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Why have so many great composers reserved some of their most profound, personal music for their string quartets? This question has always fascinated musicians and chamber music lovers; in this book, David Rounds--a teacher, writer, chamber singer, and lifelong quartet addict--suggests an explanation: the instrumental combination resembles human voices, and socially the group resembles a family or a gathering of friends carrying on a conversation. Rounds remarks that the use of the same phrase to denote the musical form and the team of players indicates that a quartet performance is created by the participants' interaction as much as by the written notes. The author's premise, reflected in his title, is that in a quartet, four players and four instruments have to become one unit; to demonstrate the arduous process this requires, he enlisted the collaboration of the Lafayette Quartet, an all-women group in residence at the University of Victoria School of Music in Canada. Attending their rehearsals offered him, and the reader, a unique opportunity to follow their discussions and witness the emergence of an interpretation. The players also talked with Rounds about their personal and professional lives, speaking very frankly and with great intelligence, thoughtfulness, and conviction; though winningly spontaneous, these conversations could have used a little editorial polish. The book begins with an introduction to the development of chamber music and ends with a guide to the quartet repertoire. Rounds's descriptions of the music are excellent, though his value judgments can be arbitrary; his hope is to kindle his own devotion to the string quartet in his readers. --Edith Eisler
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Multi-faceted approach to the String Quartet,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Four and the One: In Praise of String Quartets (Paperback)
A fascinating introduction to the String Quartet as a musical form. Rounds starts from an introduction to the lives of the four women of the British Columbia based Lafayette String Quartet. From their life histories and rehearsals for a recording of the Borodin Quartet Number 2 he adventures into an exposition of the history of the string quartet form, the working lives and career stresses of string quartet players, vignettes of the personalities of former quartets such as the Budapest and the Guarneri etc. The book has musical examples. It ends with personal recommendations for quartets from Haydn to Shostakovitch and contemporary composers such as Terry Riley. A very rewarding, well-written, informative read.
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Must reading for all music lovers!,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Four and the One: In Praise of String Quartets (Paperback)
Whether you've never heard a string quartet in your life, or whether you're a lifelong aficionado, The Four & the One will rivet your attention from the first page. This unique book traverses a wide range of topics, from the technical aspects of music making to the status of western classical music at the millenium. The author's knowledge is encyclopedic, yet his writing is deft and his love for the music shines through every page. Strongly recommended!
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good info, but badly packaged...,
By bsnteacher (IL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Four and the One: In Praise of String Quartets (Paperback)
As a musician who has played a great deal of chamber music at the professional level, I found Mr. Rounds' writing a bit amateurish and pompous at times. In the introduction I felt like I was reading a high school creative writing project! But it does get better. He is obviously not a musician and the book is not aimed at musicians. That being said, I thought the interviews with the quartet were very interesting and realistic, and he does present a lot of interesting information about the business of chamber music. I would read "Indivisible by Four" by Steinhardt first.
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