THE BELFAST MUSIC SOCIETY in association with THE ARTS COUNCIL OF NORTHERN IRELAND and THE MUSIC DEPARTMENT, QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY LINDSAY STRING QUARTET Peter Cropper (violin) Ronald Birks (violin) Graham Oppenheimer (viola) Bernard Gregor-Smith (cello) Elmwood Hall 7.30 p.m., Saturday 2 November 1985

1 QUARTET in C, Op. 33 no. 3 'The Bird' Allegro moderato Scherzando-Allegretto Adagio Rondo-Presto FJ Haydn (1732-1809) In 1781 Haydn published collection of six string quartets sometimes known as 'The Russian'. By all accounts this was a happy time for Haydn, who was currently enjoying a relationship with Luigia Polzelli at the Esterhaza court. The six quartets reflect this happiness of mind; Tovey has described them as 'the lightest of all Haydn's mature comedies'. However, after the Op.20 set of 1772, these new works also showed a new 'perfection of Viennese classical style'; the light-weight minuet of the earlier works was replaced by a meaningful scherzo, and the slow movements took on a more profound, rhapsodic character. The nickname 'The Bird' was given because of the profusion of grace-notes to be found in the opening Allegro, although bird-song can also be found in the airy duet between the two violins in the Scherzo's central Trio. The Scherzo itself exhibits a tenderness, with all four instruments playing on their lowest strings. The Rondo finale is based on a Slavonic folk-tune, and provides Haydn with a vehicle for humour, although even here the second subject, in A minor, has a slightly sinister feel.

QUARTET NO. 1 2 Allegro 02 Lento Allegro M Tippett (b. 1905) Sir Michael Tippett is nowadays generally regarded as one of the foremost, if not the foremost of living British composers. Born in 1905, Sir Michael first studied with Charles Wood at the Royal College of Music, and later, privately, with RO Morris. From his earliest works he has shown the influence of the English Madrigal School, with their independent rhythms, and the 16th and 17th century fantasies with their flowing lyricism. Interestingly, another early influence were the late quartets of Beethoven. Tippett has written four string quartets to date, the first three all come from his early period (although even these were preceded by at least two immature attempts at this genre), and the fourth was produced much more recently, in 1978. Tippett says that his main preoccupation in these early quartets, as well as the first Piano Sonata, first Symphony, and Double Concerto, was with form: how many movements? what sort of movements? and whether the chosen movements are successful in themselves and in contrast and complement. The original version of the first Quartet was first performed by the Brosa Quartet in 1935; it consisted of four movements. Tippett, however, felt that although the first two movements were successful in complement and contrast to the second two movements, they were failures in themselves. He, therefore, discarded these two and wrote one other to take their place. He describes the new three movement work as follows:- 1 Sonata form Allegro. Al, statement of musical material ending with an upward striving, then calming passage for solo cello. B, discussion or development of this material. A2, re-statement of Al, this time ending with downward striving, then calming passage for the cello. 1

2 A slow Lento of almost unbroken lines of lyrical song for all the instruments in harmony. The shape is that of a Pavane, ie A-B-C, and each of the three sections divides, as in huge breaths, into two.16 3 A vigorous Allegro, which in form, accurately speaking, is a fugue harking back less to Bach in feeling than to Beethoven. (The earliest example of additive rhythm and cross-rhythm polyphony). ******** ******* INTERVAL QUARTET in B, Op. 130, with GROSSE FUGE, Op. 133 L van Beethoven (1770-1827) el eiz Adagio, ma non troppo - Allegro Presto L'istesso tempo Andante con moto, ma non troppo Alla danza tedesca (Allegro assai) Cavatina (Adagio molto espressivo) Grosse Fuge alg Towards end 1825, Beethoven finished his great quartet in B major. This highly unusual and original work was couched in six movements, each in radical contrast to its neighbours. Probably it was largely due to this strange formal construction that the work at first met with incomprehension. The first performance, by the Schuppanzigh Quartet, took place in Vienna on the 21st March, 1826. It was not a successful

performance. The enormous final movement, labelled 'Overtura- Fuga', was not at all understood by its first audience, who, in fact, rejected the work. Beethoven's publisher, Artaria, urged Beethoven to have the fugue published separately, and to compose another more 'approachable' final movement for the quartet. Beethoven finally complied with this wish, and in the autumn of 1826 he finished the simpler dance-Allegro, which became the usual finale for the work. The 'Grande Fugue', published as Op. 133, became largely neglected, and was seldom played in public until the end of the nineteenth century. 4 The problem facing today's Quartet players is which to use nowadays? After one hundred and sixty years, today's audiences have a better understanding of large scale structuring; and certainly the Grosse Fuge acts as a more substantial solution to the tensions set up in the first five movements of the work. 1 Adagio ma non troppo. In this free sonata movement, great contrast is built up between slow, homophonic areas and fast, rhapsodic passages, which alternate, sometimes, with alarming rapidity. 2 3 Presto. This is a fairly straightforward three-part movement based on a scherzo. Andante con moto ma non troppo. After the scherzando Presto, Beethoven marks this Andante 'poco scherzoso', and indeed its general fast movement and clashing of themes contain much humour. 4 Alla danza tedesca (Allegro assai). This is a simple three-part dance movement in the style of a 'Deutscher'. 5 Cavatina (Adagio molto espressivo). As in several late works of Beethoven, this movement contains material influenced by operatic writing. This reaches a climax in the middle, where the first violin's 'aria' is accompanied by triplet figures.

5 6 Grosse Fuge. Originally this movement was marked 'free and studied', and indeed we find almost academically worked-out fugal sections next to freer lyrical areas. It starts with a commanding chromatic theme in unison, with a key signature of one sharp; a short lyrical section with one flat follows, and this, in turn, leads to the first fugue, in B. The music is interrupted twice by Meno mosso passages based on the flowing style of the opening lyrical section. A brilliant Allegro molto coda brings the whole quartet to a rousing conclusion. Programme notes by David Morris

6 TONIGHT'S ARTISTS The Lindsay String Quartet is firmly established as one of Britain's leading chamber ensembles. They tour the world. extensively as well as appearing regularly at leading festivals in this country, such as Edinburgh, Bath, Cheltenham, Aldeburgh and the Proms in London. is in residence at Manchester University. This autumn they make their third nationwide tour of the USA. The Quartet The Quartet has recorded all the Bartok and Beethoven quartets for ASV, and in 1984 they won the Gramphone Chamber Music Award for their recording of the late Beethoven quartets. Their recent recording of Schubert's String Quintet is the first in a projected cycle of Schubert recordings. ************ NEXT RECITAL Saturday 25 January 1986 7.30 p.m. - Elmwood Hall BRIAN RAYNER COOK (Baritone) ROGER VIGNOLES (Piano) Schubert Six Heine settings from 'Schwanengesang' Vaughan Williams Songs of Travel Songs by Ravel and Havelock Nelson