BRITISH MUSIC SOCIETY OF NORTHERN IRELAND 1962 1963 EIGHTH RECITAL under the auspices of THE QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY OF BELFAST THE AMADEUS STRING QUARTET NORBERT BRAININ SIEGMUND NISSEL PETER SCHIDLOF MARTIN LOVETT Violin Violin Viola Violoncello SIR WILLIAM WHITLA HALL Queen's University, Belfast THURSDAY, 28th FEBRUARY, 1963 at 7.45 p.m.

Quartet in G major, Op. 77, No. 1 Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) Allegro moderato Adagio Menuetto: presto Finale: presto After the great success of The Creation in 1798, Haydn's main interest centred in its successor The Seasons. He did, however, lend his mind to other things, among them the composing of still another set of six quartets. His strength proved unequal to the full completion of his design and only two were ever finished. They are among the great masterpieces of the form, and show a sufficient contrast of approach to make us regret that he did not complete the set. Quartet No. 6 Mesto Vivace Mesto Marcia Mesto Burletta Mesto- Bartók Béla (1881-1945) This quartet was written in 1939, the year of Bartók's flight from Europe to America. Bartók was brought up in a land of fiddlers and pushed his exploration of sound effects as far as he did his exploration of form. The independence of the part writing is to be noted, rhythmically, melodically and tonally (there are, on occasion, four different keys going at the same time). Each of the three movements is preceded by a motto theme, a lovely sad 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 re- capitulation, each section being plainly marked off. 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. In the third movement the motto theme is distributed among 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 Bartók'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 beautiful 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 Quartet in A major, Op. 41, No. 3 Robert Schumann (1810-1856) Andante espressivo-Allegro molto moderato Assai agitato Un poco adagio-Tempo risoluto. Adagio molto Allegro molto vivace In 1841 Schumann and his wife had begun a study of the string quartets of Haydn and Mozart, and the three quartets of Op. 41 were completed in the next year. Schumann here departs from the literary influences that had guided his work for so long. The scherzo is unusual in form; the assai agitato in F sharp minor is followed by four variations and a coda in F sharp major. The finale is the only instance of a rondo in all quartet writing. LAST CONCERT March 14th: EMMY LOOSE and MARTIN ISEPP Songs by Mozart, Schubert, Wolff, Schumann, Mahler and Strauss.