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THE STRING QUARTETS

OF

ANTON REICHA

by Ron Drummond

Introduction
The twenty-three string quartets of Anton Reicha / Antonn Rejcha (17701836) are completely unknown today. As near as I can determine, with only
three exceptions Reicha's string quartets were not performed publicly in the
20th century and, without exception, they were not commercially recorded.
At the dawn of the 21st century, this situation remains unchanged.
I am convinced that the absence of Reicha's quartets from the repertoire
seriously impoverishes our understanding of the evolution of the string quartet
that's how significant Reicha's quartets are.
Beginning in November 1997, I began to actively collect copies of the
published (but long out of print) string quartets of Anton Reicha not an easy
task. After considerable effort, time, and expense, I have managed to acquire parts for 17 of Reicha's 20
published quartets, with the remaining three still to come.
What follows are "Four Soundings" of Reicha's quartets. The first, "Journal of a Restoration," describes a
series of string quartet readings in the summer and fall of 1998, in which a half dozen of Reicha's quartets
were played. The second, "Rejcha to the Players," is a monologue from a work in progress, in which I imagine
Rejcha's words to the members of a string quartet ensemble struggling through a first reading of his Grand
Quartet in C Major. The third sounding, "Program Notes for a Performance of Antonn Rejcha's C Minor String
Quartet," is based on the notes I wrote for the unfortunately short-lived Vranitzky String Quartet's concert
performance of the Reicha in Seattle on 20 November 1998. And lastly, there is "A Short History of Anton
Reicha's String Quartets."
These pieces are followed by three appendices: John Pastier's review of the Vranitzky Quartet's performance
(posted to the Czech/Slovak Music Society Discussion List, where many of my journal entries were first
posted), a note on Reicha's name, and a discussion of Czech Classicism.
I welcome your comments, corrections, and questions, and any suggestions you might have as to how I might
realize my central goal of furthering the performance and recording of Anton Reicha's extraordinary string
quartets. Enjoy.

Four Soundings
I.
II.
III.
IV.

Journal of a Restoration
Rejcha to the Players
Program Notes for a Performance of the C minor String Quartet
A Brief History of Anton Reicha's String Quartets

Appendices
A. Vranitzky Quartet Debut, review by John Pastier
B. A Note on the Names
C. Czech Classicism: The Sweat of the Brow

Entire Contents of The String Quartets of Anton Reicha

Copyright 1998, 1999, 2000 by Ron Drummond

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