String Quartet No. 1 in B major "Maori Quartet", Stiles 1.2.3.3 SQ1Allan Stiles. A Catalogue of the Music of Alfred Hill is the first of Alfred Hill's seventeen string quartets. Its composition began before 1892, it was completed after 1896 and premiered only on 18 May 1911Lam, Y. C. (2006, June). Analytical study of Alfred Hill’s String Quartet no. 2 in G minor (Thesis, Master of Arts). University of Otago in Sydney.Donald Maurice. Booklet notes to Naxos 8.570491
The first two quartets were published together by Breitkopf & Härtel in 1913 (no full score, only parts). Each of them used to be referred as Maori,E.g.: "the two sonorous Maori String quartets" (); "two Maori String quartets" () a feature that can lead to confusions. Today the first one is called Maori, while for the second another (longer) subtitle is retained.In notes to Naxos 8.570491 this quartet is called Maori. However, in Stiles's catalogue this title is reserved for the Second, while the First quartet lacks there any special name. Its approximate duration is 22 minutes.
History Hill began composing this quartet while he was studying in Leipzig Conservatory (between 1887 and 1891), but the two middle movements (Adagio and Scherzo) were later (after 1896) substituted with new music incorporating Māori ideas. The second theme of the Finale is actually the same Māori tune that was used as a principal (love) theme in Hill's 1896 cantata Hinemoa (though its origin is not indicated in the quartet score). The 1896 as terminus post quem for this quartet is also based on the composition of Hinemoa: it was by its success that Hill became fond of incorporating Māori tunes into his music.
Even in its final form this quartet remains clearly European in style. The original scherzo was used by Hill in his First Symphony (by 1898) and in the Fourth Quartet.
Structure The Quartet is in four movements:
The first movement is a sonata form. Its first subject (in B major) consists of two parts: a slow (moderato) and a fast (allegro), both played twice. They reappear in the development section and in the reprise. The second theme (cantabile) is in F major. At the end of the movement it is repeated in B major. Both the exposition and the reprise close with a new statement of the initial slow theme.
The Waiata is a scherzo with a trio. Both themes are Māori: a barbaric Haka Dance and a graceful Poi Dance. The main section is in F major, while the trio is in D major.
The Tangi is also based on a Māori. It is a sorrowful melody in G minor with a contrasting middle section in fast tempo (con moto). This movement ends with a brief coda.
Just like the opening movement, the finale is laid out in a sonata form (in B major) with a second subject first stated in F major. It is the longest movement of the quartet and its coda (animato) provides a splendid conclusion for the whole piece.
Editions Alfred Hill. String Quartet No.1 in Bb. Narara, N.S.W.: Stiles Music Publications, 2002 (ISMN 979-0-720029-61-0) — full score and parts
Recordings (rec. 2006) Dominion String Quartet – (2007) Naxos Records 8.570491.
References
External links
Edition Silvertrust page A performance of String Quartet No. 1 on YouTube: movement 1 and movement 2