The Lost String Quartet

On the way to a concert on the far side of the mountain, the members of the Daffodil String Quartet make a disastrous wrong turn in their small Italian car.

Traveling to the far side of the mountain for their big show, the members of a string quartet end up lost in this charming picture book by N. M. Bodecker. The Daffodil String Quartet has spent months preparing for their upcoming concert. Shining the instruments and practicing extra hard, they are certain this will be one of their best shows yet. But as they travel along the road in their small Italian car on the way to their concert on the far side of the mountain, one disastrous wrong turn leaves them lost in the mountains with no sense of direction. Will the Daffodil String Quartet make it to their concert, or will all of their hard work have been for nothing?

A fresh analytical and musicological exploration of Schubert's incorporation of lyric elements into sonata form by way of his string quartets.

'They are not for you but for a later age!' Ludwig van Beethoven, on the Opus 59 quartets. Tackling the Beethoven quartets is a rite of passage that has shaped the Takács Quartet's work together for over forty years. Using the history of the composition and first performances of the quartets as the backbone to his story, Edward Dusinberre, first violinist of the Takács since 1993 - recounts the life of the Quartet from its inception in Hungary, through emigration to the US and its present-day life as one of the world's renowned string quartets. He also describes what it was like for him, as a young man fresh out of the Juilliard School, to join the Quartet as its first non-Hungarian member - an exhilarating challenge. Beethoven for a Later Age takes the reader inside the life of a quartet, vividly showing how four people enjoy making music together over a long period of time. The key, the author argues, is in balancing continuity with change and experimentation - a theme that also lies at the heart of Beethoven's remarkable compositions.

This research guide is an annotated bibliography of sources dealing with the string quartet. This second edition is organized as in the original publication (chapters for general references, histories, individual composers, aspects of performance, facsimiles and critical editions, and miscellaneous topics) and has been updated to cover research since publication of the first edition. Listings in the previous volume have been updated to reflect the burgeoning interest in this genre (social aspects, newly issued critical editions, doctoral dissertations). It also offers commentary on online links, databases, and references.

Spotlighting the four women of the Lafayette Quartet, a leading Canadian ensemble, Rounds offers both a comprehensive history of the beloved instrumental form and an inside view of the complex world of professional quartet players, revealing the exultation and heatache that are the performing artists' daily fare. A treat for every music lover, whether player, listener or composer.

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