Henry Cowell

Henry Cowell (1897-1965)

Nationality: American
Born: March 11, 1897, Menlo Park, CA Died: December 10, 1965, Shady, NY (age 68)
wikipedia | imslp | henrycowell.org

String Quartet No. 5

(for 2 violins, viola and cello)
I. Lento
II. Allegro
III. Andante
IV. Presto
V. Largo - Allegro marcato
Duration: 19 minutes (approximately)
Composed: 1956 (age 58-59)
Commission: Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Foundation in the Library of Congress for the foundation's Twelfth Festival of Chamber Music, Oct. 19-21, 1956.
Premiere: October 5, 1956. Cleveland. Music Critics Association annual meeting. Juilliard String Quartet

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glossary

  • allegro [I]—fast, lively tempo. From the Italian word for cheerful or gay.
  • andante [I]—moderately slow tempo (e.g. walking). Faster than adagio but slower than allegretto
  • chamber music, Kammermusik [G], musique de chambre [F], musica da camera [I], musica cameralis [L]—"Classical Music" for a small ensemble, generally 8 or fewer players with a canonical emphasis on 3-6 players. explore
  • largo—slow, solemn, sustained.slower than lento. faster than grave
  • lento, lent [F], lentement [F], avec lenteur [F]—slow (tempo)
  • presto—very fast, more so than allegro.
  • quartet, quatuor [F], quartett [G], quartetto [I], cuarteto [S]—ensemble or work for four players the most important examples being the string quartet and the piano quartet
  • string quartet, Streichquartett [G], quatuor à cordes [F], quartetto d'archi [I], quartetto di cordi [I], cuarteto de cuerda [S]—an ensemble as well as music written for that ensemble comprising 2 violins, viola and cello. This is one of the essential genres / forms / ensembles of chamber music and arguably a critical "core" of "classical" music.
    Explore the string quartet.