is now regarded as one of the greatest American composers who ever lived.
His String Quartet No. 1 (1898-1902) began its life as an early organ work from 1896, inspired by several hymn tunes. During his studies at Yale, he was evidently inspired from his studies of the Germanic string quartet style to return to this work and rework it for string quartet. The quartet is anything but traditional, though--the Germanic style is met with Americanized hymn-tunes, bitonality, and piquant, modernist voice-leading--virtually non-existent at the time. This definitive edition includes score, parts, and a scholarly preface discussing the piece, its origins, and performance practice. For advanced players.
