Beethoven Quartet Society

The Beethoven Quartet Society was a musical society established in 1845 in London, England dedicated to the String quartets of Ludwig van Beethoven.

The society was established by Thomas Massa Alsager (1779 - 1846). It was based at 76 Harley Street, London. Concerts were given under the title "Honour to Beethoven", and included works by other composers. One of its express aims was to study the late quartets from score. After Alsager's death in 1846 French cellist Scipion Rousselot directed the society.Berlioz, "Les Soirées de l’orchestre"] Violist Henry Hill undertook writing the programme notes.

The society were the first to present a performance of the complete cycle of the Beethoven string quartets, running from April 21, 1845 and June 16, 1845, with Camillo Sivori, Prosper Sainton, Henry Hill and Scipion Rousselot.

Other musicians, who played at the society's concerts, include Joseph Joachim, Henryk Wieniawski (both as violinist and violist), Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst, Alfredo Piatti, Louis Ries, and Ludwig Strauss.

One particular line-up was noted with Joachim and Ernst playing the violin, Wienawski the viola, and Piatti the cello.

Hector Berlioz attended at least one of the society's concerts at the "New Beethoven Room" (at the building at 27 Queen Anne Street, where he lived) and this made enough of an impression to mention it in his book "Evenings with the Orchestra". [Mahaim, "The First Complete Beethoven Quartet Cycles, 1845-1851: Historical Notes on the London Quartett Society"]

Notes

References

*cite journal |last= Levy|first=David |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=1985 |month=|title=Thomas Massa Alsager, Esq.: A Beethoven Advocate in London |journal=19th-Century Music|volume=Vol. 9 |issue=No. 2 |pages=pp. 119-127 |id= |url= http://www.jstor.org/pss/746577|accessdate=2008-07-07 |quote=
*cite journal |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |year= 1907|month= September|title=Joseph Joachim. Born, June 28, 1831. Died, August 15, 1907 |journal=The Musical Times |volume= Vol. 48|issue= No. 775|pages= pp. 577-583|id= |url= http://www.jstor.org/pss/904700|accessdate=2008-07-07 |quote=
*cite book |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |editor= Stanley, Glenn|others= |title= The Cambridge Companion to Beethoven|origdate= |origyear= |origmonth= |url= http://books.google.gr/books?id=hdGcne8_9XcC|format= |accessdate= |accessyear= |accessmonth= |edition= |series= |volume= |date= |year= |month= |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location= |language= |isbn= 0521589347|oclc= |doi= |id= |pages=p.151 |chapter=Beethoven's chamber music for strings |chapterurl= |quote=
*cite journal |last= Mahaim |first= Ivan|authorlink= | coauthors =Levin, Evi|year=1996 |month= |title=The First Complete Beethoven Quartet Cycles, 1845-1851: Historical Notes on the London Quartett Society |journal= The Musical Quarterly|volume=Vol. 80 |issue=No. 3 |pages=pp. 500-524 |id= |url= http://www.jstor.org/pss/742303|accessdate=2008-07-07 |quote=Berlioz writes: I must introduce you to the Beethoven Quartett Society
*cite book |last= Berlioz|first= Hector|authorlink= Hector Berlioz|coauthors= |editor= |others= |title= Les Soirées de l’orchestre|origdate= |origyear= |origmonth= |url= http://www.hberlioz.com/Writings/SOindex.htm|format= |accessdate= |accessyear= |accessmonth= |edition= |series= |volume= |date= |year= |month= |publisher= |location= |language=French |isbn= |oclc= |doi= |id= |pages= |chapter=Vingt-et-unième soirée |chapterurl= http://www.hberlioz.com/Writings/SOpersonnages.htm|quote=

External links

* [http://assets.cambridge.org/97805218/82606/frontmatter/9780521882606_frontmatter.pdf The Great Transformation of Musical Taste] contains the cover of programme notes of a concert of the society