Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-02-22
III CRITIC L
TO MUSIC LOVERS
Weekly Comment on Things
Musical in Discriminating
Philadelphia

THE Berkshire String Quartet, which
l. gave its first concert in Philadelphia
before the Chamber Music Association
last Sunday afternoon at tie Bellevue
Stratford, was originally composed of
four members of the Chicago orchestra
Three of these. Hugo Kortschak, nrst
violin Clarence Evans, viola. and EN-
meran Stoeber, cello. still remain with
the quartet, the original second violin
having enlisted in the naval service soon
after the Urited States entered the a
He went to the Great Lakes Naval sta
ton and became first victim in the Great
Lakes Quintet, which accompanied Presi-
dent Wilson abroad, and Of which a
Fasshauer, of this, city, formerly a mem
Der of the Philadelphia Orchestra. is
second violin.
His place in the Berkshire Quartet
was taken by Jacques Gordon, who,
despite a name which savors strongly OF
two of the Entente Allies, is neverthe-
less a Russian.
Shortly after it's organization, but
under its original name, the quartet
came to the notice of Mrs. F. +. Cool
idge, a wealthy patron of music, and
especially interested in chamber music.
Through her generosity, the quartet was
placed on an independent financial basis,
which allowed the members to resign
their orchestral positions and do quar-
tet work exclusively, much after the
manner in which the late Mr.. de Coppet,
of New York, endowed the famous Flon-
zaley Quartet.
In the matter OF choosing a name, the
Berlshire Quartet followed the Flon-
zaley pattern. The latter took Its
name from Mr.. de Coppet's villa In
Switzerland. and the Berkshirts named
themselves after the place where Mrs.
Coolidge has her summer home, the
Berkshire Mountains.
TT is highly encouraging to the develop
i ment and the fostering of the high
pure musical idealism engendered by the
study. hearing and playing of chamber
music. to have a wealthy patron like
Mrs Coolidge Interested in it sufficiently
to give literally toward its advance
ment. Quartet players, like other per-
sons. must eat, and their rent day comes
with the same distressing frequency and
regularity, while unfortunately their art
when practiced exclusively, does not yet
pay sufficiently to allow them the GER
tainty of even n good living. And to
bring quartet playing to it's highest
standard, so much time must be de-
voted to rehearsal that there is little
time for anything else. Therefore. the
hope of the really great quartets lies in
an endowment. The late Kneisels were
almost the only exception to this.
Not only has Mrs. Coolidge made easy
the path of the Berkshire Quartet, bu,
she has also begun, with some others, an
annual Chamber Music Festival. Al
exceedingly liberal prize in cash is
awarded for the best chamber music
composition submitted at the festival
where the work also receives its
premiere. Last year the prize-winnine
composition was the string quartet OF
Tadeusz Iarecki, which the Berkshires
gave as the novelty of last Sundays
concert. This yea the prize, which
as last year. is $1,000, is for the best
sonata or suite for viola and piano: II
will be judged by a committee, of which
Louis Bailly, viola of the F1onzaley
Quartet, is the chairman, and the sue.