BRITISH MUSIC SOCIETY OF NORTHERN IRELAND in association with the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and the Music Department, Queen's University KODAL Y 1976-77 SEASON atly vide FOURTH RECITAL STRING Mihály Barta (violin) Tamás Szabó (violin) Gábor Fias (viola) János Devich (cello) QUARTET Tuesday 18 January 1977 at 7.30 pm Elmwood Hall, Queen's University. odd

String Quartet no. 2 (op. 10) Kodály (1882-1967) Allegro Andante quasi recitativo - allegro giocoso As a composer and founding father of modern Hungarian music, Zoltán Kodály has already established himself a place in the annals of music with a number of outstanding choral and orchestral works including 'Psalmus Hungaricus', 'Háry János' and 'Dances of Galanta'. Like his friend and compatriot, Béla Bartók, Kodály pursued a lifelong passion in the collection and classification of Hungarian folksongs, the influence of which were to play an important function in his development as a composer. Most of his chamber music was written between 1905 and 1920, belonging to the period of his youth, when his main purpose was perfecting a compositional technique that looked towards the symphonic achievements of his later years. Although by self-confession, his early work was a means to an end, much of his small-scale music displays early maturity, including the two String Quartets, the first written between 1908 and 1909, the second following after a lapse of eight years. This latter quartet achieves a total integration between a personal style and the spirit of folk music, which came as a result of more than a decade of collecting material identifiable with his fatherland. The construction of the two-movement work reveals an intention to summarize and unite, with the opening Allegro built around a tight ternary-form structure, the restrained introduction

recurring at the end to form a bridge. The second (Andante-Andante con moto-Allegretto-Andante con moto-Allegro giocoso) is more complex, the opening section acting as substitute for a slow movement. The final section, which comprises several parts itself, corresponds to a fast impetuous finale. Acute listeners will detect no less than six distinct themes, as Kodály blends a unique fusion of the elements of binary, ternary, rondo and sonata forms plus a coda which is built around the final three. themes. This profusion of thematic material, all of differing character, is proof indeed of the composer's unique melodic inventiveness, a hallmark of so much of his later music. 72 To summarize the work in a nutshell through his biographer Eősze, ...the essence of folk song is transmuted into the stylistic elements of an art form perfectly adapted to classical form, in a way that is only possible for a composer to whom folk music has become his mother tongue'. String Quartet in B major, K458 ('The Hunt') Mozart (1756-1791) Allegro vivace assai Minuet and trio Adagio a Allegro assai Mozart made an important contribution to the development and perfection of the classical string quartet during his lifetime, especially with the set of six quartets published in 1785 (including K458) which were dedicated to Joseph Haydn. the letter to his fellow composer offering the dedication, Mozart states that the quartets were the fruit of long and laborious toil'. At the In

time the letter was written, Haydn himself had already produced more than forty works for the medium, many of which Mozart sought to imitate in perfecting his own individual style. not The Bb major work perhaps comes closest to Haydn in manner and mood, taking its nickname from the opening theme of the first movement which is suggestive of a hunting song in 6/8 rhythm. Structurally, the movement follows an irregular sonata form pattern with no second subject in evidence. In its place the composer prefers to extend a rhythmic motif taken from the first subject material. Another surprise is the lengthy coda that begins like a further development section when one is prepared for a brief codetta at the close of the recapitaulation. The second movement acts as a buffer between the boisterous nature of the first movement and profundity of the third, with its graceful charm as found especially in the minuet section. olan The central core of the work is undoubtedly the eloquent Adagio, combining latent power in the harmonic underlay, with supreme beauty in the melodic contours, most notably in the second theme which alternates between violin and cello. The finale, in sonata form, reverts to the Haydnesque humour of the first movement, where the opening theme has a close association with the opening hunting idea. A reflective second subject leads to the development section, a vigorous fugato based upon the opening phrase. The recapitulation follows a regular pattern bringing the work to an emphatic conclusion. INTERVAL

String Quartet in C minor (op. 51 no. 1) Brahms (1833-1897) Allegro Romanze. Poco Adagio Allegretto molto moderato e comodo Allegro vsup Unlike Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, Brahms did not consider the quartet medium as the focal point of his chamber music output, as no work in this vein was published until he had reached the age of forty, his earlier works being for string sextet or for various combinations with piano. Brahms did not lack facility as a composer of quartets (as demonstrated by the production of twenty quartets in his early career which were subsequently destroyed) but probably feared the inevitable comparison between himself and the perfection of Mozart plus the heroic stature of Beethoven. Two quartets, however, were completed in 1873 which he regarded as worthy of being published. The composer always preferred to compose two works for the same instrumentation at the same time, in which he was able to express the emotions of two sides of his nature, the one dramatic and tempestuous, the other lyrical and elegaic. No work is ever confined to a single emotional state, but the former characteristics predominate in the C minor Quartet, whilst the latter qualities are more apparent in the A minor coupling. The first movement of op. 51 no. 1 opens with a restlessly rising motif which falls a diminished 7th, an interval that plays an important melodic role both in the first and last movements. The restless momentum is only relieved towards the close of the exposition, where the first violin brings a measure of peace by way of a cantabile melody evoking distant memories of the Violin Concerto. A tranquil

im Qint interchange between viola, first violin and cello of the opening phrase preludes an energetic section which gradually mounts to a climax of real ferocity before a subtle change of mood heralds the recapitu- lation. The coda ends in apparent exhaustion with a written-out ritardando, as quavers give way to triplet crotchets, minims, a semibreve and finally, silence. The Romanze contains much rich scoring, framed by a persistent dotted-quaver rhythm and only relieved by two triplet-quaver episodes, a favourite rhythmic device of the composer. A sobbing little. song played by the first violin opens the third movement with sympathetic accompaniment in the lower parts, then continues with a suave undulating melody played by violin and viola in inverted canon. Brahms's indigenous interests are apparent in the trio section with a folk-like song, whose rustic character is emphasized by the second violin's use of the open A string. The mood of the Finale is not unlike that of the first movement, as growing impatience is counter-balanced by moments of repose. The quartet moves toward a thrilling climax sustained by a triumphant tonic pedal in the concluding bars. Programme notes by Graham A Nelson

TONIGHT'S ARTISTS All members of the KODALY STRING QUARTET graduated from the renowned FERENC LISZT Academy of Music in Budapest. As members of the former Sebestyén Quartet, Tamás Szabó, Gábor Fias and János Devich won the Diploma at the GENEVA International Violin Competition for String Quartets in 1966. The Quartet is also the FIRST PRIZE WINNER of the coveted "LEO WEINER" Competition in Budapest. In recognition of their outstanding artistic merits, they were decorated with the "FERENC LISZT" Award by the Hungarian State in 1970. Also in 1970. the Hungarian Government bestowed upon them the name of "KODÁLY QUARTET" after the famous composer ZOLTAN KODÁLY. They have extensively guest-performed in Austria, Australia, Britain, Ireland, Bulgaria, France, Japan, Germany, Italy, Poland, USSR, Switzerland etc. Besides regularly appearing on the concert platforms in Hungary, the Quartet is also frequently appearing on radio and television networks throughout Europe.

Next Concert 26 February, 7.30 p.m. in the Elmwood Hall, Queen's University. STOIKA MILANOVA (violin) and to DORA MILANOVA (piano) programme to be announced.