The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-03-02
.FLONzALEYS WILL
 APPEAR TONIGHT Large and Fashionable Au- dience to Greet Them A FINE PROGRAMME Music Study Club to Be Congratulated on Bringing Artists of Such
 Distinctive Merits to
 Birmingham
A FINE PROGRAMME
By DOLLY DALRYMPLE

l ] Unaided by scenic effects, prima don mas. or soloists of any description, action or orchestral sonorities, the Flonzaleys always draw large and fashionable perfor- ences to listen to their marvellous perfor- nlances of auartets, whether they be by Beethoven. Mozart, Brahms, Smetans, Tchaikvsky or any other of the great mas ters
 l And l Whatever it is that the F'lonzaleys es- ! say, they always make their listeners ab- solutely "vibrate with music" as Berlioz | demanded that the case should be. In the matter of lucidity and coloring they are pre-eminent and there has never | been an auditor among their large clientele who has failed to enjoy every | note from their instruments from the | first fortissmo crash of some noble be- roic tone poem of Sehuberts to the sub | tie and dainty ''andantino doucement ex- I pressiff' of the very modern DeBussy The programme for this evenings con cert is one of surpassing beauty And
 It Is admirably chosen Not too serious for the dilletantee-not too unserious for the most critical artist to approve.
 And just here let me say that there is no greater art than in just the selection of programme Especially Is this true when 1t Is cham Der music.
 Audiences are of a very polyglot na- ture. musical audiences particularly, and the varied tests must be consdered-that Is, if the audience is to go away satis- fled.
 The Flonzaleys are especially happy in the choice of programmes rule.
 I recall hearing them some years ago at Carnegie hall in New York when every seat in that vast auditorium was filed
 The programme I still have in my posses sion a treasured souvenir of a long to be remembered evening.
 The first selection was the Hadyn quar- tet in G. the next Boccherini's in A, and the last was a quartet by Maurice Ravel, the key of which was not given on the programme, but which for the benefit of the curious I may say was in F.
 l shall never forget the way the Hadyn quartet was played.
 It was nothing short of superb.
 The softly modulated "Adagio" with its tender recitatives for the first violin, was alone enough to go a long way to hear.
 The Boccherini was equally beautiful In tonal effect. I recall what a "hullaba the Ravel quartet stirred up among the critics.
 One of the best known spoke of "Un- Ravel-ng'' the structure which is built
 
 fault of which, as we all know, Is mo notony.
 The "second movement came in for much comment with it's brisk rhythms and bold Pizzicata effects but it was on the Hast movement" that they fairly cen- tered their guns and fired their ammuni- tion.
 They called it long -winded" and "dull'' and the crucial test" and all that sort of thing. and fussed and "spat" and fought and failed to agree about every thing save one, and that was the manner fin which it was rendered by the Flon- zaleys.
 Ferociousy difficult with its rhythmcal- ly rigid construction, and hopelessly un tuneful in it's augmented artificial tonali- ties the four men of the quartet played il so marvelously that the composer and his delicious delinquencies were absolute ly forgotten.
 Could greater praise be given to artists?
 Certainly if the advance seat sale for the F'lonzaley quartet, which will appear at the Jefferson this evening under the auspices of the Music study club is an indication of the esteem in which this famous organization is held here, then nothing more Is to be desired, for of all the musical attractions that have ever been to Birmingham none will be more lib- erally patronized and no more fashion able audience will greet any of them this season than that which will welcome the Flonzaleys
 in Birmingham's progress. and it Is to be congratulated upon the excellent taste it has displayed in the selection of at fractions here this season, none of which has or can surpass the Flonzaley quartet.