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>> Norman Gilliland: Welcome to University Place Presents. I'm Norman Gilliland.
The string quartet has been around since at least the middle
of 18th century, but the first string quartet to be the artist
in residence at a university is the Pro Arte Quartet, which came
we'll hear about shortly. The Pro Arte Quartet celebrates its 100th year this year and in extraothe year following.es that
Its members currently include violinists David Perry
and the cellist is Parry Karp. and Suzanne Beia, the violist is Sally Chisholm,
The best way to meet them is through their music, as they pstring quartet by Beethoven.
I don't know if it's true of all string quartets, but listening to the Beethoven just now, it struck me very much as a
conversation among four friends who know each other very well,
who may have a few differences of opinion but all of these are
worked out harmoniously.
How important is it for the members of a string quartet, the players, to be good friends?
Well, Budapest is famous for
not being, but I think musically you have to be good friends.
quartets travel so much together And I think today because the
and have so many more quartets than the original groups, you have different levels of
friendship that are typical in quartets of today, where I guess, they're married, many are married,
and long time friends.
family. >> The Pro Arte Quartet has been change a member, bonds change a lot, and it becomes more of a
around for more than a third of that, right? around now for a hundred years, and I think Parry you've been
member ever of the quartet? >> Well, just this month >> 35 years, yes. >> Are you longest running
longest. I'm tying the original violist, Germain Prevost, for the
>> And you actually met him, didn't you? >> I've met him a few times.
When I was first in the quartet in the '70s and the '80s, whenever we would play in San Francisco we would meet
with him which was wonderful. And we actually did a CBC television special with him in
with a member of the Hart House Quartet, which is the original '79 and brought him together
crossing in the '30s together and hadn't seen each other professional quartet of Canada. They had a transatlantic
It was not exactly fun since then. So that was a lot of fun.
for the Pro Arte Quartet to come to Madison. They came often during the '30s,
I think.
>> Yes. >> They had become the Royal Quartet
for the Queen of Belgium? >> Yes, Queen Elizabeth of Belgium. But they also had a great
American patron.
Mrs. Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, who was a great patron
of chamber music, and she was very fond of the Pro Arte Quartet. of the arts and especially
and they were doing a Beethoven cycle at the new Union Theatre So they were touring here a lot,
And this was announced at the end of one of the concerts by ithe university president who the Nazis invaded Belgium.
as long as they would like. And that started the first then said they had a home here
by a string quartet. artist in residence program at an American university
They had already had that idea of an artist in residence earlier with John Steuart Curry
as a visual artist, and then Gunnar Johansen, the Danish pianist, was hired in 1938.
Both by the Agricultural School.
So a land-grant school they wanted these people to, students from all around rural Wisconsin
to get exposed to great artists.
And so it was really a very forward-thinking idea. >> And did you get any ideas
about the difficult years of the
quartet from Prevost when you talked to him or any of, for example, recording
pioneering experiences? >> He had a wonderful story.
the Opus 20, No. 2, Haydn Quartet, and we'd listened One of the times we were in San Francisco we were playing
movement seemed very slow. to their recording of it. We liked it a lot but the last
And I remember we asked him about that, and he said, oh, that's a great story.
He said, when we started
recording Haydn quartets we didn't think recording was going to be a big thing it was just a
way for us to make a little extra money.
We showed up for the first session and we thought we were
going to record Opus 20, No. 4, Haydn, and we showed up there were four beautiful stands and
and it was opened to 20, No. 2. And he said, we didn't know it. And I went over to Alphonse, and chairs and new editions
And he said, I asked Alphonse, what do we do?
shh, we'll learn it. So he said, we learned it in
So the first three movements we were able to do, but that last that recording session.
one was very complicated fugue so he said we had to take a very
slow tempo so we wouldn't fall
apart. But that started a performance
which many, many famous quartets tradition for that movement
later have emulated, and he said they're all wrong.
recording, and the only reason He said they're just imitating a
it's slow is because they didn't know it.
So that was kind of an >> A little practicality there.
interesting story. >> When you play something like Schubert, I think of Schubert,
of course the great songwriter, as being so lyrical, does that
Of course. come out in his string quartets too?
And especially this one. That's, I think, what they're known for, one of their predominant characteristics.
>> This one, right. >> Which is called Rosamunde. >> ht.
There's a wonderful story about Rosamunde and that
incidental music that Schubert wrote for a play that didn't
amount to too much, but for a long time people knew about the music but they didn't know where
And a young musicologist it was.
by the name of Arthur Sullivan and Sir Charles Groves went looking for it, and at the last
minute as they were leaving Austria they found a stack about
And lo and behold it was the two feet high of very dusty Schubert music in a closet.
missing incidental music to Rosamunde, and that's where this theme comes from.
And you're certainly right when you say, Suzanne, that it's of
course very lyrical, very song like.
Very gentle music.
>> Very winning. Well, the inventor, in some ways, of the string quartet was
Haydn, wasn't it, because he
wrote so many over such a long period of time, and it really had not been formalized
when he took up the genre.
>> Correct. Boccherini wrote a few, too, but Haydn was really tremendous
at it.
after 1800. >> He's st>> Yes.n the late >> And the Quinten is one of the writing string quartets
It's pretty late. It's Opus 76. >> Oh, is it 76? early-ish ones, I think?
ones, in fact, and it gets the Then it is one of the very last
name Quinten because of the intervals
in this movement. >> Right. You hear that more in the first that we womovement.sarily hear
What are the characteristics
of this movement that make it stand out? Anything typically Haydn in it?
Well, I don't know if it's a
Hungarian last movement because it's got a pick up, but it's got that flair in a brilliant last
movement that Haydn probably had
And you see that occasionally to do to kin Haydn.oss happy. >> Syncopated accent in the opening of the first violin
melody. >> Very clever. >> I look forward to some Haydn with a Gypsy flair.
A reminder that Haydn spent,
what, 30 years working in Hungary
It certainly has that Hungarian or Gypsy flair to it in one of for the Esterhazy family.
instruments. his last string quartets. Well, I have to ask now about
And these instruments all have been around for a while by the looks of them.
Let's start with you, David.
>> Actually, speaking of centennials, this is turning 300
Congratulations. this year.
>> Made in Venice. >> Do you know the name of the
Gobetti. maker?
>> Was he one of the prominent makers at the time? >> He was.
Worked next door or across the
street from Seraphin, another prominent maker of the time. >> And Suzanne, what do you
have? >> My instrument is a baby
Enrico Marchetti. Made in Italy. relative to the others. 1901, Marchetti,
>> And what are the qualities of that instrument that made you
attracted to it?
15, and the only thing I really remember concretely is falling verbalize that. I had it shown to me when I was
in love with the sound and not wanting to stop.
I practiced and played every
piece I knew at the time, and it was 4:00 in the morning and my
go to bed. mother was screaming go to bed,
I don't think usually you see them with that kind of And, Sally, you have a very distinctive looking viola.
is just so broad. Usually it's more slender. decoration. >> Well, the purfling
But it's a well-known instrument that belonged to one of my
teachers, and we were not allowed to touch it,
But evidently, I do think instruments sometimes seek so when I first tried it out, I felt I was betraying him.
owners so I'm proud it came my way.
So the viola stops there. >> Well, temporarily, yes.
>> Parry, you have a cello that actually has writing
on the sides of it. What does it say? >> It's gold leaf graffiti. It was commissioned by the King
of France in 1819 as the grand
prize cello at the Royal Conservatory of Music which is
So it says in French first prize now the Paris Conservatory.
And what kind of pedigree adoes it have other than that?e person>> Well it belongedool of to Raya Garbousova
for a lot of her career.
She premiered Barber Concerto on it, from what I gather. So I feel very lucky to have it.
The Samuel Barber did you say?
Barber, we can't let slip entirely the connection of the >> Yes. >> Well, speaking of Samuel
Pro Arte Quartet and Samuel Barber's
famous Adagio for Strings.
Curtis String Quartet. >> I know only slightly a few facts about it. But he was writing it for the
And particularly the cellist, he wrote several letters about how it was going and that the slow
movement was his best ever and
was going to be a sensation. But he hadn't finished the last movement in time to get it
to the Curtis Quartet to premiere it. And so by providence or, I don't
but it came to the Pro Arte to know, if it's designed or fate
So that would have been actually pabout 1936.in Europe. So it's par>> Right.heritage of >> It's one of the most famous
pieces of 20th century music
period, and the Pro Arte Quartet got the scoop.
Right. >> Yes.
>> Well, the Haydn that you just played had that wonderful dance quality to it, but a composer
that we always associate with dance music too, whether it's in
But here you have this a symphony or string quartet, is Antonin Dvorak.
Alla Polka movement, and so we are going to expect some serious
Yes. dance rhythms in this?
This is a quartet of Dvorak that's not performed that often. His D minor quartet.
But it's a quartet that really
Simrock they should start made publishing his music.k and thSo this quartet is actuallyve of Dvdedicated to Brahms.told
It was the start of a very long friendship between the two of them. >> All right, not so heard,
not so often, at least, but heard here.
And there you have a polka
This would have been written filtered through the string quartet medium. The work of Antonin Dvorak.
just before the first set of Slavonic dances that made him world famous, as you say, Parry,
in part because of the help of
Johannes Brahms. One of the traditions of the
of its hundred years now is to Pro Arte Quartet in the course
commission music and that goes way back, too, doesn't it?
were just written for I think without commissioning as well. >> Yes, many, many, many works
Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge commissioned many works for them
in the early part of the career.
And Bartok. >> And how did the Bartok Darius Micome about? for them >> It wasn't a commission
at all. In fact, it just arrived, Germain Prevost told us, in the '80s that the quartet had a
concert in Vienna, a broadcast, in the mid-'20s.
there was a beautiful room, four chairs, four stands, a mic set up and no one was there. address a half hour before, and
canceled or not, but they knew They didn't know if it had been
the concert was supposed to start at, say, 1:00 o'clock. And they weren't even sure they
should play, but they finally went ahead and played the concert starting at 1:00. But they never saw anyone.
So it was a very strange
occurrence. And they didn't realize for sure that it had been broadcast until
a year later when the Fourth
Bartok Quartet arrived to them from Bartok who said I loved
Quartet from Vienna, a live broadcast a year ago, I want to dedicate this to you. And then they finally knew that
it had actually gone out. And they had never met him. He just gave it to them because he liked their performance so
much. >> An early victory for radio.
>> Yes, exactly. >> And you have plans in this
100th year to commission, I believe you have commissioned works from several prominent
Yes, well, some wonderful supporters of the quartet a few years ago just wanted to be sure this 100th year
didn't go unnoticed,
for making this happen. And so there are four composers who have been commissioned in their enthusiasm
John Harbison is writing a quartet. And William Bolcom to write works.
Paul Schoenfield is writing a piano quintet, and Walter Mays is writing a piano quintet.
He wrote his first for us about 15 years ago. >> We'll look forward to hearing for us.
to come. that celebratory year or two
What about the string quartets of Mozart?
there anything that kind of ties He wrote so many of them, is
we're about to hear? them together, makes them distinctive, and what, in particular, about this one
>> It's one of the six that he dedicated to Haydn
Haydn, whom, as you mentioned earlier, sort of the father of in great admiration.
And Mozart heard the quartets and learned in a way string quartet writing style and wrote a set of six
and dedicated them to Haydn.
and as an honest man that your >> And it was Haydn who said of Mozart to Mozart's father those famous words: I swear before God
son is the finest composer I have ever encountered.
admiration society. >> Definitely. So definitely a mutual
>> Tremendous and probably pretty usual of two greats like
that of different generations to
appreciate each other so much. I don't think you would find
in the music world. >> Then or now. >> Then or now. And when Haydn went to London,
Mozart was very upset because he was afraid he would never see
Haydn again and he treasured him so much.
Of course, little did he know that it was not Haydn that would
dithey saw each other.. That was the last time
>> Let's he some Mozart.
Mozart played both the violin and the viola.
I don't know, Parry, that he played the cello.
I don't think so. >> But would he have
do you think? >> I think chamber music participated in a lot of string quartet performances
Mostly viola. >> And, of course, his letters evenings, I think there are accounts of him performing.
terms, some of which we probably detailed a lot of those performances in very vivid
couldn't even repeat here. He was a colorful person. Your plans, other than these
commissions you have coming up, your plans for celebrating
the centennial of the Pro Arte Quartet?
Many things in store. There's been a group of friends and supporters of the quartet that have been meeting every
few weeks for over a year.
Of course, we're very grateful for that. Sometimes meeting with us,
sometimes without us. And they've planned quite a season for next year
in season 101 and 102. that will be hard to top
[LAUGHTER] >> Lots of performances in lots of places.
Yes and we're recording all of the commission works.
>> Guest lecturers are coming in to give talks about all the
works and music in general. >> And the composers will be
So students and faculty will here almost a week, each one of them.
also get to take advantage of them being around. >> And this is going to go on
for the course of a year
or maybe two. >> This part will be this next school year, 2011-2012,
so first and second semesters.
>> Well, as artists in residence, you have your work cut out for you.
Yes.
Thanks very much. >> Best >> Thank you.u launch y>> It's been a pleasure. of the Pro Arte Quartet.
thank you for joining me. I hope I'm Norman Gilliland,
you can join me next time for University Place Presents.