BRITISH MUSIC SOCIETY OF NORTHERN IRELAND 1956-1957 THIRD RECITAL under the auspices of is he SVINDE THE QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY OF BELFAST LOEWENGUTH STRING QUARTET ALFRED LOEWENGUTH MAURICE FUERI ROGER ROCHE PIERRE BASSEUX The Sir William Whitla Hall Queen's University, Belfast SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1st 1956 Violin Violin Viola Cello

QUARTET IN F Andante Adagio Andantino Pierre Vachon (1731-1802) It is now generally recognised that in confining ourselves to Haydn and Mozart among 18th century chamber-music composers we have been missing much acceptable music. The recent revival of interest in the works of Boccherini is an example of this. The difficulty is that much of it exists, if it survives at all, only in manuscript. Six of Vachon's quartets were discovered in an antique shop in England; that which is to be played tonight does not come from this group but was in manuscript in the National Library of New York which has entrusted this quartet to the Loewenguth Quartet which is the sole possessor of it, as they are of his other manuscript quartets. Vachon, born in humble circumstances in Arles, became a well-known performer and composer, worked much of his life in Paris, visited London and for most of the last part of his life was Konzertmeister to the King of Prussia. It is known that many of his manuscripts perished in a fire at the Théâtre de l'Opéra. QUARTET IN A MINOR, Op. 29 Franz Schubert (1797-1828) Allegro ma non troppo Andante Menuetto allegretto Alegro moderato Schubert's chamber music shows a much more normal development towards maturity than his songs do, and so it is relevant to say that this quartet, written in 1824, borders upon

his last period works. For sheer lyrical beauty it can scarcely have been surpassed. Two outstanding characteristics can be heard at the beginning of the first movement: Schubert's genius. for enhancing the repeat of a phrase by altering one or two notes, and his fondness for holding the major and minor key in the balance, one against the other. The slow movement uses again a theme originally written for the Rosamunde music, and there seem to be, in the trio and last movement, some oblique references to Die Schöne Müllerin. INTERVAL QUARTET IN F MAJOR Mauricel Ravel (1875-1937) Allegro moderato-très doux Assez viftrès rhytmé Très lent Vif et agité Ravel was a great experimenter in curious and unusual effects, both in harmony and texture. The first movement of this quartet has some beautiful harmonic effects, many of which are immediately repeated. The scherzo comes second, and again has many cross-rhythms. The slow movement is remarkable for many contrasts between muted and unmuted tone, and the finale (in 5/8 time) rushes headlong to its end.

NEXT CONCERT FRIDAY, 18th JANUARY, 1957 ROSALYN TUREK Pianoforte Members are asked to note that the programme of this concert will consist of one work only, The Goldberg Variations of Bach. They are asked to be present punctually as it will not be possible to interrupt a performance demanding such concen- tration on the part of the performer, whose rendering of this work is considered to be one of the high-lights of the modern concert platform.