Piano Quartet in B-flat major (Saint-Saëns)

Not to be confused with the Piano Quartet in E major.

Piano Quartet in B♭ major
Piano quartet by Camille Saint-Saëns
KeyB♭ major
Opus41
ComposedFebruary 1875 (1875-02)
DedicationJules Foucault
PublishedOctober 1875 (1875-10) (Durand)
Movementsfour
Scoring
  • piano
  • violin
  • viola
  • cello
Premiere
Date6 March 1875 (1875-03-06)
LocationSalle Pleyel, Paris
Performers

The Piano Quartet in B♭ major, Op. 41, also known as the Piano Quartet No. 2, was written by Camille Saint-Saëns in February 1875. Dedicated to Jules Foucault, it was premiered on 6 March 1875 in Paris. It has been called one of Saint-Saëns' neglected masterpieces and is in the core repertoire of the piano quartet.

History

Saint-Saëns c. 1880

The Piano Quartet in B♭ major is preceded by a Piano Quartet in E major, which Saint-Saëns had written more than 20 years earlier, but remained unpublished until 1992. The Piano Quartet in B♭ major was written in February 1875, an eventful year that marked his marriage to Marie-Laure Truffot and the birth of his son André, the composition of Le Déluge and the fourth piano concerto, and the premiere of Danse macabre.[1]

The work was dedicated to Jules Foucault and was premiered on 6 March 1875 at Salle Pleyel with the composer on the piano, Pablo de Sarasate (violin), Alfred Turban (viola), and Léon Jacquard (cello). It has been arranged for piano duet by Auguste Horn (1877) and for two pianos by Jules Griset (1910).[2]

Structure

External audio
Performed by the Fine Arts Quartet and Cristina Ortiz
audio icon I. Allegretto
audio icon II. Andante maestoso ma con moto
audio icon III. Poco allegro più tosto moderato
audio icon IV. Allegro

The piano quartet consists of four movements, which are cyclical in nature.[2]

  1. Allegretto
    The first movement features two themes of differing character: the first is more improvisational, interchanging between the piano and the strings, while the second is more lyrical.[1]
  2. Andante maestoso ma con moto
    The slow movement in G minor features a rhythmic motif driven by the piano and a chorale-like motif in the strings developed in fugal lines.[1]
  3. Poco allegro più tosto moderato
    The third movement is a scherzo in rondo form.[1]
  4. Allegro
    The finale is a fantasy-like movement with contrapuntal elements. It references the first theme from the slow movement in the recapitulation, and the two themes of the opening movement in the coda, joined by the chorale-like theme of the slow movement.[1]

Legacy

Jeremy Nicholas has called the Piano Quartet a neglected masterpiece, alongside the Septet and the Violin Sonata No. 1.[3] Today it is part of the standard repertoire of the piano quartet.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Ratner, Sabina Teller (2005). Notes to Hyperion CD Saint-Saëns Chamber Music. London: Hyperion Records. OCLC 61134605.
  2. ^ a b Ratner, Sabina Teller (2002). Camille Saint-Saëns, 1835–1922: A Thematic Catalogue of his Complete Works, Volume 1: The Instrumental Works. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 170–172. ISBN 978-0-19-816320-6.
  3. ^ Nicholas, Jeremy. "Camille Saint-Saëns". BBC Music Magazine. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2021.