BRITISH MUSIC SOCIETY OF NORTHERN IRELAND 1959-1960 FIRST RECITAL under the auspices of THE QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY OF BELFAST THE AMADEUS STRING QUARTET NORBERT BRAININ, Violin SIEGMUND NISSEL, Violin PETER SCHIDLOF, Viola MARTIN LOVETT, Violoncello and GERVASE De PEYER, Clarinet SIR WILLIAM WHITLA HALL Queen's University, Belfast FRIDAY, 9th OCTOBER, 1959 at 7.45 p.m.

Quartet in F major, Op. 18, No. 1 Allegro con brio Adagio affettuoso ed appassionato Scherzo allegro molto Allegro Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Beethoven had written much for chamber music combinations, usually with wind instruments, before he wrote the six quartets com- prised in Op. 18 in 1800. It is only superficially that they recall the 18th century, in spite of their date; they are mature and forward-looking works which even Beethoven's own later achievements in this form do not overshadow. Quartet No. 6 Béla Bartók (1881-1945) Mesto. Vivace Mesto. Marcia-Rubato Mesto. Burletta-Andantino Mesto From the mists that obscure the foothills of modern music one of the most imposing peaks to stand out is the group of Bartók's six quartets. In them we find the workings of a mind logical, uncom- promising and deep, unconcerned with surface attractions, an Eastern European working within the framework of Western European forms, a stern and relentless idealist expressing himself through the wild and passionate sounds and melodies of untamed and untameable peoples. The quartets appeared fairly regularly throughout his career, from his 27th to his 58th year. The 6th was written in 1939, the year of his flight from Europe to America, by which time he was putting much of his experimentation behind him and was reaching the more accessible regions which produced the most popular of his major works. (These include the great Concerto for Orchestra which the B.B.C. Orchestra is to play, for the first time in Belfast, on the 23rd of this month).

Those who are hearing this quartet for the first time would do well to remember that Bartók was brought up in a land of fiddlers and that he pushed his exploration of the possibilities of sound effects as far as he did his exploration of form; attention is drawn to some of these below. They should also note the independence of the part writing, rhythmically, melodically and tonally (there are, on occasion, four different keys going at the same time). The counterpoint has come a long way from Bach, but it was from Bach that he drew his inspiration. Each of the first three movements is preceded by a motto theme, a lovely plaintiff melody, played first by the solo viola. The first move- ment is classical in form with first and second subject (the latter on the first violin with a cello pizzicato) a development and recapitulation, admittedly a Bartokian recapitulation, each section being plainly marked off with an almost 18th century distinctness. In the second movement the motto theme is given to the cello with the other strings in counterpoint. Then follows a march with a contrasting Rubato in which the cello plays the melody high up on the A string with an accompaniment of violins tremolo and a guitar-like strumming on the viola. The plentiful use of glissando is to noted here. In the third movement the motto theme is distributed between the upper strings. Then follows a Burletta interrupted by an andantino. In this movement the technical resources of the players are hard pressed. Just after the opening the second violin plays a quarter tone out from the first violin and all the players are called on to show their prowess au talon (playing with the heel of the bow), punta d'arco (playing with the point of the bow), sul ponticello (playing at the bridge), pizzicato glissando, and in the resumption of the Burletta, are called on several times for Bartok's famous snap pizzicato, in which the string is plucked so hard that it strikes the wood of the fiddle and gives a crack like a whip. The motto theme constitutes the whole of the last movement, a grave and beauti- ful meditation which comes to a despairing but majestic end with the opening phrase played pizzicato on the cello under a poignant chord on the violins. INTERVAL

Quintet in A major for Clarinet and String Quartet Allegro Larghetto Menuetto Tema con variazioni: allegretto The clarinet was a new instrument in Mozart's day and he fell for it. Almost at the end of his life he wrote two masterpieces for it, both in A major, the work we are to hear tonight (which, for better value, has a minuet with two trios) and the Clarinet Concerto which Mr. de Peyer is to play with the City of Belfast Orchestra on 19th of February next. NEXT CONCERTS Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) Saturday, October 24th: Gerard Souzay and Dalton Baldwin SCHUMANN'S LIEDERKREISS (EICHENDORFF), Op. 39 and songs by Lully, Duparc and Ravel. Friday, November 20th: Rosalyn Tureck Saturday, December, 19th: Ilse Wolf and Martin Isepp