Paganini Quartet
| Company type | String quartet |
|---|---|
| Industry | Classical music performance |
| Founded | 1946 |
| Founder | Robert Maas, Henri Temianka |
| Defunct | 1966 |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles , United States |
| Products | Classical music recordings and performances |
The Paganini Quartet was an American string quartet established in 1946 by cellist Robert Maas and violinist Henri Temianka. The group’s name was inspired by the fact that each of the four instruments—crafted by Antonio Stradivari—had once been owned by the renowned Italian violinist and composer Niccolo Paganini.
Origins
In 1945, Robert Maas, who had previously performed with the Pro Arte Quartet, secured financial backing from Anna Clark, widow of copper industry tycoon William A. Clark. Maas came across four Stradivari instruments linked to Paganini at Emil Herrmann's shop in New York, which Mrs. Clark purchased to outfit the newly formed quartet. At the same time, chamber music benefactor Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge supported Temianka’s Beethoven sonata recitals and showed enthusiasm for the ensemble’s development.
To complete the group, violinist Gustave Rosseels and violist Robert Courte joined Maas and Temianka. As described in Empty Mansions, the quartet often rehearsed and performed at Bellosguardo, the Clark family estate located in Santa Barbara.
Between 1946 and 1947, the ensemble presented the complete cycle of Beethoven string quartets at the Library of Congress, attracting audiences who queued hours ahead for sold-out shows. They secured a recording deal with RCA Victor, and their rendition of Beethoven’s Opus 59 Rasumovsky quartets received a prestigious industry accolade in 1947.
Operating out of Los Angeles, their rehearsals were commonly conducted in French. The formation and journey of the Paganini Quartet are chronicled in Henri Temianka's memoir Facing the Music.
Career
Over two decades of international activity, the Paganini Quartet toured extensively throughout major American cities and prominent concert venues worldwide. Their collaborations included distinguished musicians such as Arthur Rubinstein, Andrés Segovia, Claudio Arrau, and Gary Graffman. Their discography encompassed essential works including most Beethoven quartets alongside compositions by Fauré, Verdi, Debussy, and Ravel. The group also premiered new works by composers like Darius Milhaud, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Alberto Ginastera, and Benjamin Lees.
Members
- Henri Temianka was not only a founding member but remained the quartet’s sole consistent participant; he was acclaimed as a violin soloist, conductor, writer, and educator.
- Gustave Rosseels initially played second violin; he was later succeeded by Charles Libove—who went on to lead the Beaux-Arts Quartet as first violinist—and subsequently Stefan Krayk.
- Robert Courte, originally serving as violist and formerly a professor at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, was followed by Charles Foidart, then David Schwartz and Albert Gillis.
- Robert Maas, the original cellist, passed away in 1948; his replacements included Adolphe Frezin and Lucien Laporte—formerly principal cellist for both the New York Symphony and NBC Symphony—orchestras. Other cellists who contributed were Gábor Rejtő, Victor Gottlieb, and Edgar Lustgarten.
Instruments
The quartet’s four Stradivarius instruments were highly valued possessions once owned by Niccolo Paganini himself. After Mrs. Clark’s acquisition, they underwent further refinement by luthier Simone Fernando Sacconi. Their individual histories are as follows:
- The first violin, known as "Comte Cozio di Salabue" (1727), was played by Paganini following its purchase from Count Cozio de Salabue in 1817.
- The second violin, called "Desaint" (1680), represents Stradivari’s early Amatise craftsmanship.
- The viola, named "Mendelssohn" (1731), is among fewer than twelve surviving Stradivari violas and inspired Paganini to commission Hector Berlioz’s symphonic poem "Harold in Italy".
- The cello, referred to as “Ladenburg” (1736), was previously owned by the Mendelssohn family before coming into Paganini’s possession.
Following the quartet’s dissolution in 1966, these Strads were returned to the Corcoran Gallery of Art under Mrs. Clark's condition that they remain together as a set. Starting in 1992, they were loaned to the Cleveland Quartet. From 1994 onward, ownership transferred to the Nippon Music Foundation, who lent them to the Tokyo String Quartet until 2013; afterwards they were played by the Hagen Quartet and later by the Quartetto di Cremona. In 2019, they were entrusted to the Kuss Quartet for live recordings of Beethoven Quartets at Tokyo’s Suntory Hall.
Repertoire
A brochure dating from around 1948, authored by F.C. Schang 3rd, lists the Quartet’s extensive repertoire, which included significant compositions such as:
- Ahrendt—String Quartet
- Babin—String Quartet
- Bach—selections from The Art of the Fugue
- Barber—Opus 11
- Bartók—Quartets numbers 1, 2, and 6
- Beethoven—the entire set of 16 quartets
- Bloch—Second Quartet
- Brahms—Opus 51 numbers 1 and 2; Opus 67
- Britten—Second Quartet
- Debussy—Quartet Opus 10 in G minor
- Delerue—String Quartet
- Dittersdorf—Quartet in E-flat major
- Dvořák—American Quartet Opus 96
- Francaix—String Quartet
- Franck—Quartet in D major
- Fuerstner—Divertimento
- Haydn—a collection of 30 celebrated quartets
- Hindemith—Third Quartet Opus 22
- Jacobi—Third Quartet
- Mendelssohn—Opus 12 Quartet
- Milhaud—Quartets numbers 4, 7, and 15
- Mozart—a selection of 10 prominent quartets
- Piston—Second Quartet
- Rathaus—Fourth Quartet
- Ravel—Quartet in F major
- Robertson—American Serenade
- Schubert—Quartet Opus 29 in A minor; Fourteenth Quartet, Opus 125 no.1 (“Death and the Maiden”)
- Schumann—Three Quartets Opus 41
- Shostakovich—First Quartet
- Stravinsky—Concertino and Three Pieces for String Quartet
- Toch—Opus 18 Quartet
- Verdi—Quartet in E minor
- Vivaldi—L’Estro Armonico arranged for string quartet
Reviews
The ensemble received acclaim for their tonal quality and interpretative skill. Harold C. Schonberg commended their Beethoven recordings for their "tone" and refined "taste." Alfred Frankenstein from the San Francisco Chronicle praised their sound as "rich, mellow and superbly polished." Additionally, the Parisian publication L’Illustration declared that “The Paganini Quartet thrilled Paris.”
Discography
The Paganini Quartet's recorded legacy spans multiple formats including 33, 45, and 78 rpm records along with reel-to-reel tapes.
RCA Victor:
- Complete Beethoven Quartets nos. 1, 2, 4, 5, 7–10, and 14–16 (later digitally remastered on CD by United Archives in 2012)
- Debussy’s G minor Quartet
- Fauré’s Piano Quartet no.1 featuring Artur Rubinstein
- Selected movements from quartets by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Tchaikovsky, and Dvořák
- Schumann’s Piano Quintet in E-flat with Rubinstein
- Verdi’s Quartet in E minor
- Ravel’s F major Quartet
Concert-Disc:
- Brahms’ Piano Quintet in F with pianist Ralph Votapek
Decca:
- Ginastera’s First Quartet
- Lajtha’s Seventh Quartet Opus 49
KAPP:
- Haydn’s “Emperor” Quartet in C
- Mozart’s “Dissonant” Quartet in C major K.465
- Debussy’s G minor Quartet
- Ravel’s F major Quartet
Liberty:
- Britten’s First Quartet in D
- Debussy’s G minor Quartet
- Lees’ First Quartet
- Schumann’s First Quartet in A minor
Western Recorders (unissued):
- Bartók’s First Quartet Opus 7
Other resources
- "The Paganini Quartet" brochure published by Atlanta Printing Co., New York circa 1948, authored by F.C. Schang 3rd.
- Facing the Music, David McKay Company, New York, 1973, by Henri Temianka.
- “The Birth of a String Quartet,” The Violexchange vol. 4 no. 2, p. 39, [year unknown], by Lucien Kirsch Laporte.
- "Henri Temianka: A Long and Illustrious Musical Career," Journal of the Violin Society of America, Vol. XI no.1, August 1991, by Albert Mell.
- Stradivari’s Genius, Random House, New York, 2004, by Toby Faber.