String Quartet no. 3 in F major CG 563

Numerous sketches reveal Gounod’s continued liking for the quartet format. His only known finished quartets were written late in life to explore the virtues of formal clarity that he advocated to young composers in the face of prevailing trends. In September 1889, he was staying in Bolbec with MadameDesgenétais; as he was working on a quartet, it is thought that he finished it there and dedicated it to his hostess. The parts and a copy of the score only resurfaced in 1993. The plangent chromaticism of a solemn Largo lead into the Allegro moderato. The first subject is contained within a descending fourth interval and the second, an ascending mirror of the first, allays the tension. The first Scherzo has a Beethovenian persistence: the motif, reduced to a succession of linked intervals, creates its effect by employing a variety of vantage points. The rural bonhomie of the Trio is counterbalanced by the mystery of its chromaticisms. The introverted Andante forms a striking contrast: the chromaticisms and suspensions become increasingly less dramatic until the emergence of a limpid diatonic outpouring by the violin followed by a return to a mood of dreamy melancholy. In the second Scherzo, theabruptness of the writing enhances the gallantry of the inspiration. The introduction of the Finale, interrupted by searching silences, precedes a tight-knit quasi-development based on a lively motif. A second barely distinct theme only appears as an element of resolution. When the conclusion is in sight, the music rebels, refusing to return to  F major until the last bar.