Georg Schantl was the brother of the famous horn player and pedagog, Josef Schantl. He was music director with the Vienese military, as well as french horn player and composer. 
Schantl’s four quartets are based on traditional Austrian melodies. The Steirischer-Nationale-Lieder-Marsch is a four-part reduction of an old Styrian march, and sets a nostalgic mood for the serenades that follow. Morgenständchen is a morning serenade, which opens with a deep yawn in the fourth horn and then gradually awakens through a slowly building melody among all parts. Abendständchen is a livelier andante-tempo than the preceding quartet. Its winding chromatic theme captures the drunken energy of an evening stroll. The final quartet is a farewell serenade that aptly instills feelings of a melancholy parting combined with the hopes of a forthcoming reunion. When performing the Abschieds-Ständchen, the words “Auf wiedersehen!" can be heard through the operatic lines in the first horn.

Edited by John Turman