Reynaldo Hahn (1875-1947) today is primarily remembered as a composer of the operetta Ciboulette, but he did devote a fair amount of attention to composing chamber music. Born in Venezuela, Hahn’s family moved to Paris when he was three. He studied at the Conservatory under Massenet, who considered him a genius. Handsome and worldly, Hahn drew his friends from a much wider circle than other musicians, for example, Marcel Proust and Sarah Bernhardt, and was greatly interested in the literary scene as well as the theater. Having a gifted voice and being an excellent pianist, Hahn needed no assistant for a vocal concert evening. He was also a deft conductor who eventually directed the Paris Opera. Hahn did not have a very high opinion of string quartets, writing: “Chamber music in the form of a simple string quartet is fundamentally incomplete; such a combination makes versatility out of the question; each part is a layer. Supposing that one of those parts briefly takes the lead, the result will never be any more than an accompanied solo; if two parts break free, it will be an accompanied duo, if three do so, there will not be enough basses, and if all four move at once, you end up with instability.” Given this viewpoint, you would not think he would write a quartet, yet in the Autumn of 1939, he took up the challenge and wrote two.
String Quartet No.1 in a minor is still firmly rooted in traditional tonality. The opening Andante molto moderato is by turns pensive, lively, and charming. The two parts of the Récit et chanson de Provence—lent, which follows are starkly contrasting—an ascetic recitativo followed by a lovely setting of a folk tune from Provence. An Andantino, which comes next, is bluesy, melancholy music with the lightest touch of French impressionism. The neo-classical last movement, Allegro assai, is light and full of energy.
So, despite his initial feelings about string quartets, it turns out that he wrote a first-class work which would make an excellent choice for the concert hall. And, it is not beyond amateurs.
