Quatuor pour deux Violons, Alto et Violoncelle. Op. 19. - SIGNED PRESENTATION COPY TO TURBAN

Paris: J. Maho. [1859. Disbound folio. Violino I, Violino II, Viola, Violoncello (13, 11, 11, 11 pp). Engraved. [PN] 9890. Inscribed on the title (Violino I): "A mon ami A. Turban / E. Lalo." Scattered foxing, title/page one and final leaf of Violino I part separated, last leaf of Violoncello part separated, else fine.

A rare presentation copy from the French violonist and composer who led an obscure and difficult life as a violinist, while struggling to gain recognition as a composer. Although Lalo is not one of the most immediately recognized names in French music, his distinctive style has earned him some degree of popularity. His Symphonie espagnole for violin and orchestra still enjoys a prominent place in the repertoire of violinists, and his Cello Concerto in D minor is a staple. By the time Lalo wrote his string quartet op.19 in 1856, three years after the death of the great quartet specialist Georges Onslow, the genre had been more or less abandoned in France. As a result the premiere, given by the Armingaud Quartet in which Lalo played second violin or viola, was a failure, since the public of the day was unable to appreciate such a complex, innovative and ambitious work, deeply influenced by the spirit of the late Beethoven quartets which were not yet played in France.

Alfred-Louis-Guillaume Turban (1847 - 1896) was professor of violin at the Paris Conservatoire, 189204, and played in the Orchestre de l'Opéra, the Concerts Pasdeloup, and the Société des concerts du Conservatoire. He was the dedicatee of the Romance Op. 48 of Saint-Saens. (11970)

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Signed Document/Item

Classical Music

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