Peter Hänsel (1770-1831) (sometimes spelled Haensel) was born in the town of Leppe in what was then Prussian Silesia. He was trained as a violinist and worked in Warsaw and St. Petersburg before obtaining employment in Vienna, where he studied composition with Haydn during the 1790s. Other than the two years he spent in Paris during 1802-1803, his entire life was spent in Vienna, working as a violinist and composer. He devoted himself almost exclusively to the genre of chamber music, writing nearly 60 string quartets, 6 string trios, 5 string quintets, and works for several other small ensembles. His style remained firmly rooted in the classical era and is closely related to that of his teacher Haydn, but he also introduced French and Polish elements into his works, the result of his sojourn in those lands.
Op.3 No.3 is the last of a set of three string quartets published in the German city of Offenbach am Main by the famous firm of Jean Andre in 1798. It is an early work composed either while he was still studying with Haydn or shortly thereafter. Unlike many of his later quartets, composed after his sojourns in Warsaw and Paris, it shows neither French nor Polish elements, but rather is a perfect model of the then-Vienna Classical style espoused by Haydn. The opening movement, Allegro, starts off with a somewhat sad theme which is not really very allegro but more a moderato. However, after a bit, the tempo picks up, and as it does, we hear echoes of his teacher. The lovely and slightly melancholy second movement, marked Menuetto allegretto, is actually the kind of menuet, because of its moderate tempo, to which people could have actually danced. There is a nicely contrasting trio section with an Austrian Lãndler. The Adagio con espressione, which comes next, features a stately and valedictory melody. The finale does not have a tempo marking. Perhaps either the publisher or the composer forgot to add it. Or perhaps, the composer just assumed that players would recognize it was a lively Presto.
Our new edition, which was edited by senior editor Raymond Silvertrust, is based on the 1798 Andre edition. This is an appealing work from the late classical era, which can be recommended to both amateurs and professionals.
