Telemann, Chamber Music, and the Kronos Quartet
By JJ Sechan

When Georg Philipp Telemann completed his renowned work, Tafelmusik (Table Music), he included an odd note with its 1733 publication:

“This work will hopefully bring me glory one day; but you will never have regrets about its value …”

Perhaps Telemann was anticipating buyer’s remorse: a set of parts for Tafelmusik cost a whopping 8 Reichsthaler – equivalent to the total sum that Bach received to organize, compose, and conduct a court orchestra performance around the same time. However costly, these works contain rare examples of quartet music from the Baroque Era, flanked by gorgeous solo sonatas and concerti, and bookended by orchestral introductions and finales. In Telemann’s view, if you were wealthy enough to afford the parts, you could also hire musicians to accompany the meal of a lifetime.

Thankfully, today you do not need to purchase a court orchestra to experience the finest living composers of our time. In 2015, the Grammy Award winning Kronos Quartet launched their 50 for the Future initiative, which commissioned 50 new works for the quartet from some of the most important composers across the globe and made all the works available for free on their website (Telemann, eat your heart out!). The theme of this commission was pedagogy – while the fabulous works are enjoyable to listen to, they also contain valuable lessons about the performance practice of contemporary music.

Kronos’ database additionally houses their recordings of each piece and supplemental videos that go in depth with the composers and their work. Even if you have never touched a string instrument, I highly recommend that you check out the Kronos 50 for the Future library at 50ftf.kronosquartet.org. I am sure you will find at least a dozen new composers to love and look out for on concert programs. Maybe they will even inspire you to pick up an instrument yourself!