String Quartet No. 4 (Hill)

String Quartet No. 4 in C minor, Stiles 1.2.3.3 SQ4, was completed by Alfred Hill on 25 July 1916 in Neutral Bay, Sydney (indicated in the manuscript). It is dedicated to Henri Verbrugghen (the first director of the new-founded New South Wales State Conservatorium) and his Verbrugghen String Quartet. It is Hill's first non-program string quartet. The first two movements were transcribed for orchestra in 1955 forming the basis of the Symphony No. 4 "The Pursuit of Happiness" in which this music turns to have a program.

The first two movements seem to be composed specially for this quartet. The Scherzo was completed in Leipzig (before 1892) and initially intended for String Quartet No. 1, but was dismissed by composer and reused in his unfinished Symphony No. 1 (written by 1898). Though incomplete as a whole, separate parts of the symphony were performed, but (at least as we know) not the scherzo. Hill reused it again in its original form in this quartet. The Finale originates also from the Leipzig years, when it was composed as Rondo for cello or violin and piano.

The manuscript score and parts of the quartet are at the National Library of Australia.

The whole quartet is dedicated to "Henri Verbrugghen and the members of his string quartet". The second movement has a specific dedication to David Nichols (violist), the third to Jenny Cullen (second violin) and the fourth to Henry Verbruggen (first violin). In the manuscript only initials are present: D.E.N., J.C. and H.V. Though the first movement lacks any special dedication, it can be reasonably assumed there should be one to the cellist (James Messeas), the cello having indeed a prominent role in this movement: it sets forth the principal theme.

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