Hungarian Quartet

The Hungarian String Quartet was a musical ensemble of world renown, particularly famous for its performances of quartets by Beethoven and Bartók. The quartet was founded in Budapest in 1935 (as the New Hungarian Quartet) and was disbanded in 1972.

Members

Hungarian Quartet1960 on first of four acclaimed tours of Southern Africa photo dedicated to organiser by Hans Adler.

1st violin:

2nd violin:

Viola:

Cello:


Origins

The Quartet was originally brought together with Sándor Végh (a pupil of Jenő Hubay and Zoltán Kodály at Budapest Academy) as the first violin, but was set onto a balanced footing when the virtuoso violinist Zoltán Székely (graduate of the same Academy, as was Denes Koromzay (1913–2001)) was recruited in 1937. At that point Sándor Végh moved to the second violin desk, and in 1940 he left to found the Végh Quartet. He was then replaced by the Russian Alexandre Moszkowsky. The Quartet had made its debut in 1935, and met with swift success. Szekely was a friend of Béla Bartók, and the group became rapidly known by giving the Hungarian première performance of the Bartók 5th Quartet, which it studied with the composer. By 1938, the group had been heard in every major city of Western Europe.

During the war they were trapped in the Netherlands, and devoted the period to the intensive study of the Beethoven quartets, which were subsequently launched upon the world in the brilliant career which the group achieved after 1945. In 1950 they settled in the USA. In around 1956 the cello, and around 1960 the second violin desk, was reassigned, and in this new form the Quartet continued to maintain its busy programme of performance until 1972, while also undertaking teaching positions and the coaching of younger instrumentalists. In 1957, the newly configured Quartet performed in Boston for the Peabody Mason Concert series.[1]

In their second, 1966, recording of the Beethoven cycle, it is stated that Székely plays the 'Michelangelo' Stradivarius (1718), Kuttner plays the 'Santa Theresa' Petrus Guarnerius (1704), Koromzay plays a 1766 instrument by M. Decanet, and Magyar has a cello by Alessandro Gagliano of 1706.

This is actually the second of three Hungarian Quartets. The original Hungarian Quartet, also known as the Waldbauer-Kerpely Quartet, gave its first concert in 1910 playing Bartók and Kodály. The other members were Temesvary and Molnar. A later occupant of the viola chair was Kornstein who wrote an account of how the group practised for performance.

Recordings

(Examples)

There are two complete cycles of the Beethoven quartets, both recorded in Paris:

Sources

References

  1. ↑ Boston Globe, 9-Nov-1957, George McKinnon, "Hungarian Quartet plays Beethoven and Bartok"
  2. ↑ with Laurent Halleux as viola player