Joachim Raff - String Quartet No. 7 (1876)

Joachim Raff

• May 27, 1822 – June 24 or June 25, 1882) 
•  German-Swiss composer, teacher and pianist.

 

 String Quartet No. 7 (1876)  

Painting Info - Thomas Kinkade - Sea of Tranquility

I. The Youth - 00:00
II. The Mill - 7:50
III. The Miller Maiden - 10:12
IV. Uneasiness - 18:28
V. Declaration - 20:42
VI. Festivities on the Eve of the Wedding - 23:32

Raff's seventh string quartet, subtitled The Maid of the Mill after Schubert's famous song cycle Die Schöne Müllerin, was one of the most performed string quartets on concert programs between 1876 and 1914. And Raff himself, during this period, was widely regarded along with Wagner, Liszt, and Brahms as one of Germany's leading composers. All of the critical commentaries which appeared during those years spoke of him as an equal to such masters as Mendelssohn, Schumann, Brahms, and Tchaikovsky. Incredibly, by the 1920's his music had all but disappeared from the concert stage. It seems virtually unimaginable that a composer whose talent was recognized and whose music was admired by Mendelssohn and Liszt, could become a mere footnote, yet this is what became of Raff and his music for most of the 20th century. only now is he being rediscovered to the delight of those fortunate enough to hear his music.

His String Quartet No.7 dates from 1876, and was an immediate success from its premier. It is a programmatic work which tells the same story as Schubert's song cycle by the same name. A young man passes by a mill and sees a beautiful girl, the maid of the mill. For him, it is love at first sight. Finally he proposes and she accepts. In six movements, the opening Allegro presents the young fellow as he travels along. The second movement, subtitled the The Mill, also is an Allegro. At one time, this was one of the most famous movements in the entire string quartet literature and was frequently played by itself as an encore. The third movement, a lovely Andante quasi Adagietto, portrays the Maid of the Mill. Then comes Unrest, an Allegro, which portrays the young man struggling to get up the courage to propose. The fifth movement, Andantino quasi Allegretto, also was quite famous and used as an encore for more than half a century. Entitled The Proposal, it is a highly romantic lovers' duet between the cello and first violin. The finale, Wedding Eve Feast (Zum Polterabend) is the traditional celebration in German lands which takes place the night before the wedding. At the feast, old crockery was smashed to bring luck to the happy couple.