18 MELODIES IN A BOTTLE Although seldom performed, Jean Cras’ Quintette remains one of the most remarkable chamber works of the twentieth century. Completed in 1928, it was originally composed for flute, violin, viola, cello, and harp. The harpist Pierre Jamet (1893 – 1991) commissioned the work. Founder of the Quintette instrumental de Paris in the 1920s, he was also one of the greatest pedagogues of his time, training several generations of harpists. From a composer as deeply attached to the maritime world as Jean Cras, this quintet is an ode to travel and to the southern seas. The score was in fact completed aboard a naval vessel, the manuscript bearing the note “Aboard La Provence, Toulon, 9 April 1928.” Indeed, the composer was then commanding the battleship, from 1927 to 1928.
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