Uploaded June 2014 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Chadwick's joyful fourth string quartet was composed in 1895.
I. Andante moderato
II. Andante semplice (6:49)
III. Giocoso, un poco moderato (12:45)
IV. Finale: Allegro molto risoluto (19:30)
from the album liner notes:
"His German-influenced Brahmsian blend of formal classicism with romantic melodism never could wholly conceal an unmistakably Yankee sense of humor and even ribaldry. ...What perhaps is most remarkable about it is the fact that Chadwick never quotes (as far as can be determined) any folk, Negro ,or other, traditional tunes. Yet this music couldn't possibly have been written by anyone who hadn't grown up in this country's late nineteenth-century age of holiday ministrelsy and Sunday hymnody."
Performed by the Kohon Quartet
Paintings by Frederick Childe Hassam (1859-1935)
Chadwick's joyful fourth string quartet was composed in 1895.
I. Andante moderato
II. Andante semplice (6:49)
III. Giocoso, un poco moderato (12:45)
IV. Finale: Allegro molto risoluto (19:30)
from the album liner notes:
"His German-influenced Brahmsian blend of formal classicism with romantic melodism never could wholly conceal an unmistakably Yankee sense of humor and even ribaldry. ...What perhaps is most remarkable about it is the fact that Chadwick never quotes (as far as can be determined) any folk, Negro ,or other, traditional tunes. Yet this music couldn't possibly have been written by anyone who hadn't grown up in this country's late nineteenth-century age of holiday ministrelsy and Sunday hymnody."
Performed by the Kohon Quartet
Paintings by Frederick Childe Hassam (1859-1935)





![Frederick Converse (American Sketches - Part 2 of 2)
These are the final two movements of this fantastic work by American composer Frederick Shepherd Converse.
- Chicken Reel (Allergro con spirito scherzando)
- Bright Angel Trail (Adagio maestoso - Andante moderato - Misterioso) [3:42]
Converse wrote American Sketches in 1929. It received its first performance in 1935 by the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Serge Koussevitzky. The first movement, Manhattan, portrays all the commotion one would expect from such a title. It is here that we gain an immediate acquaintance with the American sound Converse was seeking to capture and cultivate. You can even get a taste of the rag-time and early jazz that permeated the city culture of the day. The second movement seeks to express an adoration of Americas longest river, the Mississippi, no doubt popularized through the writings of Samuel Clemens. Chicken Reel is a scherzo-like third movement which utilizes a traditional tune from Carl Sandburgs The American Song Bag. The song is familiar to us from its use in older cartoons. Lastly, this wide-ranging symphonic suite takes us on a trip to the Grand Canyon in the final movement entitled Bright Angel Trail. The music is as breathtaking as the scenery from which it draws inspiration.
This is a world premiere recording by BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by Keith Lockhart. You can purchase the entire album here: http://www.amazon.com/Converse-Song-Sea-Festival-Pan/dp/B005ZNLYR0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1390312013&sr=8-1&keywords=Frederick+Converse Frederick Converse (American Sketches - Part 2 of 2)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/D1IuT8qWwfI/mqdefault.jpg)




