March, Minuet, and Capriccio [Alf:36-20250018]

A rather unique and charming string quartet by Benjamin Franklin discovered in 1945 in the Music Division of the Bibliotheque Nationale (Paris, France). The instrumentation (3 violins and violoncello) was certainly not standard for the eighteenth century, nor were the instructions to retune the open strings on each instrument to provide 16 different pitches. The five-movement dance suite could then be played without left hand fingering! The work has been skillfully adapted for string orchestra by Kenneth Sarch...but without the unusual tuning!