"The string quartets of Charles Wood are lucid and have considerable charm, character and have poetic feeling. They contain features of special interest which distinguish them from other works. In several instances, the themes are markedly Irish derived from actual folk songs and folk dances. They are true chamber music."
—Thomas Dunhill, writing in Cobbett's Cyclopedic Survey of Chamber Music.
Charles Wood (1866-1926) was born in the Irish town of Armagh. After studying organ with local teachers, he left for London in 1883 and entered the Royal College of Music where he studied with Charles Villiers Stanford and Hubert Parry. He worked as an organist and eventually became a professor of music at Cambridge University. Among his students were Ralph Vaughn Williams and Herbert Howells. Wood was a prolific composer and composed eight string quartets.
String Quartet No.3 in a minor dates from 1911. His two prior quartets show the influence of Brahms, a characteristic which no doubt came from his study with Stanford, who himself was heavily influenced by Brahms. However, in String Quartet No.3, Woods charted a new path, relying on Irish folk melodies and dances for his thematic material. The opening movement, Allegro, un poco maestoso is full of turbulence and drama, interspersed with lyrical episodes. Next comes a fleet footed Presto in the form of a scherzo. The third movement is a lyrical Adagio and the finale, Allegro molto, has much the character of the first movement.
