Italian galant music, characterized by gorgeous tone and operatic sensibilities, had international influence due to touring Italian musicians.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The album title, Scintilla, meaning 'spark,' reflects the brilliance of galant taste and the beginnings of the string quartet genre.
Instruments
The Butter Quartet performs on original instruments from Italy, England, and Austria, dating from the same period as the compositions on this album.
Performer Biography
The Butter Quartet, formed in 2017 during studies at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, integrates research on 18th and 19th-century performance practice into their performances.
Composition History
The Butter Quartet explored libraries and first editions to find some of the earliest string quartets ever written, predating expectations for the instrumentation.
Composer Biography
All composers featured on Scintilla were famous violin virtuosi, except for Luigi Boccherini, who was a cellist.
Interpretation
The Butter Quartet used classical bows for Felice Giardini's String Quartet in C Major and baroque bows for the rest of the album, based on their experimentation.
