David Rounds shares his lifelong reverence for the string quartet in this comprehensive history of the instrumental form, with musical examples. Spotlighting the four women of the Lafayette Quartet, a leading Canadian ensemble, Rounds offers an insider s view of the complex world of the string quartet player, revealing the exultation and heartache that are the daily fare of professional performing artists. A book for every music-lover, whether player, composer or listener.

Review

Why have so many great composers reserved some of their most profound, personal music for their string quartets? This question has always fascinated musicians and chamber music lovers; in this book, David Rounds--a teacher, writer, chamber singer, and lifelong quartet addict--suggests an explanation: the instrumental combination resembles human voices, and socially the group resembles a family or a gathering of friends carrying on a conversation. Rounds remarks that the use of the same phrase to denote the musical form and the team of players indicates that a quartet performance is created by the participants' interaction as much as by the written notes. The author's premise, reflected in his title, is that in a quartet, four players and four instruments have to become one unit; to demonstrate the arduous process this requires, he enlisted the collaboration of the Lafayette Quartet, an all-women group in residence at the University of Victoria School of Music in Canada. Attending their rehearsals offered him, and the reader, a unique opportunity to follow their discussions and witness the emergence of an interpretation. The players also talked with Rounds about their personal and professional lives, speaking very frankly and with great intelligence, thoughtfulness, and conviction; though winningly spontaneous, these conversations could have used a little editorial polish. The book begins with an introduction to the development of chamber music and ends with a guide to the quartet repertoire. Rounds's descriptions of the music are excellent, though his value judgments can be arbitrary; his hope is to kindle his own devotion to the string quartet in his readers. --Edith Eisler

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Store Description

Thank you for visiting our profile. We are a home-based business have been selling books online since 2004 and joined AbeBooks in 2008. Feel free to e-mail us at BasementSeller101@gmail.com. We would be happy to assist you.

Visit Seller's Storefront

Seller's business information

Basement Seller 101
OH, U.S.A.

Sale & Shipping Terms

Terms of Sale

We guarantee the condition of every book as it's described on the Abebooks web sites. If you're dissatisfied with your purchase (Incorrect Book/Not as Described/Damaged) or if the order hasn't arrived, you're eligible for a refund within 30 days of the estimated delivery date. If you've changed your mind about a book that you've ordered, please use the Ask bookseller a question link to contact us and we'll respond within 2 business days.

Shipping Terms

Orders usually ship within 2 business days. Expected shipping times for "Standard" orders is 4 to 14 business days and for "Expedited" orders is 3 to 5 business days. We do accept international orders, although shipment times may vary, usually from 3 to 6 weeks.

If you have any questions about our shipment times and policies, if you need a book faster, or if you would like to check the status of your order, please e-mail us.

Please note that we ship all "Standard" items via US Postal Service Media Mail and all "Expedited" items via US Postal Service Priority Mail. Our international orders go via USPS First Class or Priority International Mail. If you would like us to ship an item via another carrier, please e-mail us and we will try to accommodate you.

We can overnight books domestically and send books expedited internationally for an additional charge.

The majority of our packages are shipped using Stamps.com NetStamps, a non-trackable method. Please note that all items ordered via the "Expedited" shipping method are automatically shipped with Delivery Confirmation. If you would like your item shipped with Delivery Confirmation, please e-mail us before making your purchase.

We ship orders every day, Monday through Friday, (excluding Postal Service holidays) usually by 12PM. If you need to cancel or make changes to an order, please do so as soon as possible -- many requests we get regarding orders are not fulfilled because we find, pack, and ship the book before the buyer contacts us. If you receive a confirmation e-mail from us, it means your order has been shipped and we can no longer make changes to it.

Please note that the majority of our orders ship out within 24 hours, many shipping out the same day they are ordered. Since we usually ship around 12PM, most orders received Friday after 10AM will not go out until Monday. In some cases, we will make a trip on Saturday to get more orders out.

Shipping rates within U.S.A.

Shipping rates within U.S.A.
Order quantity	5 to 14 business days	2 to 6 business days
First item	US$ 5.00	US$ 10.00

Delivery times are set by sellers and vary by carrier and location. Orders passing through Customs may face delays and buyers are responsible for any associated duties or fees. Sellers may contact you regarding additional charges to cover any increased costs to ship your items.