Per Nørgård

Quartetto Breve

String Quartet No. 1 - 'Quartetto Breve' (1952) by Per Nørgård. Programme note: The spectrum of sound, the gesticulation - in short, the very nature of the strings - has always had a central place in my output, demonstrated by the numbers of string quartets, concertos with string soloist, chamber and solo works. The interest dates back to my school years, when I was fortunate to be able to compose for a cello-playing schoolmate and to accompany him on the piano. I discovered then the innumerable nuances of sound and playing varieties offered by just one bow, four strings and five fingers.. My first string quartet - Quartetto Breve - has a firm root in the Nordictradition and is strongly inspired by Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) and my teacher Vagn Holmboe (1909-96). Per Nørgård (1998)