String Quartet No. 3 (Hill)

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Alfred Hill composed his String Quartet No. 3 in A minor "The Carnival", Stiles 1.2.3.3 SQ3, [1] in 1912, [2] while he was a member of the Austral String Quartet. [3] The manuscript score is preserved in the National Library of Australia. [4] In 1955, Hill transformed the quartet into his Symphony No. 5. [3] [5] The quartet is composed in four movements with an average duration of 20 minutes. [6]

Contents

Background

Born in 1870 in Australia (and raised in New Zealand), Alfred Hill was brought up in a rich musical environment; his father was both a hatter and a skilled violinist who often encouraged singing in the household. [7] Hill began playing cornet and toured with the Simonsen Opera Company before switching to violin and viola as his primary instruments. [7] He went on to study at Leipzig Conservatory in 1887, studying violin under Hans Sitt and composition under Gustav Schreck. [7] Additionally, he studied under music scholar Oscar Paul, who, alongside nationalist composers like Dvořák, likely influenced Hill's fascination with the Māori music he incorporated into much of his compositions. [8]

Hill was heavily involved in chamber music performance, serving as a member of the Staell String Quartet from 1897-1899, the Austral String Quartet from 1911-1913 (during which time his String Quartet No. 3 was written), and the Conservatorium String Quartet from 1923-1933. [9] While Hill composed 17 string quartets across his career, Nos. 1, 2, and 11 were most frequently performed and were the only ones published in his lifetime. [9] His first three string quartets were composed by 1914, and the others from 1918-1938, many of which were later recomposed as symphonies, with form, melody, and harmony remaining largely unchanged in the recompositions. [10] His String Quartet No. 3 was recomposed in 1955 as his Symphony No. 5 in A minor, "The Carnival," in which the slow movement and the scherzo are in the opposite order compared to the string quartet. [3] [11]

Analysis

The title "Carnival or A Student in Italy for String Quartet" appears on the front page of the manuscript. [4] The quartet is in four movements (discrepancies in titles exist between sources; the alternative titles listed below are found in the Allan Stiles catalogue of Hill's music [1] and in the manuscript score held in the National Library of Australia [4] ):

I. In the streets. Allegro con fuoco [12]

(Alternative titles: In the Streets — A Merry March [1] / In the Streets [4] )

The first movement is in sonata form. [13] Across his 17 string quartets, Hill uses a standard treatment of sonata form in outer movements, sometimes with an added slow introduction. [13] The primary theme is introduced by the first violin in the key of A minor (i) and is declamatory in style. [13] The contrasting secondary theme in C major (III) is lyrical and is also introduced by the first violin. [13]

II. Andantino [12]

(Alternative titles: In the Studio — Serious Moods [1] / Away from the Madding Crowd [4] )

The second movement is in rounded binary form (ABA1). [13] The A section appears in D major (I), the B section goes into E minor (ii) and A major (V), and the repeated A section returns back in D major (I). [13] The first violin introduces the melody and carries the bulk of the melodic material throughout the movement, with a full chordal texture in the accompaniment and short countermelodies. [6]

III. Scherzo [12]

(Alternative titles: In the Country — Dances on the Green [1] / Dancing on the Green [4] )

The third movement is the ternary form of a scherzo and trio, with the scherzo section in A major (I) and the trio section in D major (IV), returning to the scherzo and a short coda in A major (I). [13] Again, the melody is introduced by the first violin, then is passed through the ensemble within the scherzo, first to the second violin, then to the viola and cello in octaves. [6] Within the trio section, the melody is shared between the two violins. [6]

IV. Finale. Allegro moderato [12]

(Alternative titles: Finale — The Carnival [1] / Carnival — Procession of Priests — The Street Singer [4] )

The fourth movement is in sonata form. [13] Hill uses the same key structure as in the first movement, with the primary theme in A minor (i) and secondary theme in C major (III). [13] The primary theme (introduced by both violins) is folk-like, and the secondary theme (introduced by the first violin) is lyrical. [13]

Reception and legacy

Some of Hill's string quartets, such as his String Quartet No. 2 in G minor, were premiered by the Austral String Quartet, of which Hill was a member at the time. [8] Outside of these performances, spanning from 1939-1959, there were four public concerts consisting entirely of Hill's work. [14] Additionally, with the foundation of the Australian Broadcasting Company in 1939, Hill's music became more widely heard, though only a very limited selection of his work was aired. [14]

The complete 17 string quartets were not recorded until 2008-2015, when the Dominion String Quartet released the complete set under the NAXOS label, suggesting that they have not been very well-known. [15] The Dominion String Quartet's recording of Quartet No. 3 (released along with recordings of Hill's first two quartets) is just over 20 minutes in duration. [6]

Editions

Recordings

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String Quartet No. 1 in B-flat major "Maori Quartet", Stiles 1.2.3.3 SQ1 is the first of Alfred Hill's seventeen string quartets. Its composition began before 1892, it was completed after 1896 and premiered only on 18 May 1911 in Sydney.

String Quartet No. 2 in G minor "A Maori Legend in Four Scenes", Stiles 1.2.3.3 SQ2, often called "Maori Quartet", was composed by Alfred Hill in 1907–1911 and premiered immediately in 1911. It is dedicated to Earnest [sic] Wunderlich — "in slight appreciation". The first two quartets were published together by Breitkopf & Härtel in 1913. Each of them used to be referred as Maori, a feature that can lead to confusion. Today the first one is called Maori, while for the second the longer subtitle is retained.

Symphony No. 1 in B-flat major, Stiles 1.3.4.1 Sy1, the so-called Maori Symphony, is the first symphony by Alfred Hill. Its first three movements were completed by 1898, but the last movement remained unfinished. This may have been the second symphony composed in the Antipodes. The first two movements of this symphony are the only symphonic movements by Hill not to be arranged from his earlier chamber music. The Finale was reconstructed by Allan Stiles, and the whole symphony got its first performance in 2007. The approximate duration is 40 minutes.

String Quartet No. 4 in C minor, Stiles 1.2.3.3 SQ4, was completed by Alfred Hill on 25 July 1916 in Neutral Bay, Sydney. It is dedicated to Henri Verbrugghen and his Verbrugghen String Quartet. It is Hill's first non-program string quartet. The first two movements were transcribed for orchestra in 1955 forming the basis of the Symphony No. 4 "The Pursuit of Happiness" in which this music turns to have a program.

Symphony No. 4 in C minor "The Pursuit of Happiness", Stiles 1.3.4.1 SyP, was finished by Alfred Hill in 1954 or 1955. Its first two movements were arranged from Hill's String Quartet No. 4 (1916), while the last one derives from the finale of his String Quartet No. 17. The symphony is dedicated "to my esteemed friend Henry Kripps", a prominent Australian conductor. Its approximate duration is 20 minutes.

String Quartet No. 5 in E-flat major "The Allies", Stiles 1.2.3.3 SQ5, was completed by Alfred Hill on 24 June 1920 in Sydney. It is dedicated to Henri Verbrugghen, whose quartet gave the first public performance of the composition on 2 March 1921. The music of the quartet presents four nations who were allies during World War I. It was subsequently arranged by Hill for string orchestra as his Symphony No. 11 "The Four Nations". The approximate duration of the quartet is 29–33 minutes, which makes it one of the most substantial quartets composed by Hill.

Symphony No. 11 in E-flat major "The Four Nations" for string orchestra, Stiles 1.3.3.1 SyFN, was arranged by Australian composer Alfred Hill from his String Quartet No. 5 "The Allies" at some point in 1950s, but the precise date remains unknown, and there is no information about the first performance. The music of the symphony follows that of the original String Quartet, except for the Finale being 4 bars shorter than in the quartet, due to a minor truncation of the melody of the main subject at each repeat of it. The most obvious difference is the addition of the double bass part. Hill also altered the title of the composition.

String Quartet No. 6 in G major "The Kids", Stiles 1.2.3.3 SQ6, by Alfred Hill bears dedication: "for the young fry at the New South Wales State Conservatorium of Music". It was most likely written for the student string quartet groups at the Conservatorium mentored by the composer. The manuscript is dated 3 September 1927. Its technical demands being limited, it is an accessible for amateurs composition. The quartet is set in earlier style, reminiscent of Haydn, Schubert, and other classical composers. With approximate duration of only 15–16 minutes, this is the shortest of all Hill's quartets.

String Quartet No. 7 in A major, Stiles 1.2.3.3 SQ7, by Australian composer Alfred Hill was commenced in Melbourne and finished in Sydney on 18 November 1934, as stated in the manuscript score preserved in the National Library of Australia. It is thought to be the last of Hill's middle period quartets, with some impressionistic features being transitional to his later compositions. Approximate duration is 20,5 minutes.

String Quartet No. 8 in A major, Stiles 1.2.3.3 SQ8, by Australian composer Alfred Hill was finished half month after his Seventh: the manuscript score and parts, which are preserved in the National Library of Australia, are dated 6 December 1934. While the previous quartet was a somewhat transitive composition from his middle period, with the Eighths one starts counting Hill's late quartets. It is thematically unified and has many impressionistic features. In 1950s Hill arranged it into a string symphony, the first known performance of which was on 27 March 1957. The approximate duration of the quartet is 25–28 minutes.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Allan Stiles. A Catalogue of the Music of Alfred Hill
  2. ↑ Donald Maurice. Booklet notes to Naxos 8.570491
  3. 1 2 3 Keith Anderson. Booklet notes to Naxos 8.223538
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Catalogue entrance in the National Library of Australia
  5. ↑ Rhoderick McNeill (23 March 2016). The Australian Symphony from Federation to 1960. Routledge. pp. 99–. ISBN   978-1-317-04087-3.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "HILL, Alfred: String Quartets, Vol. 1 (Dominion String Quartet) - Nos. 1, 2, 3".
  7. 1 2 3 Thomson, John Mansfield (1993). "Hill, Alfred Francis". Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand.
  8. 1 2 Lam, Y. C. (2006, June). Analytical study of Alfred Hill’s String Quartet no. 2 in G minor (Thesis, Master of Arts). University of Otago. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10523/128
  9. 1 2 Rogers, Melissa; Mora, Manolete (2018). Revisiting Alfred Hill (1869–1960): Examining Issues of Reception and Compositional Approach. University of New South Wales. Arts and Media. OCLC   1089650042.
  10. ↑ Thomson, J.M. (1970). ""The Role of the Pioneer Composer: Some Reflections on Alfred Hill, 1870–1960"". Studies in Music. 4: 52–61.
  11. ↑ "HILL: Symphonies Nos. 5 and 10".
  12. 1 2 3 4 "Alfred Hill - String Quartet No.3". www.stilesmusicpublications.com. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Rogers, Melissa; Mora, Manolete (2018). Revisiting Alfred Hill (1869–1960): Examining Issues of Reception and Compositional Approach. University of New South Wales. Arts and Media. OCLC   1089650042.
  14. 1 2 "The composers and their work". Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service. 1969.
  15. ↑ Rogers, Melissa; Mora, Manolete (2018). Revisiting Alfred Hill (1869–1960): Examining Issues of Reception and Compositional Approach. University of New South Wales. Arts and Media. OCLC   1089650042.
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