07-03-09 - It may not be the most traditional way to spend the Fourth of July, but it could be the most satisfying. Instead of observing Independence Day with grilled food and fireworks, consider attending a concert by an accomplished American chamber music ensemble: the Brentano String Quartet.

If you need help understanding why going to a chamber music concert would be a highly appropriate way to celebrate the birth of our nation, here are some ideas. The Brentano String Quartet is the quartet-in-residence at Princeton University, an institution of higher learning that was already in existence in 1776. Saturday night's concert will include works by Monteverdi, Haydn, and Beethoven, the life and career of one of whom—Franz Josef Haydn (1732-1809)—coincide with the American Revolution.