Molto Adagio for string quartet "Sempre Cantate e
Doloroso" Guillame Lekeu
Guillaume Lekeu was born in Belgium on January 20, 1870, and died of typhoid a day after his 24th
birthday. In 1889, he visited Bayreuth, and was exposed to Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde" which
greatly influenced his musical life; he began studying composition under César
Franck, and later under Vincent d'Indy.
Molto Adagio is not one of Lekeu's best known pieces. He wrote it at age 16, inspired by the words of
Christ in the garden of Gethsemane: "My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death." The piece begins with a series of sorrowful
5/4 bars on the cello with woeful holding notes on the violins and viola. The
piece then bursts with the heartrending cry of the first violin. Because of the frequent key changes and alternating
bars of 3/4, 4/4 and 6/4, the piece maintains an unstable pulse.
Molto Adagio played
a significant role in one of the most grievous moments in our time. On March 16, 2004,
Radio France
offered a tribute to the victims of the Madrid bombings
five days earlier, broadcasting the piece via all the public radio stations in Europe. Eusia String Quartet
Classical Music | Music for Quartet
Guillaume Lekeu
Molto Adagio “Sempre Cantate Dolorose” Play
Recorded on 03/28/2006, uploaded on 01/12/2009
Musician's or Publisher's Notes
Molto Adagio for string quartet "Sempre Cantate e Doloroso" Guillame Lekeu
Guillaume Lekeu was born in Belgium on January 20, 1870, and died of typhoid a day after his 24th birthday. In 1889, he visited Bayreuth, and was exposed to Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde" which greatly influenced his musical life; he began studying composition under César Franck, and later under Vincent d'Indy.
Molto Adagio is not one of Lekeu's best known pieces. He wrote it at age 16, inspired by the words of Christ in the garden of Gethsemane: "My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death." The piece begins with a series of sorrowful 5/4 bars on the cello with woeful holding notes on the violins and viola. The piece then bursts with the heartrending cry of the first violin. Because of the frequent key changes and alternating bars of 3/4, 4/4 and 6/4, the piece maintains an unstable pulse.
Molto Adagio played a significant role in one of the most grievous moments in our time. On March 16, 2004, Radio France offered a tribute to the victims of the Madrid bombings five days earlier, broadcasting the piece via all the public radio stations in Europe. Eusia String Quartet
Performances by same musician(s)
String Quartet in g minor, Op. 10
Piano Quintet in g minor, op. 57
Piano Quintet No. 1 in d minor, Op. 89
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