BRITISH MUSIC SOCIETY OF NORTHERN IRELAND 1960 1961 FIFTH RECITAL under the auspices of THE QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY OF BELFAST Carmirelli String Quartet PINA CARMIRELLI, Violin MONTSERRAT CERVERA, Violin LUIGI SAGRATA, Viola ARTURO BONUCCI, Violincello SIR WILLIAM WHITLA HALL Queen's University, Belfast SATURDAY, 21st JANUARY, 1961 at 7.45 p.m.

QUARTET IN D MAJOR, Op. 76, No. 5 Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) Allegretto - Allegro Largo, cantabile e mesto Menuetto allegro Finale presto The Op. 76 quartets are among the last Haydn wrote, in 1797-8. The first movement has a typical Siciliano theme, which is very freely varied. The Largo is known in Germany as the Church- yard, from the number of sharps or crosses in the key signature (it is in F sharp major); it is one of Haydn's most elevated move- ments, but notoriously difficult to play in tune. The minor mode trio in the minuet is to be noted. The vigorous finale is a free sonata form on a brief folksy tune. QUARTET No. 2 IN C MAJOR, Op. 36 Benjamin Britten (1913- ) Allegro moderato ma commodo Vivace Chacony: adagio (Written in 1945 to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Purcell's death). There is a good deal of rethinking of traditional forms in this work. The first movement is in sonata form, with a severely compressed recapitulation and an extended Coda. The Scherzo in a complicated way follows a usual three-fold pattern. The Chaconne, in direct tribute to Purcell, is a set of slow vari- ations, in three groups of six, divided by solo cadenzas, and a fourth group of three. INTERVAL

QUARTET IN C SHARP MINOR, Op. 131 Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) This, the second last of Beethoven's quartets, was written in 1826. Its seven movements are played without a break, and the following notes are intended as a map of the course for those unfamiliar with the work. Adagio ma non troppo e molto espressivo, a slow fugal move- ment, built on a subject which bears a close relation to the motto theme common to several of the late quartets. Slides by the mere rise of a semi-tone into Allegro molto vivace, a gay, care-free folksongy tune, with many repetitions. Followed by Allegro moderato, a short ent, a brief series of recitatives, tossed about from instrument to instrument, moving to adagio, with a cadenza on the first violin which shortly leads to Andante ma non troppo e molto cantabile, a lengthy theme with pizzicato cello accompaniment. This theme becomes the subject of a set of variations which become more complicated as the movement goes on. The first proceeds directly from the theme; the second has a change of tempo, piu mosso, and a vamping accompaniment; the third, andante moderato e lusinghiero, starts with a duet between cello and viola; the fourth is an adagio with an almost waltz-like swing; the fifth is an allegretto starting with a duet between the two violins; the sixth adagio ma non troppo e semplice, has a staccato opening that disconcertingly suggests Good King Wenceslas, with a plaintive and somewhat agonizing back- ground. This is the last full variation. After further discussion of the subject a passage of trilled playing on the first violin leads to a further meditation on, rather than a restatement of, the original theme. Then comes Presto, a gay scherzo, with well-marked rhythm and staccato for most of its length, interrupted by three pizzicato exchanges between the instruments, the last of which is followed by the theme played sul ponticello (with the bow close to the bridge). Then Adagio, the sixth movement, a short, but profound meditation, leading to the closing Allegro, in which Beethoven decides to close the work with a complicated sonata-form.

NEXT CONCERTS: Saturday 11th February QUARTETTO DI ROMA Quartet in C minor, Op. 60 Quartet (1957) Quartet in C minor, Op. 15 Friday 10th March ALLEGRI STRING QUARTET Quartet in D minor, K. 173 Quartet in E flat, Op. 51 Quartet in B flat, Op. 130 Friday 24th March CLIFFORD CURZON (Pianoforte) Programme under discussion. Brahms Viozzi Fauré Mozart Dvorak Beethoven