Paganini Quartet
Encyclopedia
The Paganini Quartet was a virtuoso string quartet founded by its first violinist, Henri Temianka
, in 1946. The quartet drew its name from the fact that all four of its instruments, made by Antonio Stradivari
(1644–1737), had once been owned by the great Italian violinist and composer Niccolo Paganini
(1782–1840).
. Maas had already secured the sponsorship of Mrs. William Andrews Clark, who was interested in forming a new string quartet. Meanwhile the famous patroness of chamber music, Mrs. Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge
, had sponsored Temianka’s performance of the Beethoven violin sonata cycle at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., with pianist Leonard Shure, and she also expressed interest in the project.
Maas happened upon the four Paganini Strads at the shop of Emil Herrmann in New York, and mentioned them to Mrs. Clark, who promptly purchased the fabulous instruments for the Quartet's use. Gustave Rosseels, violin, and Robert Courte, viola, immediately accepted invitations to complete the ensemble, and soon they were heralded as “a great quartet born on American soil.” Temianka referred to it as the "spiritual heir of the Pro Arte Quartet
."
In 1946 - 47 they played all the Beethoven string quartets at the Library of Congress; people began lining up at 5:00 a.m. to purchase tickets for the series, which was sold out in an hour. A recording contract with RCA Victor followed, and their rendition of the three Beethoven Opus 59 “Rasumovsky” quartets won the industry’s award for best recording of 1947.
The Quartet made its home in Los Angeles, California. During rehearsals they usually spoke French. The story of how the Paganini Quartet came into being is told in much greater detail in Henri Temianka’s book Facing the Music.
, Andres Segovia
, Claudio Arrau
and Gary Graffman
. Their recordings included most of the Beethoven Quartets as well as those of Fauré
, Verdi, Debussy, Ravel and others (see Discography, below). They also played the world premieres of works by Darius Milhaud
, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco
, Alberto Ginastera
and Benjamin Lees
.
Gustave Rosseels was the original second violinist. Later he was replaced by Charles Libove (who subsequently became first violinist with the Beaux-Arts Quartet), and then Stefan Krayk.
Robert Courte, who had been a professor of viola at the Royal Conservatory in Brussels, was the original violist. He was later replaced by Charles Foidart, and then David Schwartz and Albert Gillis, respectively.
Cellist Robert Maas died suddenly in 1948. He was replaced by Adolphe Frezin, and later by Lucien Laporte, who had been first cellist for the New York Symphony under Walter Damrosch and the NBC Symphony. Gabor Rejto, Victor Gottlieb and Edgar Lustgarten also filled in at various times.
.
The provenance of the instruments is as follows
.
The first violin, the "Comte Cozio di Salabue," was made by Stradivari in 1727 and was played by Paganini himself, after he acquired it from Count Cozio de Salabue in 1817. It is currently played by Martin Beaver
.
The second violin, the "Desaint," was made by Stradivari in 1680. It is an example of Stradivari’s early Amatise style, and is profiled in the book Stradivari’s Genius by Toby Faber. It is currently played by Kikuei Ikeda.
The viola, the "Mendelssohn," was made in 1731, when Stradivari was 86 years old. It is one of fewer than a dozen surviving Strad violas, and was the instrument that inspired Paganini to commission Hector Berlioz to write his symphonic poem “Harold in Italy”. It is now played by Kazuhide Isomura.
The cello is the “Ladenburg” of 1736. It was owned by the Mendelssohn family before coming into Paganini’s possession. It is currently played by Clive Greensmith.
When the Paganini Quartet disbanded in 1966, the four Strads reverted to the Corcoran Gallery of Art
in Washington, D.C. In accordance with Mrs. Clark's will, they were never to be separated. Beginning in 1992 they were loaned to the Cleveland String Quartet. Since 1994 they have been owned by the Nippon Music Foundation
, and continue to be played by the Tokyo String Quartet
. They are presently owned by the Nippon Music Foundation of Japan, after deacquisition by the Corcoran Gallery in the mid-1990s.
Ahrendt—Quartet; Babin—Quartet; Bach—excerpts from The Art of the Fugue; Barber—Opus 11;
Bartok—Quartets nos. 1, 2, 6; Beethoven—Entire cycle of 17 quartets; Bloch—Quartet no. 2;
Brahms—Opus 51, nos.1, 2; Opus 67; Britten—Quartet no. 2; Debussy—Quartet Opus 10 in G minor;
Delerue—Quartet; Dittersdorf—Quartet in E flat major; Dvorak—American Quartet Opus 96;
Francaix—Quartet; Franck—Quartet in D major; Fuerstner—Divertimento;
Haydn—30 famous quartets; Hindemith Quartet no. 3 Opus 22; Jacobi—Quartet no. 3;
Mendelssohn—Opus 12; Milhaud—Quartets no. 4, 7 & 15; Mozart—10 famous quartets;
Piston—Quartet no. 2; Rathaus—Quartet no. 4; Ravel—Quartet in F major;
Robertson—American Serenade; Schubert—Opus 29 in A minor; Quartet no. 14, Opus 125 no. 1(“Death and the Maiden”);
Schumann—3 Quartets Opus 41; Shostakovich—Quartet no. 1; Stravinsky—Concertino, Three Pieces;
Toch—Opus 18; Verdi—Quartet in e minor; Vivaldi—L’Estro Armonico (arr. string quartet).
In Paris, L’Illustration wrote, “The Paganini Quartet thrilled Paris.”
RCA Victor:
Beethoven Quartets nos. 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15 and 16. Debussy Quartet in G minor. Fauré Piano Quartet no. 1 (with Artur Rubinstein).
Selected movements from quartets by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn,
Schumann, Tchaikovsky and Dvorak.
Schumann Piano Quintet in E flat (with Artur Rubinstein).
Verdi Quartet in E minor.
Ravel Quartet in F
Concert-Disc:
Brahms Piano Quintet in F (with Ralph Votapek)
Decca:
Ginastera Quartet no. 1;
Lajhta Quartet no. 7 op. 49
KAPP:
Haydn Quartet in C (“Emperor”);
Mozart Quartet in C, K. 465 (“Dissonant”)
Liberty:
Britten Quartet no. 1 in D;
Debussy Quartet in G minor;
Lees Quartet no. 1;
Schumann Quartet no. 1 in A minor
Western Recorders (unreleased):
Bartok Quartet no. 1 op. 7
Henri Temianka
Henri Temianka was a virtuoso violinist, conductor, author and music educator.-Early years:Henri Temianka was born in Scotland of Polish-Jewish parents...
, in 1946. The quartet drew its name from the fact that all four of its instruments, made by Antonio Stradivari
Antonio Stradivari
Antonio Stradivari was an Italian luthier and a crafter of string instruments such as violins, cellos, guitars, violas, and harps. Stradivari is generally considered the most significant artisan in this field. The Latinized form of his surname, Stradivarius, as well as the colloquial, "Strad", is...
(1644–1737), had once been owned by the great Italian violinist and composer Niccolo Paganini
Niccolò Paganini
Niccolò Paganini was an Italian violinist, violist, guitarist, and composer. He was one of the most celebrated violin virtuosi of his time, and left his mark as one of the pillars of modern violin technique...
(1782–1840).
Origins
In 1945 Temianka met the renowned cellist Robert Maas, who had been with the Pro Arte QuartetPro Arte Quartet
The Pro Arte String Quartet was founded in Belgium in 1912, and transferred permanently to Madison, Wisconsin in 1941. After becoming the Court Quartet to Queen Elizabeth of Belgium, the Pro Arte began the first of many international tours in 1919. Bartok, Milhaud and Honegger entrusted the...
. Maas had already secured the sponsorship of Mrs. William Andrews Clark, who was interested in forming a new string quartet. Meanwhile the famous patroness of chamber music, Mrs. Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge
Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge
Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge aka Liz Coolidge , born Elizabeth Penn Sprague, was an American pianist and patron of music, especially of chamber music....
, had sponsored Temianka’s performance of the Beethoven violin sonata cycle at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., with pianist Leonard Shure, and she also expressed interest in the project.
Maas happened upon the four Paganini Strads at the shop of Emil Herrmann in New York, and mentioned them to Mrs. Clark, who promptly purchased the fabulous instruments for the Quartet's use. Gustave Rosseels, violin, and Robert Courte, viola, immediately accepted invitations to complete the ensemble, and soon they were heralded as “a great quartet born on American soil.” Temianka referred to it as the "spiritual heir of the Pro Arte Quartet
Pro Arte Quartet
The Pro Arte String Quartet was founded in Belgium in 1912, and transferred permanently to Madison, Wisconsin in 1941. After becoming the Court Quartet to Queen Elizabeth of Belgium, the Pro Arte began the first of many international tours in 1919. Bartok, Milhaud and Honegger entrusted the...
."
In 1946 - 47 they played all the Beethoven string quartets at the Library of Congress; people began lining up at 5:00 a.m. to purchase tickets for the series, which was sold out in an hour. A recording contract with RCA Victor followed, and their rendition of the three Beethoven Opus 59 “Rasumovsky” quartets won the industry’s award for best recording of 1947.
The Quartet made its home in Los Angeles, California. During rehearsals they usually spoke French. The story of how the Paganini Quartet came into being is told in much greater detail in Henri Temianka’s book Facing the Music.
Career
During its 20-year international career, the Paganini Quartet concertized continuously in large cities and small towns throughout the United States, as well as in famous concert halls around the world. They made joint appearances with Arthur RubinsteinArthur Rubinstein
Arthur Rubinstein KBE was a Polish-American pianist. He received international acclaim for his performances of the music of a variety of composers...
, Andres Segovia
Andrés Segovia
Andrés Torres Segovia, 1st Marquis of Salobreña , known as Andrés Segovia, was a virtuoso Spanish classical guitarist from Linares, Jaén, Andalucia, Spain...
, Claudio Arrau
Claudio Arrau
Claudio Arrau León was a Chilean pianist known for his interpretations of a vast repertoire spanning from the baroque to 20th-century composers, especially Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Brahms and Debussy...
and Gary Graffman
Gary Graffman
Gary Graffman is an American classical pianist, teacher of piano and music administrator.Graffman was born in New York City to Russian-Jewish parents. Having started piano at age 3, Graffman entered the Curtis Institute of Music at age 7 in 1936 as a piano student of Isabelle Vengerova...
. Their recordings included most of the Beethoven Quartets as well as those of Fauré
Faure
Faure or Fauré is a French family name and may refer to:People:* Edgar Faure, French politician* Élie Faure, French art historian and essayist* Émile Alphonse Faure, lead battery pioneer* Cédric Fauré, French football striker...
, Verdi, Debussy, Ravel and others (see Discography, below). They also played the world premieres of works by Darius Milhaud
Darius Milhaud
Darius Milhaud was a French composer and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as The Group of Six—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions are influenced by jazz and make use of polytonality...
, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco was an Italian composer. He was known as one of the foremost guitar composers in the twentieth century with almost one hundred compositions for that instrument. In 1939 he migrated to the United States and became a film composer for some 200 Hollywood movies for the next...
, Alberto Ginastera
Alberto Ginastera
Alberto Evaristo Ginastera was an Argentine composer of classical music. He is considered one of the most important Latin American classical composers.- Biography :...
and Benjamin Lees
Benjamin Lees
Benjamin Lees was a contemporary U.S. composer of Art music, born in Harbin, China, raised in San Francisco and lived in Palm Springs, California.-Early life:...
.
Members
Henri Temianka was widely known as a concert violinist and conductor, author and educator. He was the only constant member of the Paganini Quartet throughout its existence.Gustave Rosseels was the original second violinist. Later he was replaced by Charles Libove (who subsequently became first violinist with the Beaux-Arts Quartet), and then Stefan Krayk.
Robert Courte, who had been a professor of viola at the Royal Conservatory in Brussels, was the original violist. He was later replaced by Charles Foidart, and then David Schwartz and Albert Gillis, respectively.
Cellist Robert Maas died suddenly in 1948. He was replaced by Adolphe Frezin, and later by Lucien Laporte, who had been first cellist for the New York Symphony under Walter Damrosch and the NBC Symphony. Gabor Rejto, Victor Gottlieb and Edgar Lustgarten also filled in at various times.
Instruments
The four superb Strads were among the most cherished possessions of the famed virtuoso Niccolo Paganini. After their purchase by Mrs. Clark, further adjustments were made to the instruments by the great craftsman Simone Fernando SacconiSimone Fernando Sacconi
Simone Fernando Sacconi was an expert Italian violin maker and restorer who studied fellow luthier Antonio Stradivari extensively during his lifetime....
.
The provenance of the instruments is as follows
.
The first violin, the "Comte Cozio di Salabue," was made by Stradivari in 1727 and was played by Paganini himself, after he acquired it from Count Cozio de Salabue in 1817. It is currently played by Martin Beaver
Martin Beaver
Martin Beaver is a Canadian violinist. As a part of the Tokyo String Quartet he plays the Paganini-Comte Cozio di Salabue violin circa 1727...
.
The second violin, the "Desaint," was made by Stradivari in 1680. It is an example of Stradivari’s early Amatise style, and is profiled in the book Stradivari’s Genius by Toby Faber. It is currently played by Kikuei Ikeda.
The viola, the "Mendelssohn," was made in 1731, when Stradivari was 86 years old. It is one of fewer than a dozen surviving Strad violas, and was the instrument that inspired Paganini to commission Hector Berlioz to write his symphonic poem “Harold in Italy”. It is now played by Kazuhide Isomura.
The cello is the “Ladenburg” of 1736. It was owned by the Mendelssohn family before coming into Paganini’s possession. It is currently played by Clive Greensmith.
When the Paganini Quartet disbanded in 1966, the four Strads reverted to the Corcoran Gallery of Art
Corcoran Gallery of Art
The Corcoran Gallery of Art is the largest privately supported cultural institution in Washington, DC. The museum's main focus is American art. The permanent collection includes works by Rembrandt, Eugène Delacroix, Edgar Degas, Thomas Gainsborough, John Singer Sargent, Claude Monet, Pablo...
in Washington, D.C. In accordance with Mrs. Clark's will, they were never to be separated. Beginning in 1992 they were loaned to the Cleveland String Quartet. Since 1994 they have been owned by the Nippon Music Foundation
Nippon Music Foundation
The Nippon Music Foundation is an organisation under the supervision of the Arts and Culture Promotion Division, Agency for Cultural Affairs a special body of the Japanese Ministry of Education...
, and continue to be played by the Tokyo String Quartet
Tokyo String Quartet
The is an international string quartet.The group formed in 1969 at the Juilliard School of Music. The founding members attended the Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo, where they studied with Professor Hideo Saito. Soon after its formation the Quartet won First Prizes at the Coleman Competition,...
. They are presently owned by the Nippon Music Foundation of Japan, after deacquisition by the Corcoran Gallery in the mid-1990s.
Repertoire
As per the brochure published by F.C Schang 3rd c. 1948, the Quartet’s repertoire included the following pieces at that time:Ahrendt—Quartet; Babin—Quartet; Bach—excerpts from The Art of the Fugue; Barber—Opus 11;
Bartok—Quartets nos. 1, 2, 6; Beethoven—Entire cycle of 17 quartets; Bloch—Quartet no. 2;
Brahms—Opus 51, nos.1, 2; Opus 67; Britten—Quartet no. 2; Debussy—Quartet Opus 10 in G minor;
Delerue—Quartet; Dittersdorf—Quartet in E flat major; Dvorak—American Quartet Opus 96;
Francaix—Quartet; Franck—Quartet in D major; Fuerstner—Divertimento;
Haydn—30 famous quartets; Hindemith Quartet no. 3 Opus 22; Jacobi—Quartet no. 3;
Mendelssohn—Opus 12; Milhaud—Quartets no. 4, 7 & 15; Mozart—10 famous quartets;
Piston—Quartet no. 2; Rathaus—Quartet no. 4; Ravel—Quartet in F major;
Robertson—American Serenade; Schubert—Opus 29 in A minor; Quartet no. 14, Opus 125 no. 1(“Death and the Maiden”);
Schumann—3 Quartets Opus 41; Shostakovich—Quartet no. 1; Stravinsky—Concertino, Three Pieces;
Toch—Opus 18; Verdi—Quartet in e minor; Vivaldi—L’Estro Armonico (arr. string quartet).
Reviews
Alfred Frankenstein of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote, “Perhaps never before has one heard a string quartet with so rich, mellow and superbly polished a tone.”In Paris, L’Illustration wrote, “The Paganini Quartet thrilled Paris.”
Discography
The Paganini Quartet recorded copiously on 33, 45 and 78 rpm format records, as well as a few reel-to-reel tape releases. A summary of these in-studio recordings includes, by label:RCA Victor:
Beethoven Quartets nos. 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15 and 16. Debussy Quartet in G minor. Fauré Piano Quartet no. 1 (with Artur Rubinstein).
Selected movements from quartets by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn,
Schumann, Tchaikovsky and Dvorak.
Schumann Piano Quintet in E flat (with Artur Rubinstein).
Verdi Quartet in E minor.
Ravel Quartet in F
Concert-Disc:
Brahms Piano Quintet in F (with Ralph Votapek)
Decca:
Ginastera Quartet no. 1;
Lajhta Quartet no. 7 op. 49
KAPP:
Haydn Quartet in C (“Emperor”);
Mozart Quartet in C, K. 465 (“Dissonant”)
Liberty:
Britten Quartet no. 1 in D;
Debussy Quartet in G minor;
Lees Quartet no. 1;
Schumann Quartet no. 1 in A minor
Western Recorders (unreleased):
Bartok Quartet no. 1 op. 7