Pro Arte Quartet

The Pro Arte String Quartet was a string quartet from Belgium

History

The Pro Arte String Quartet was founded in Brussels in 1912,[1] and transferred permanently to Madison, Wisconsin (USA) in 1941. After becoming the Court Quartet to Queen Elizabeth of Belgium, the Pro Arte began the first of many international tours in 1919. Bartók, Milhaud and Honegger entrusted the ensemble new works to premiere. The Pro Arte Quartet made its American debut in 1926 in New York and returned for 30 tours to the United States, often under the auspices of the noted patron of chamber music, Mrs. Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge. Their first visit to Madison was in 1938. Two years later, the musicians were stranded in Madison by the outbreak of World War II and accepted a residency at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, the first such residency in a major American university. The Pro Arte became the faculty string quartet of the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the late 1950s, an appointment that continues till this day.

Origins 1912-1941

The Quartet was founded by Alphonse Onnou, its leader, in Brussels in 1912. After the First World War it became famous for the performance of modern music, and also for its extensive recordings of Haydn. The Quartet made its New York debut in 1926 and performed at the inauguration of the Hall of Music at the Library of Congress in Washington DC. In 1932 they were named the 'Quatuor de la Cour de Belgique'. They frequently toured in the United States, and first performed at Madison, Wisconsin in 1938.

1941-1947

While touring in Wisconsin in 1941 they were offered a permanent residency. In 1944, following the disbanding of the Kolisch Quartet in the USA, Rudolf Kolisch took up leadership of the Pro Arte in 1944, combined with a Wisconsin Professorship. In 1946, Robert Maas became the original cellist in the newly formed Paganini Quartet. In 1947, violist Germain Prevost, the last of the original members, resigned. In the late 1950s, the Pro Arte Quartet became members of the University's School of Music faculty in addition to being artists-in-residence.[2]

Centennial Anniversary Commissioning Project 2011-2012

The Pro Arte Quartet reached their centennial anniversary in 1912 and claim to be the first quartet in the world to do so. To honor this occasion, the quartet embarked on a commissioning project to include up to eight new works, to be presented throughout the 2011-2012 season.

Personnel

The original personnel of the Pro Arte Quartet were:

1st violin: Alphonse Onnou
2nd violin: Laurent Halleux
viola: Germain Prévost
violoncello: Robert Maas

The current personnel are:

1st violin: David Perry
2nd violin: Suzanne Beia
viola: Sally Chisholm
violoncello: Parry Karp

Recordings

(78rpm recordings (Victor/HMV) of the original Pro Arte up to 1936:- )

The Haydn Quartet Society was formed in 1932 by HMV and by 1936 the Pro Arte recorded five volumes of records available only as complete sets. The contents were:

Notes

  1. ↑ Thus the official website. According to (Eaglefield-Hull 1924), in 1922.
  2. ↑ See the history of the quartet in the official website

Sources

External links