Again a great discovery - a fabulous string quartet by Marie Trautmann / Jaëll (1846 – 1925). I have included Marie Jaëll’s Lisztian piano sonata in my blog article on great 19th c. piano sonatas. Marie Jaëll was born in a German speaking village in the Alsace where father was mayor. She was a piano prodigy and studied with such virtuosos as Moscheles, Herz and Liszt.
In 1862, the year she turned sixteen, she entered the Conservatoire and after a mere 4 months, she won the First Prize of Piano. Her
playing was especially noted for its passion. She also studied composition with Cesar Franck and Camille Saint-Saëns, who dedicated his First Piano Concerto to her.
Marie Jaëll composed works for piano, concertos and chamber music. She also was the first pianist to perform all the piano sonatas of Beethoven in Paris; and she played the complete piano music of Liszt at a series of concerts. She was married to the pianist and Chopin-pupil Alfred Jaëll (an affable "piano star" who was however 15 years her senior) and toured with her husband throughout Europe. She was also active as a pedagogue - one of her students was Albert Schweitzer.
Unfortunately, like other professional women from the 19th c., Marie Jaell has been unjustly forgotten. Just listen to her string quartet in G minor of 1875 - her only work in this genre. Note the powerful, almost obsessed opening with its hammering melody, frequently repeated. The second movement is not so much lyrical and sweet, as is often the case, but deeply sad. The scherzo is whimsical, the finale rises up in big waves from low notes.
This string quartet is a powerful rhythmic piece, with frequent tempo changes. Incredible that this marvelous music has been forgotten. The parts are: allegro, andante, scherzo, and finale. It is played by the Ciompi Quartet: Eric Pritchard and Hsiao-mei Ku, violins; Jonathan Bagg, viola; Caroline Stinson, cello. The face masks are a pity but that can't be helped in these times.
Blog article by Dutch music journalist about Marie Jaell.
Women Composers Index