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The 1916 String Quartet is Delius's sole surviving completed essay in the genre. In its earliest version, the work comprised only three movements. Following the first performance by the London String Quartet on 17 November 1916, Delius revised the slow movement 'Late Swallows' substantially, shortening the middle section and changing the key in which the movement ends, and added a scherzo to create the final and published version. The original, three-movement variant remained in manuscript until 2016, since which time it has been performed and recorded by the Villiers String Quartet. While most of the manuscript sources for the work are in the British Library, the earliest draft score is dispersed, with sections in, respectively, the Grainger Museum and BL MSS. MS Mus. 1745/1/39 and MS Mus. 1745/2/5.
The autograph of the original version bears a title page reading: 'Quartett|2 Violins, Viola & Violoncello|Spring 1916|Frederick Delius'.
This manuscript contains: i) autograph score, original version, some crossings-out and amendments ii) some rejected pages of this score iii) pencil draft score of the second movement of the revised version, headed 'lightly & quick' iv) earliest pencil draft score of the original version, with movements entitled 'with animation but not hurried' (incomplete); 'Late Swallows - quietly but not dragging', with sketches in short score for the last movement; another draft for the slow movement entitled 'Late Swallows - Slow'; 'Last movement' (the remainder of the draft of the first movement is in the Grainger Museum, while the final page of the complete draft is in MS Mus. 1745/1/39) v) a set of parts for the original version in the hand of Jelka Delius, missing the 1st violin part vi) score of the final version in the hands of Jelka (first and last movements) and Frederick Delius (second and third movements; amendments to first and last movements).
This item contains i) a page of the early draft score in MS Mus. 1745/2/5, headed by Eric Fenby 'Quartet sketch' and ii) sketches headed by Fenby 'rejected sketches String Quartet'.
A short-score draft for the revised version of
Parts for the first edition bearing corrections in the hand of Jelka Delius.
These pages of draft score complete the first movement draft in MS Mus. 1745/2/5.
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