Abstract
Whether we can ascribe specific meanings to the works of Arnold Bax is a vexed question, given that the composer was rarely explicit about such matters. In that context, this article explores the significance of musical quotation and allusion in Bax's First String Quartet in G major (1918), dedicated to Edward Elgar. Several references to Elgar's Violin Concerto are highlighted in the first and second movements of the quartet, and broader stylistic referencesto Dvořák and Debussy are also identified. Explanations are suggested for these references, based on parallels drawn between Bax's musical practice in this work, the composer's early reception, and his prose writings in the Musical Standard and Musical Herald, which discussed ‘artistic good faith’, musical influence and the difficulties of creating a national style in British music.
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