The Netherlands, where Graf worked, was a flourishing state due to trade connections, but faced political turmoil during the Seven Years' War and the American War of Independence.
Compositional Technique
Graf's music, like the F-major Quartet's Andante von Variazioni, liberates inner voices from harmonic filling, giving them varied soloistic roles across variations.
Instruments
The Via Nova Quartett performs on period instruments, including a violin from the Hopf family (around 1800) and a viola from an unknown South German builder (around 1750).
Critical Reception
Christian Ernst Graf was highly regarded by contemporaries like Mozart and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, and his music was published in major European cities during his lifetime.
Composition History
The quartets on this album are dedicated to Prince Ludwig von Nassau-Saarbrücken, whose love for music is evidenced by his public violin performances.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Graf aimed to compose easily accessible music, often writing out ornaments and embellishments in detail to support his melodic statements, aligning with the 'enlightened' era's aesthetic ideal.
Composer Biography
Christian Ernst Graf, the composer, was described as 'restless, if not adventurous' in official records, and once left his post with debts and unauthorized leave.
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