Georg Abraham Schneider

Three Quartets

Starting with his early years of apprenticeship at a town waits in Darmstadt, Georg Abraham Schneider, born in 1770, managed a steady career which eventually led him to Berlin where he was appointed musical director of the Royal Theatre. He died in Berlin in 1839. His compositions of chamber music were mainly intended for the masses of musical amateurs who sometimes even demonstrated their near-professional skills in public concerts. He wrote a great number of duets, trios and quartets for his contemporary flute players. 'The work presented here shows all virtues of Schneider's compositions which were still largely influenced by classicism: well-structured and of clear form, not too complex for ensemble playing, nicely arranged for four instruments playing in the same register, featuring beautiful themes and fully exploiting the capabilities of the instrument.' (quoted from the preface).