Uploaded March 2023 | Updated September 2026, 4 days ago
00:02 I. Moderato
08:10 II. Scherzo: Allegro vivace
14:14 III. Andante
20:41 IV. Andante - Allegro
Performed by the Melartin Quartet
Thanks to @julianarculus2142 for the original audio (youtube.com/watch?v=47qQGT1g7GU) - please check out the other rarities on his channel!
Erkki Melartin (1875-1937) was a Finnish composer and conductor whose music, like that of many contemporaries, was overshadowed by that of Jean Sibelius. Like Sibelius, Melartin is considered one of Finland's most notable national Romantic composers, but he was also a transitional figure between late Romanticism and the early modern era in Finnish music. Melartin rarely stuck to a single stylistic basis, taking inspiration from a variety of contemporary trends; the sonorities in his tone poem Traumgesicht are somewhat reminiscent of Scriabin, while his sixth symphony contains echoes of Mahler's Resurrection symphony, the slow movement of which Melartin conducted in Finland for the first time.
Written in 1910, Melartin's fourth string quartet is a colorful, vivacious and harmonically varied work, with the first movement unusually in 5/4 time. Perhaps the highlight is the trio of the second movement, which features a picturesque folk-like melody and imitations of the character of Nordic folk music. If you are following along with the score, please note the repeat sign and the first and second endings (marked "I" and "II") in the second movement to avoid getting confused :)
I have uploaded the score to IMSLP here, under "String Quartet No. 4": imslp.org/wiki/Category:Melartin,_Erkki
00:02 I. Moderato
08:10 II. Scherzo: Allegro vivace
14:14 III. Andante
20:41 IV. Andante - Allegro
Performed by the Melartin Quartet
Thanks to @julianarculus2142 for the original audio (youtube.com/watch?v=47qQGT1g7GU) - please check out the other rarities on his channel!
Erkki Melartin (1875-1937) was a Finnish composer and conductor whose music, like that of many contemporaries, was overshadowed by that of Jean Sibelius. Like Sibelius, Melartin is considered one of Finland's most notable national Romantic composers, but he was also a transitional figure between late Romanticism and the early modern era in Finnish music. Melartin rarely stuck to a single stylistic basis, taking inspiration from a variety of contemporary trends; the sonorities in his tone poem Traumgesicht are somewhat reminiscent of Scriabin, while his sixth symphony contains echoes of Mahler's Resurrection symphony, the slow movement of which Melartin conducted in Finland for the first time.
Written in 1910, Melartin's fourth string quartet is a colorful, vivacious and harmonically varied work, with the first movement unusually in 5/4 time. Perhaps the highlight is the trio of the second movement, which features a picturesque folk-like melody and imitations of the character of Nordic folk music. If you are following along with the score, please note the repeat sign and the first and second endings (marked "I" and "II") in the second movement to avoid getting confused :)
I have uploaded the score to IMSLP here, under "String Quartet No. 4": imslp.org/wiki/Category:Melartin,_Erkki
