The Pro Arte String Quartet is a string quartet founded in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, which became affiliated with the

University of Wisconsin-Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

in 1941.

History

Origins 1912-1941

The Pro Arte String Quartet was founded by Alphonse Onnou in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

in 1912. After becoming the Court Quartet to Queen Elizabeth of Belgium, the quartet began the first of many international tours in 1919. After the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

it became famous for the performance of modern music and for its extensive recordings of

Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions to musical form have led ...

. The composers Bartók,

Milhaud Darius Milhaud (; 4 September 1892 – 22 June 1974) was a French composer, conductor, 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 ...

and Honegger entrusted to 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 chamber music patron Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge. It performed at the inauguration of the Hall of Music at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

. In 1932 it was named the "Quatuor de la Cour de Belgique". Its first visit to

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

was in 1938. Two years later, the musicians were stranded in Madison by the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

and accepted a residency at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, the first such residency at a major American university. The

Royal Conservatory of Brussels The Royal Conservatory of Brussels (french: Conservatoire royal de Bruxelles, nl, Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel) is a historic conservatory in Brussels, Belgium. Starting its activities in 1813, it received its official name in 1832. Provid ...

holds a comprehensive collection of autograph and printed Second Violin scores from Laurent Halleux, who joined the Pro Arte Quartet when he was only fifteen and stayed with the group till 1943. It sheds light on the works performed by the quartet, especially from American composers from the early XXe s. such as

Aaron Copland Aaron Copland (, ; November 14, 1900December 2, 1990) was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later a conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as "the Dean of American Com ...

Roy Harris Roy Ellsworth Harris (February 12, 1898 – October 1, 1979) was an American composer. He wrote music on American subjects, and is best known for his Symphony No. 3. Life Harris was born in Chandler, Oklahoma on February 12, 1898. His ancestr ...

Louis Gruenberg Louis Gruenberg ( ; June 10, 1964) was a Russian-born American pianist and prolific composer, especially of operas. An early champion of Schoenberg and other contemporary composers, he was also a highly respected Oscar-nominated film composer in Ho ...

1941-1947

While touring in Wisconsin in 1941 they were offered a permanent residency. In 1944, following the disbanding of the

Kolisch Quartet The Kolisch Quartet was a string quartet musical ensemble founded in Vienna, originally (early 1920s) as the New Vienna String Quartet for the performance of Schoenberg's works, and (by 1927) settling to the form in which it was later known. It h ...

Rudolf Kolisch Rudolf Kolisch (July 20, 1896 – August 1, 1978) was a Viennese violinist and leader of string quartets, including the Kolisch Quartet and the Pro Arte Quartet. Early life and education Kolisch was born in Klamm, Schottwien, Lower Austria and ra ...

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 The Paganini Quartet was an American string quartet founded by cellist Robert Maas and 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 o ...

. 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.See the history of the quartet in the official website
/ref>

Centennial anniversary commissioning project 2011-2012

The Pro Arte Quartet reached its centennial anniversary in 2012. To honor this occasion, the quartet embarked on a commissioning project to include up to eight new works, 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: Fernand-Auguste Lemaire The current personnel are: 1st violin: David Perry
2nd violin: Suzanne Beia
viola: Sally Chisholm
violoncello: Parry Karp

Timeline

ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:25 PlotArea = left:125 bottom:60 top:0 right:10 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1910 till:01/01/2020 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom ScaleMajor = increment:10 start:1910 ScaleMinor = increment:5 start:1910 Colors = id:violin1 value:red legend:1st_Violin id:violin2 value:green legend:2nd_Violin id:viola value:blue legend:Viola id:cello value:orange legend:Violoncello BarData = bar:vln1-ao text:"Alphonse Onnou" bar:vln1-ab text:"Antonio Brosa" bar:vln1-rk text:"Rudolph Kolisch" bar:vln1-np text:"Norman Paulu" bar:vln1-dp text:"David Perry" bar:vln2-lh text:"Laurent Halleux" bar:vln2-ar text:"Albert Rahier" bar:vln2-mfb text:"Martha Frances Blum" bar:vln2-tm text:"Thomas Moore" bar:vln2-jml text:"John McLeod" bar:vln2-jkk text:"Jae-Kyung Kim" bar:vln2-sb text:"Suzanne Beia" bar:vla-gp text:"Germain Prévost" bar:vla-bm text:"Bernard Milofsky" bar:vla-rb text:"Richard Blum" bar:vla-sc text:"Sally Chisholm" bar:vc-fal text:"Fernand Auguste Lemaire" bar:vc-fq text:"Fernand Quinet" bar:vc-rm text:"Robert Maas" bar:vc-cwe text:"C. Warwick Evans" bar:vc-vg text:"Victor Gottlieb" bar:vc-gs text:"George Sopkin" bar:vc-ef text:"Ernst Friedlander" bar:vc-lc text:"Lowell Creitz" bar:vc-pk text:"Parry Karp" PlotData= width:10 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:vln1-ao from:03/01/1912 till:02/01/1940 color:violin1 bar:vln1-ab from:03/01/1940 till:02/01/1944 color:violin1 bar:vln1-rk from:03/01/1944 till:02/01/1961 color:violin1 bar:vln1-np from:03/01/1961 till:02/01/1995 color:violin1 bar:vln1-dp from:03/01/1996 till:02/01/2015 color:violin1 bar:vln2-lh from:03/01/1912 till:02/01/1943 color:violin2 bar:vln2-ar from:03/01/1943 till:02/01/1961 color:violin2 bar:vln2-mfb from:03/01/1961 till:02/01/1967 color:violin2 bar:vln2-tm from:03/01/1967 till:02/01/1973 color:violin2 bar:vln2-jml from:03/01/1973 till:02/01/1974 color:violin2 bar:vln2-mfb from:03/01/1974 till:02/01/1988 color:violin2 bar:vln2-jkk from:03/01/1988 till:02/01/1995 color:violin2 bar:vln2-sb from:03/01/1995 till:02/01/2015 color:violin2 bar:vla-gp from:03/01/1912 till:02/01/1947 color:viola bar:vla-bm from:03/01/1947 till:02/01/1957 color:viola bar:vla-rb from:03/01/1957 till:02/01/1991 color:viola bar:vla-sc from:03/01/1991 till:02/01/2015 color:viola bar:vc-fal from:03/01/1912 till:02/01/1918 color:cello bar:vc-fq from:03/01/1918 till:02/01/1921 color:cello bar:vc-rm from:03/01/1921 till:02/01/1940 color:cello bar:vc-cwe from:03/01/1940 till:11/01/1940 color:cello bar:vc-vg from:12/01/1940 till:06/01/1941 color:cello bar:vc-gs from:07/01/1941 till:02/01/1943 color:cello bar:vc-ef from:03/01/1943 till:02/01/1955 color:cello bar:vc-lc from:03/01/1955 till:02/01/1976 color:cello bar:vc-pk from:03/01/1976 till:02/01/2015 color:cello

Recordings

(78rpm recordings (Victor/

HMV Sunrise Records and Entertainment, trading as HMV (for His Master's Voice), is a British music and entertainment retailer, currently operating exclusively in the United Kingdom. The first HMV-branded store was opened by the Gramophone Company ...

) of the original Pro Arte up to 1936:- ) * Bartók: Quartet no 1 in A minor op 7 (V 8842-5/DB 2379-82). * Bloch: Piano Quintet, with

Alfredo Casella Alfredo Casella (25 July 18835 March 1947) was an Italian composer, pianist and conductor. Life and career Casella was born in Turin, the son of Maria (née Bordino) and Carlo Casella. His family included many musicians: his grandfather, a fr ...

(V 7874-7/DB 1882-5). *

Borodin Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin ( rus, link=no, Александр Порфирьевич Бородин, Aleksandr Porfir’yevich Borodin , p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr pɐrˈfʲi rʲjɪvʲɪtɕ bərɐˈdʲin, a=RU-Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin.ogg, ...

: Quartet no 2 in D major (V 8609-12/DB 2150-3). *

Brahms Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped with ...

: Quartet no 1 in G minor op 25 (V 8444-7/DB 1813-6). * Brahms: Sextet no 1 in B flat major op 18, with Alfred Hobday and

Anthony Pini Carlos Antonio Pini OBE (15 April 1902 – 1 January 1989) was a cellist, known as a soloist, orchestral section leader and chamber musician. He was principal cellist of five major British orchestras between 1932 and 1976, and a teacher at the Roy ...

(DB 2566-9). *

Debussy (Achille) Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influential composers of the ...

: Quartet in G minor op 10 (1893) (DB 1878-81). * Dvořák: Piano Quintet in A major op 81, with

Artur Schnabel Artur Schnabel (17 April 1882 – 15 August 1951) was an Austrian-American classical pianist, composer and pedagogue. Schnabel was known for his intellectual seriousness as a musician, avoiding pure technical bravura. Among the 20th centur ...

(V 8305-8/DB 2177-80). * Franck: Quartet in D major (V 8630-5/DB 2051-6). * Mozart: Piano quartet no 1 in G minor K 478 with Artur Schnabel (V8562-5/Db 2155-8). * Mozart: String Quintet in C major K 515 with Alfred Hobday (V 8712-5/DB 2383-6). * Mozart: String Quintet in G minor K 516 with Alfred Hobday (V 7865-8/DB 2173-6). *

Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composers rejected the term. In ...

: Quartet in F major (DB 2135-8). *

Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...

: String Quintet in C major op 163 with Anthony Pini (DB 2561-5). *

Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...

: Piano Quintet in E flat major op 44 with Artur Schnabel (V 8685-8/DB 2387-90). *

Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist and impresario of Baroque music. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lifetime was widesprea ...

: Concerto Grosso no 5 in A major 'a quatre' (V 8827/DB 2148). The ''

Quartet Society'' was formed in 1932 by

and by 1936 the Pro Arte recorded five volumes of records available only as complete sets. The contents were: * Volume 1: Quartets in C major op 20 no 2; C major op 33 no 3 'Bird'; G major op 77 no 1. * Volume 2: Quartets in D major op 33 no 6; G major op 54 no 1; C major op 54 no 2; G minor op 74 no 3. * Volume 3: Quartets in F major op 3 no 5; E flat major op 33 no 2; E flat major op 64 no 6; B flat major op 71 no 1. * Volume 4: Quartets in E flat major op 50 no 3; C major 'Emperor' op 76 no 3; F minor op 20 no 5. * Volume 5: Quartets in D major op 20 no 4; F major op 74 no 2; F major op 77 no 2.

Notes

Sources

* R.D. Darrell, ''The Gramophone Shop Encyclopedia of Recorded Music'' (New York 1936). *

Arthur Eaglefield Hull Arthur Eaglefield Hull (10 March 1876 – 4 November 1928) was an English music critic, writer, composer and organist.

, ''A Dictionary of Modern Music and Musicians'' (Dent, London 1924). * John W. Barker, ''The Pro Arte Quartet: A Century of Musical Adventure on Two Continents'' (University of Rochester, New York 2017).

External links

Pro Arte Quartet website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pro Arte Quartet Musical groups established in 1912 American string quartets University of Wisconsin–Madison 1912 establishments in Belgium