Stratton Quartet
Encyclopedia
The Stratton String Quartet was a well known British
musical ensemble
active during the 1930s and 1940s. They were specially associated with the performance of British music
, of which they gave numerous premieres, and were a prominent feature in the wartime calendar of concerts at the National Gallery. After the War the group was re-founded as the Aeolian Quartet
.
The Stratton Quartet is also the name of a contemporary all-female string quartet, founded by Elizabeth Bell, Lorie Hippen, Laurel Browne and Kristen Anderson, in the Minneapolis area of Minnesota
.
Neither is to be confused with the Jeremy Stratton Quartet, a contemporary Jazz ensemble.
George Stratton
violin:
Carl Taylor
viola:
Watson Forbes
cello:
John Moore
under Editha Knocker and Raymond Jeremy, and played in the Academy quartet as second violin: but, opportunities arising to take on the viola desk he made the transition and viola became his primary instrument. He studied in Pisek
, Czechoslovakia
with Otakar Ševčík
, and in England received lessons from Albert Sammons
. Around 1930 he joined the Stratton Quartet and remained with it through the 1930s.
Records of the Arts and Humanities Council (UK) show that the Stratton performed at the Grotrian Hall in London
in June 1928, and (with the pianist Harriet Cohen
) in Berlin
in February 1929. In October 1930, at the Conway Hall (Red Lion Square), they took part in a series of 10 free concerts with the Guild of Singers and Players. Probably also around 1930, they performed the Quartet op 44 of the Suffolk
composer Stanley Wilson. In February 1932 they are found at Brighton
with Joseph Szigeti
, and a month later assisted Benjamin Britten
by providing a private run-through of his Quartet in D major. They performed at Londonderry House
(London) for the British Music Society in January 1933.
In 1933 they made their famous recording of the Edward Elgar
piano quintet
with Harriet Cohen
. This was recorded as a present for the composer who was then in his last illness. Albert Sammons and Raymond Jeremy, both of whom had taught Watson Forbes, had taken part in the work's original performance of 1919.
In 1934 and 1935 the Quartet championed the work of Mary Lucas
, performing her quartets at the First Performance Society (presented by London Musical Club), in November 1934, and in January 1935 at the Blackheath Music Society. In March 1935 with Raymond Jeremy they gave the first performance of the Arnold Bax
String Quintet in one movement. Their championing of British music continued in the first performance of the Three Divertimenti of Benjamin Britten
, at the Wigmore Hall
in February 1936, a performance which was met with sniggers and cold silence, undermining the confidence of the composer.
During the later 1930s George Stratton found his many duties including orchestral work increasingly onerous. In 1939 he was leading the Haigh Marshall orchestra, and the London Theatre Concerts were being given at the Cambridge Theatre
. The Strattons gave the world premiere of the Lennox Berkeley
String Quartet No.2, Op.15, at the Cambridge Theatre in June 1941.
The Stratton Quartet was very closely associated with the concerts given at the National Gallery in London during the Second World War, organized by Myra Hess
and Howard Ferguson
. Their first was in October 1939, and they performed there about once monthly. Performances included the Gerald Finzi
Oboe interlude, with Edward Selwyn (January 1940), a Beethoven concert in early February, Stratton and Moore in a piano trio with Betty Humby (Lady Beecham) (February 1940), a Sibelius concert (March 1940), Stratton, Forbes and Moore with Reginald Paul, as the 'Paul Pianoforte Quartet' (March 1940), an Elgar quintet with Eileen Joyce
(May 1940), a recital with Benno Moiseiwitsch
and a Mozart recital with oboist Joy Boughton
(July 1940), and a quartet recital in August 1940. These performances continued through the war, for example a recital with Myra Hess in January 1941, and with Harriet Cohen and Marie Korchinska (harp) in November 1943.
After the war the Stratton Quartet performed in Czechoslovakia in 1946, appearing at the first International Music Festival in Prague
. At about this time or soon afterwards, the group renamed itself the Aeolian Quartet. Both Watson Forbes and John Moore remained members of the new group for several years thereafter.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
musical ensemble
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
active during the 1930s and 1940s. They were specially associated with the performance of British music
British music
British music could refer to:* Music of the United Kingdom* English music* Irish music* Scottish music* Welsh music* Celtic music...
, of which they gave numerous premieres, and were a prominent feature in the wartime calendar of concerts at the National Gallery. After the War the group was re-founded as the Aeolian Quartet
Aeolian Quartet
The Aeolian Quartet was a highly reputed string quartet based in London , with a long international touring history and presence, an important recording and broadcasting profile. It was the successor of the pre-War Stratton Quartet...
.
The Stratton Quartet is also the name of a contemporary all-female string quartet, founded by Elizabeth Bell, Lorie Hippen, Laurel Browne and Kristen Anderson, in the Minneapolis area of Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
.
Neither is to be confused with the Jeremy Stratton Quartet, a contemporary Jazz ensemble.
Personnel
violin:George Stratton
violin:
Carl Taylor
viola:
Watson Forbes
Watson Forbes
Watson Douglas Buchanan Forbes was a Scottish violist and classical music arranger...
cello:
John Moore
Origins
The quartet was named after its leader George Stratton, who was also leader of the London Symphony Orchestra. Watson Forbes studied at the Royal Academy of MusicRoyal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
under Editha Knocker and Raymond Jeremy, and played in the Academy quartet as second violin: but, opportunities arising to take on the viola desk he made the transition and viola became his primary instrument. He studied in Pisek
Písek
Písek is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has a population of 29 909 .-About:Písek is usually called "The Athens of the South", although Athens is much more southerly, because it has many high schools and schools of higher education, e.g. the Film School in Písek...
, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
with Otakar Ševčík
Otakar Ševcík
Otakar Ševčík was a Czech violinist and influential teacher. He was known as a soloist and an ensemble player, including his occasional performances with Eugène Ysaÿe.-Biography:...
, and in England received lessons from Albert Sammons
Albert Sammons
Albert Edward Sammons CBE was an English violinist, composer and later violin teacher. Almost self-taught on the violin, he had a wide repertoire as both chamber musician and soloist, although his reputation rests mainly on his association with British composers, especially Elgar...
. Around 1930 he joined the Stratton Quartet and remained with it through the 1930s.
Records of the Arts and Humanities Council (UK) show that the Stratton performed at the Grotrian Hall in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in June 1928, and (with the pianist Harriet Cohen
Harriet Cohen
Harriet Cohen CBE was a British pianist.-Biography:Harriet Cohen was born in London and studied piano at the Royal Academy of Music under Tobias Matthay, having won the Ada Lewis scholarship at the age of 12. She made her debut at a Chappell's Sunday concert at the Queen's Hall a year later...
) in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
in February 1929. In October 1930, at the Conway Hall (Red Lion Square), they took part in a series of 10 free concerts with the Guild of Singers and Players. Probably also around 1930, they performed the Quartet op 44 of the Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
composer Stanley Wilson. In February 1932 they are found at Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
with Joseph Szigeti
Joseph Szigeti
Joseph Szigeti was a Hungarian violinist.Born into a musical family, he spent his early childhood in a small town in Transylvania. He quickly proved himself to be a child prodigy on the violin, and moved to Budapest with his father to study with the renowned pedagogue Jenő Hubay...
, and a month later assisted Benjamin Britten
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
by providing a private run-through of his Quartet in D major. They performed at Londonderry House
Londonderry House
Londonderry House was an aristocratic townhouse situated on Park Lane in the Mayfair district of London, England.The house was the home to the Irish, titled family called the Stewarts who are better known as the Marquesses of Londonderry....
(London) for the British Music Society in January 1933.
In 1933 they made their famous recording of the Edward Elgar
Edward Elgar
Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet OM, GCVO was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestral works including the Enigma Variations, the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, concertos...
piano quintet
Piano Quintet (Elgar)
The Quintet in A minor for Piano and String Quartet, Op. 84 is a chamber work by Edward Elgar.He worked on the Quintet and two other major chamber pieces in the summer of 1918 while staying at Brinkwells near Fittleworth in Sussex. W. H...
with Harriet Cohen
Harriet Cohen
Harriet Cohen CBE was a British pianist.-Biography:Harriet Cohen was born in London and studied piano at the Royal Academy of Music under Tobias Matthay, having won the Ada Lewis scholarship at the age of 12. She made her debut at a Chappell's Sunday concert at the Queen's Hall a year later...
. This was recorded as a present for the composer who was then in his last illness. Albert Sammons and Raymond Jeremy, both of whom had taught Watson Forbes, had taken part in the work's original performance of 1919.
In 1934 and 1935 the Quartet championed the work of Mary Lucas
Mary Lucas
Mary Anderson Lucas née Juler was an English composer. She studied in Dresden and at the Royal Conservatory of Music with Herbert Howells and R.O. Morris. She married entrepreneur and inventor Ralph Lucas in 1903 and her son Colin became a noted architect...
, performing her quartets at the First Performance Society (presented by London Musical Club), in November 1934, and in January 1935 at the Blackheath Music Society. In March 1935 with Raymond Jeremy they gave the first performance of the Arnold Bax
Arnold Bax
Sir Arnold Edward Trevor Bax, KCVO was an English composer and poet. His musical style blended elements of romanticism and impressionism, often with influences from Irish literature and landscape. His orchestral scores are noted for their complexity and colourful instrumentation...
String Quintet in one movement. Their championing of British music continued in the first performance of the Three Divertimenti of Benjamin Britten
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
, at the Wigmore Hall
Wigmore Hall
Wigmore Hall is a leading international recital venue that specialises in hosting performances of chamber music and is best known for classical recitals of piano, song and instrumental music. It is located at 36 Wigmore Street, London, UK and was built to provide London with a venue that was both...
in February 1936, a performance which was met with sniggers and cold silence, undermining the confidence of the composer.
During the later 1930s George Stratton found his many duties including orchestral work increasingly onerous. In 1939 he was leading the Haigh Marshall orchestra, and the London Theatre Concerts were being given at the Cambridge Theatre
Cambridge Theatre
The Cambridge Theatre is a West End theatre, on a corner site in Earlham Street facing Seven Dials, in the London Borough of Camden, built in 1929-30. It was designed by Wimperis, Simpson and Guthrie; interior partly by Serge Chermayeff, with interior bronze friezes by sculptor Anthony Gibbons...
. The Strattons gave the world premiere of the Lennox Berkeley
Lennox Berkeley
Sir Lennox Randal Francis Berkeley was an English composer.- Biography :He was born in Oxford, England, and educated at the Dragon School, Gresham's School and Merton College, Oxford...
String Quartet No.2, Op.15, at the Cambridge Theatre in June 1941.
The Stratton Quartet was very closely associated with the concerts given at the National Gallery in London during the Second World War, organized by Myra Hess
Myra Hess
Dame Myra Hess DBE was a British pianist.She was born in London as Julia Myra Hess, but was best known by her middle name. At the age of five she began to study the piano and two years later entered the Guildhall School of Music, where she graduated as winner of the Gold Medal...
and Howard Ferguson
Howard Ferguson (composer)
Howard Ferguson was a British composer and musicologist. He composed instrumental, chamber, orchestral and choral works. While his music is not widely-known today, his Piano Sonata in F Minor and his Five Bagatelles for piano are still performed...
. Their first was in October 1939, and they performed there about once monthly. Performances included the Gerald Finzi
Gerald Finzi
Gerald Raphael Finzi was a British composer. Finzi is best known as a song-writer, but also wrote in other genres...
Oboe interlude, with Edward Selwyn (January 1940), a Beethoven concert in early February, Stratton and Moore in a piano trio with Betty Humby (Lady Beecham) (February 1940), a Sibelius concert (March 1940), Stratton, Forbes and Moore with Reginald Paul, as the 'Paul Pianoforte Quartet' (March 1940), an Elgar quintet with Eileen Joyce
Eileen Joyce
Eileen Alannah Joyce CMG was an Australian pianist whose career spanned more than 30 years. She lived in England in her adult years....
(May 1940), a recital with Benno Moiseiwitsch
Benno Moiseiwitsch
Benno Moiseiwitsch CBE was a Ukrainian-born British pianist.-Biography:Born in Odessa, Ukraine, Moiseiwitsch began his studies at age seven at the Odessa Music Academy. He won the Anton Rubinstein Prize when he was just nine years old. He later took lessons from Theodor Leschetizky in Vienna...
and a Mozart recital with oboist Joy Boughton
Joy Boughton
Christina Joyance Boughton was the daughter of English composer Rutland Boughton and artist Christina Walshe. She died in 1963 in tragic circumstances....
(July 1940), and a quartet recital in August 1940. These performances continued through the war, for example a recital with Myra Hess in January 1941, and with Harriet Cohen and Marie Korchinska (harp) in November 1943.
After the war the Stratton Quartet performed in Czechoslovakia in 1946, appearing at the first International Music Festival in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
. At about this time or soon afterwards, the group renamed itself the Aeolian Quartet. Both Watson Forbes and John Moore remained members of the new group for several years thereafter.
Sources
- Concert programme archives (see external links)
- Margaret Campbell, 'Obituary: Watson Forbes', The Independent, 5 July 1997.
- Christopher Fifield, Ibbs and Tillett: the Rise and Fall of a Musical Empire (Ashgate Publishing, 2005).