BRITISH MUSIC SOCIETY OF NORTHERN IRELAND in association with The Department of Music, Queen's University and The Arts Council of Northern Ireland. Fionnuala Hunt (violin) FIRST RECITAL ΤΗ Ε HUNT TRIO Una Hunt (piano) Harty Room Vincent Hunt (cello) Saturday, 29 September 1979

Trio No. 1 in G major Andante Poco Adagio Rondo all'ongarese ('Gipsy Rondo') Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) Haydn wrote a total of 31 piano trios and this one, written in England and published in 1795, is the first of a set of three dedicated to a Mrs. Schroeter - widow of the Queen's music master. She took piano lessons from Haydn and a strong friendship developed between them which ripened, on her side, to a passionate attachment. The first movement of this trio, in G major, is a curious. but charming blend of variation and rondo, its two minor sections being very free in relation to the main theme or to each other. The slow movement moves to the remote key of E major and in the development section it will be noted that a theme, originally heard on the violin, is played by the 'cello in the repeat. This is not written in the score but is an innovation of Pablo Casals which is often followed in present-day performances. The famous 'Gipsy Rondo' finale requires no further comment and it is on the strength of this that the Trio remains one of Haydn's most popular. Fantasie in A John Ireland (1879-1962) This year being the Centenary of John Ireland's birth, there has been a particular emphasis, in a great many musical events, on his relatively small output. Ireland, a pupil of Stanford at the Royal College of Music, wrote three piano trios, of which this Fantasie of 1908 is the first - it is, in fact, his first acknowledged work. The Fantasie (or Phantasy) was revived as a chamber music form in the early 1900's in an attempt to renew the interest of composers in chamber music. A competition was therefore organised for chamber works in a free one-movement

form such as the Fantasia, and the Ireland Fantasie came second, in 1908, to that of Frank Bridge. Although an early work of the composer, the Fantasie in A is a well constructed work with an individual key scheme. It begins in A minor, but the key signature changes to four flats for the second subject and remains in this key for most of the development. In the recapitulation, the opening theme is heard once again, now in the major key. Further key changes soon follow, eventually to revert to A major for the brilliant coda which closes the work. VARIATIONS ON "ICH BIN DER SCHNEIDER KAKADU" in G major, op. 121a Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827) This set of variations is based on a song by Wenzel Müller which appeared in his operetta 'Die Schwestern von Prag' (The Sisters of Prague) in 1794. There is some uncertainty as to the actual date of composition of the variations for although they were not published until 1824, Beethoven refers, in a letter of 1816, to a set of variations on this melody for piano trio, as belonging to his early works. In further letters of the same period, he refers to a "new trio", but it has now been plausibly argued that this was most probably a revised version of the earlier set of variations, now known as this Op. 121a set. It is, in fact, more likely that Beet- hoven would have originally used the melody when it was still popular. The work opens with an Adagio introduction followed by the statement of the simple theme. During the 10 variations, the instruments are grouped in various combinations as they playfully transform the theme: for example, the First Variation is for solo piano, which is joined by the violin for the Second Variation. The Third Variation is scored for 'cello and piano while a duet for violin and 'cello constitutes the Seventh Variation. After a fugal Tenth Variation, the theme returns once more, now followed by a vivacious coda which begins slowly but soon gathers momentum, drawing the work to an end.

TONIGHT'S ARTISTS Una Hunt studied music at Q.U.B. and is presently studying at the Hochschule in Vienna, where Fionnuala Hunt is also studying at the moment. Vincent Hunt studied the 'cello in Rome and Florence and is now back in Northern Ireland teaching. NEXT CONCERT Saturday, 20 October, at 7.30 pm Elmwood Hall ALAN HACKER (clarinet). RICHARD BURNETT (fortepiano)