"Nowadays, the only French quartets one hears in concert are the Debussy and the Ravel. In my opinion, Magnard's is every bit as good."
—Editor, The Chamber Music Journal.
Albéric Magnard (1865-1914) was born in Paris to wealthy parents. His father François Magnard was a bestselling author and editor of the Paris newspaper Le Figaro. After military service and graduating from law school, he entered the Paris Conservatoire, where he studied counterpoint with Théodore Dubois, Jules Massenet and Vincent d'Indy. Magnard's musical output numbered only 22 works with opus numbers. Larger compositions such as symphonies were his main area of interest, however, he did write a piano trio, this string quartet and some instrumental sonatas. Magnard's musical style is typical of French composers contemporaneous to him, but occasionally, there are passages that foreshadow the music of Gustav Mahler. Magnard's use of cyclical form was influenced by César Franck.
His String Quartet in e minor, Op.16 dates from 1903. The massive, but captivating opening movement, Sonate, begins with a powerful and impassioned theme which gives way suddenly to a languid melancholy second theme. The second movement, Serenade, is quite extraordinary, nervous and ethereal—really more scherzo than serenade. The leisurely slow movement, Chant funèbre, has a Brucknerian breadth and tonality as heard through a French filter. A bright and ebullient finale, entitled Danses, presents a series of folk dances, waltzes and fugues very idiosyncratically.
