CD 38
Music from Stams Monastery XIII
Stams, about 1840, steel engraving by Johann Poppel
Johann Michael Malzat’s (1749-1787) native city was Vienna. Little is known about his youth. He probably came to Kremsmünster Monastery to go to school there as a choirboy. His restless peripatetic lifestyle soon brought him to the Tyrol, which he made his home of choice. He felt a special attachment to Stams Monastery in the Upper Tyrol. The chronicler of the Stams convent reports: “in 1780 Malzat the famous musician came here and taught the boys music for one year.” Malzat composed a series of works in Stams, including a Singspiel (spoken dialogue with sung interpolations) for the abbot’s name-day celebration, for which he was given a robe by way of payment. Around 1780 was probably also when he wrote the string quintets premiered here on CD. They are for two violins, two violas and bass, for which the autograph manuscript part books have been preserved in Stams Monastery’s music archive. Following the customary practice of his day, Malzat collected six pieces to form one opus. The two quintets missing on this CD can be found on older recordings in our CD series of Music from Stams Monastery I and II (CD 22 tracks 20-22, CD 23 tracks 5-7). One of the aims of our concerts at the Ferdinandeum is to encourage well-known ensembles to work on music from the Tyrol. Here, for instance, is the Wiener Streichtrio with an additional two musicians from the Vienna Symphony Orchestra.
Track 9, 1:16
Quadro
Presto/Trio
Stefan Paluselli OCist.
(1748-1805)