Leopold Aimon (1779-1866) was born in the French town of L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, not far from the city of Avignon. He studied cello and composition with his father, Esprit Aimon, a cellist and director of music for the Danish ambassador to France. His talent was such that he procured several jobs as a conductor of various theater orchestras in Marseilles and Paris. As most composers of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, he wrote a large number of works. Several of his operas were frequently performed in France and beyond. He is said to have composed some thirty string quartets as well as other chamber music, which was apparently well thought of, as evidenced by the list of subscribers to string quartets. Subscribers were individuals who donated money to help make the publication of a composer’s works possible. Among the regular subscribers to his quartets, one finds the names of several important musicians of that era, including Pierre Baillot, Jacques Mazas, Anton Reicha, and Beethoven. Several critical works in the 19th century described his chamber music of having considerable appeal and originality.
Op.49set of three published in Paris. It was published in Paris in the early 1820s and dedicated to one Francois Guebhard, an important Parisian banker, inventor, and patron of the arts. The work opens with a solemn Adagio introduction, which leads to an Allegro which Presents the somewhat gloomy thematic material in canonic fashion. In the second movement, Andante poco adagio, the first violin presents the lovely, long-lined singing melodies. Next comes an energetic, almost stormy Minuetto allegro. This is followed by a pastoral trio section. The finale is simply marked Agitato, and the music is agitated but interrupted with brighter, more upbeat interludes.
We have reprinted the original edition, which, to our knowledge, is the one and only one ever made. As you might expect from a 200-year-old piece of sheet music, it is not pristine, and here and there one finds some specks, but it is perfectly readable. This is a worthwhile quartet, not at all hard to play, and would be interesting in performance as an example of how music was changing in France at this time.