Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-02-18
ZOELLNER QUARTET
IN CHAMBER MUSIC
Talented Musical Family Gives
Novel Program for Private
Society Of Music Lovers

The seventh meeting of the Chamber
Music Society of Philadelphia. private
organization Of music lovers banded for
the purpose of promoting the appro-
pirate performance of intimate compo-
Sitlons In an intimate cnv ronment, was
held yesterday afternoon In the ball
room of the Bellcvue-Stratford The
membership was out in force to hear
the Zocllrcr Quartet In program char
aCtcrlZed by sheer novelty. This string
band composed Of four members of Il
talented musical family. also had It's
element Of unfamiliarity. II has been
successful for several seasons in the
West and more recently has developed
following in tho East, well deserved
on account Of the seriousness of its
ideals, the earnestness with which these
are forwarded and the technical merits
of it's ensemble playing. Joseph Xoell-
| ner Is the vlooncellist Of the combina'
| tion, his daughter Antoinettc is the first
violinist. and very excellent one. and
| the other members are his sons
| Amandus second vlolnist, and Joseph
| Jr.. viola player.
| Giovanni Sgambati. whose Quartet
| opus II, led the program, is known here
| through some organ music and songs
but chiefly through n very blithe sym
| phony which Mr.. StOkowski introduced
| TO Philadelphia Orchestra patrons. The
/ contrapuntal ingenuity Of that and itS
| charactcristically Latin melodies ar
also traits of the quartet, which the
| Zoellners played with distinguishing
clarity Of themes yet close knitting OF
| the harmonic web.
| Next followed the surprise of the pro.
gram, two descriptive Sketches" BY
Eugene Goossens, said to be an Eng
| lshman, though his name sounds moro
Dutch or Walloon and his music NOR,
ultra-Russian than anything we hav,
| had from English composers, eXCep
Percy Granger, possibly Thes" pieces
are marked opus Is and dated 1917. 81
their modernity, IL not to say futurism
| Is oStentatous. They have Cdd and elu
! sive suggestions of the blurred intervals
of Debussy and the crrant tonalities I"
Schoenberg, together with mysticism
| that seems suGCneric Of their composer
They fulfill one of the canons OF th'
futurists' art in that they make scan
pretcnse to melody, favor dissonances
abound In d hicult harmonieS and arr
vivid in tone coloringS that are ccrle
yet quick and fOrceful In creating Al
impression. That created by by tn
Tarn" was of IA marvellous calm, dec
and nsistent, while Jack o Lantern
had the tragic underlying sense of tn
classic Pagliacc'o beneath the Nenee
/ of comedy Poor PunchinellC.
Eduard Naprawnik, represented by hi
Quartet, Opus IS, No. :, seemed to b
absolutely unknown TO the Cognescen,
who attend the Chamber Music So
ciety's meetings. on the merit OF h!
introduction in this captally wove
number for strings he deserves furthe
hearings and the testing OF his othe
: works. The themes are very intereS
: ing. they ring with originality and the
are developed In craftsmanlike manner
with expressive aud impressive eXposl
tion of their values, but without eS
hausting themselves and the hearers /
! thin iterations. The Hoellners brougf
, varying sonorities and delicacies q
: tone to the task of Interpretation an
rounded out beautifully an afternoo
/ that proved them genuine artists.
w X. NJ.