The Strub-Quartett was a well-known German

string quartet The term string quartet can refer to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two violinist ...

from Berlin (1929–1945) and

Detmold Detmold () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with a population of . It was the capital of the small Principality of Lippe from 1468 until 1918 and then of the Free State of Lippe until 1947. Today it is the administrative center of t ...

(1945–1965), named after primarius

Max Strub Karl Johannes Max Strub (28 September 1900 – 23 March 1966) was a German violin virtuoso and eminent violin pedagogue. He gained a Europe-wide reputation during his 36 years of activity as primarius of the Strub Quartet. Stations as concertmas ...

History

The first Strub Quartet was formed from the chamber orchestra of

Edwin Fischer Edwin Fischer (6 October 1886 – 24 January 1960) was a Swiss classical pianist and conductor. He is regarded as one of the great interpreters of J.S. Bach and Mozart in the twentieth century. Biography Fischer was born in Basel and studied ...

and was supported by the Swiss pianist. At the beginning of the 20th century the Strub Quartet had a decisive influence on the German string quartet scene. From the late 1930s, the Strub Quartet, together with the

Gewandhaus Quartet The Gewandhaus Quartet (German: Gewandhaus-Quartett) is a string quartet based in Leipzig. It was founded in 1808 by members of the Gewandhaus Orchester, as one of the first professional quartets in the world. In its more than 200-year history, th ...

were responsible with the Chamber Trio for

early music Early music generally comprises Medieval music (500–1400) and Renaissance music (1400–1600), but can also include Baroque music (1600–1750). Originating in Europe, early music is a broad musical era for the beginning of Western classic ...

and the Gewandhaus Chamber Orchestra and the

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small num ...

evenings at the Leipzig

Gewandhaus Gewandhaus is a concert hall in Leipzig, the home of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. Today's hall is the third to bear this name; like the second, it is noted for its fine acoustics. History The first Gewandhaus (''Altes Gewandhaus'') The f ...

. Concert tours took the ensemble through Germany as well as to other European countries such as Italy, Austria, France, Denmark, the Netherlands and Switzerland. The string quartet performed repeatedly in Milan since 1939, first at the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi, then in 1949 in the auditorium of

Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (English: ''Catholic University of the Sacred Heart'', colloquially the ''Catholic University of Milan''), known as UCSC or UNICATT or simply Cattolica, is an Italian private research university founded in 1 ...

and in 1951 in the Teatro Excelsior. During the Second World War (1 to 4 June 1943) the quartet also gave

Nazi propaganda The propaganda used by the German Nazi Party in the years leading up to and during Adolf Hitler's dictatorship of Germany from 1933 to 1945 was a crucial instrument for acquiring and maintaining power, and for the implementation of Nazi polici ...

concerts in

occupied France The Military Administration in France (german: Militärverwaltung in Frankreich; french: Occupation de la France par l'Allemagne) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zo ...

(Bordeaux, Poitiers and Angers). In 1940 he became an honorary member of the Società del quartetto di Milano and in 1942 of the association

Beethoven House The Beethoven House (German: ''Beethoven-Haus'') in Bonn, Germany, is a memorial site, museum and cultural institution serving various purposes. Founded in 1889 by the Beethoven-Haus association, it studies the life and work of composer Ludwig van ...

Bonn. In 1952 it was invited to the Beethoven celebration. The string quartet also received a special audience with Pope Pius XII in the Vatican. The 1951/52 season was preceded by the Beethoven cycle in Munich and Stuttgart, and later by all of the composer's string quartets in the

Mozarteum Mozarteum University Salzburg (German: ''Universität Mozarteum Salzburg'') is one of three affiliated but separate (it is actually a state university) entities under the “Mozarteum” moniker in Salzburg municipality; the International Mo ...

in Salzburg and in the

Palazzo Pitti The Palazzo Pitti (), in English sometimes called the Pitti Palace, is a vast, mainly Renaissance, palace in Florence, Italy. It is situated on the south side of the River Arno, a short distance from the Ponte Vecchio. The core of the present ...

in Florence. Furthermore, the quartet gave concerts in the

Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia The Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia ( en, National Academy of St Cecilia) is one of the oldest musical institutions in the world, founded by the papal bull ''Ratione congruit'', issued by Sixtus V in 1585, which invoked two saints promi ...

in Rome.

Members

Max Strub (1929-1965) was a member of the string quartet throughout his life as primarius (1st violin). At his side were Josef Krips (1929–1933), Jost Raba (1934–1938), Hermann Hubl (1939–1951), Otto Schad (1951–1953) und Ruth Wagner-Nielen (1953–1965) as 2. violin, Rudolph Nel (1929–1933),

Walter Trampler Walter Trampler (August 25, 1915 – September 27, 1997) was a German musician and teacher of the viola and viola d'amore. Born in Munich, he was given his first lessons at age six by his violinist father. While still in his youth, he played well e ...

(1934–1938), Hermann Hirschfelder (1939–1951), Franz Beyer (1951–1953 and 1962–1965), and Walter Müller (1953–1962) as violist and Hans Schrader (1929–1933),

Ludwig Hoelscher Ludwig Hoelscher (23 August 19078 May 1996) was a German cellist. He played internationally as a soloist, and was well known as a chamber musician, first playing from 1932 in Elly Ney's piano trio, then in the Strub Quartet and other formations. ...

(1934–1938),

Hans Münch-Holland Hans Rudolph Münch-Holland (born ''Münch'' 15 January 1899 – 7 December 1971) was a German cellist and academic teacher. He taught in Cologne and Detmold. Life Münch-Holland was born in 1899 in Bern as the son of the merchant Georg Münch a ...

(1939–1953) and

Irene Güdel Irene Güdel (7 July 1930 – 11 July 2023) was a Swiss cellist. From 1957 to 1995 she taught the cello at the Hochschule für Musik Detmold, from 1969 as professor. Life and career Güdel was born in Aegerten on 7 July 1930. She studied vio ...

(1953–1965) as violoncellist.

Repertoire

The Strub Quartet was specialised in the classical and

Romantic Romantic may refer to: Genres and eras * The Romantic era, an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement of the 18th and 19th centuries ** Romantic music, of that era ** Romantic poetry, of that era ** Romanticism in science, of that e ...

repertoire as well as more modern music, for example by

Max Reger Johann Baptist Joseph Maximilian Reger (19 March 187311 May 1916) was a German composer, pianist, organist, conductor, and academic teacher. He worked as a concert pianist, as a musical director at the Leipzig University Church, as a professor a ...

and

Paul Hindemith Paul Hindemith (; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major advocate of the '' ...

. It was responsible for the

premiere A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition. A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its f ...

of string quartets by Karl Höller (op. 24),

Hans Pfitzner Hans Erich Pfitzner (5 May 1869 – 22 May 1949) was a German composer, conductor and polemicist who was a self-described anti-modernist. His best known work is the post-Romantic opera '' Palestrina'' (1917), loosely based on the life of the ...

(op. 50), Lothar Windsperger and

Johannes Driessler Johannes Driessler (26 January 1921 in Friedrichsthal, Saarland – 3 May 1998 in Detmold) was a German composer, organist, and lecturer. Driessler studied composition and organ in Cologne at the Musikhochschule from 1939 to 1940. In Novembe ...

(op. 41/1) The string quartet also participated in the world premiere of the

string quintet A string quintet is a musical composition for five string players. As an extension to the string quartet (two violins, a viola, and a cello), a string quintet includes a fifth string instrument, usually a second viola (a so-called "viola quintet ...

by Anton Bruckner arranged by

Armin Knab Armin Knab (19 February 1881 – 23 June 1951) was a German composer and musical writer. Career Knab was born in Oberaurach. His father wished for him to practice law, and Knab joined the bar in 1907. However, at the same time, he studied music th ...

Discography

* Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet No. 9, C major, op. 59/3 (Electrola 1941) * Anton Bruckner: String quintet, F major, WAB 112 (Electrola 1940 ?, Pristine Audio 2017) * Antonín Dvořák: Finale, from the String quartet in F-Dur, op. 96 American Quartet (Bertelsmann Schallplattenring 1959) *

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions to musical form have le ...

: Variations: String quartet in C major, op. 76/3, Hob. III:77

Kaiserquartett The Kaiserquartett ( Hob. III:77, Op. 76, No.3), English: Emperor Quartet), is a string quartet in C major by Joseph Haydn. The Kaiserquartett is the third of the six String Quartets, Op. 76, which Haydn composed in 1797 at the age of 65 after h ...

(Bertelsmann Schallplattenring 1959 and 1961, Orbis 1967, Parnass 1968) * Karl Höller: String quartet no. 1, E major, op. 24 (Electrola 1938) *

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

: Clarinet quintet in A major KV 581 (Electrola 1941, Clarinet Classics 2000) *

: String Quartet No. 4 in E flat major, op. 109 (Electrola 1936 und 1938) * Franz Schubert: Piano Quintet in A major, op. posth. 114, D 667 or theme and variations thereof (

His Master’s Voice His Master's Voice (HMV) was the name of a major British record label created in 1901 by The Gramophone Co. Ltd. The phrase was coined in the late 1890s from the title of a painting by English artist Francis Barraud, which depicted a Jack Russ ...

1937, Electrola 1938, Bertelsmann Schallplattenring 1959, 1960 and 1961,

Ariola Ariola (also known as Ariola Records, Ariola-Eurodisc and BMG Ariola) is a German record label. In the late 1980s, it was a subsidiary label of the Bertelsmann Music Group, which in turn has become a part of the international media conglomerat ...

1960, Pearl 1995); String quartet No. 15 in G major, op. posth. 161, D 887 (Electrola 1937);

String Quintet A string quintet is a musical composition for five string players. As an extension to the string quartet (two violins, a viola, and a cello), a string quintet includes a fifth string instrument, usually a second viola (a so-called "viola quintet ...

, in C major, op. posth. 163, D 956 (Electrola 1941, meloclassic 2014) *

Gerhart von Westerman Gerhart von Westerman (19 September 1894 – 14 February 1963) was a German composer, artistic director and music writer. Life Born in Riga, after graduating from high school Westerman studied composition at the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin, ...

: String quartet no. 2 in C minor, op. 8 (Electrola 1941, meloclassic 2014)

Literature

* Max Strub; Jost Raba; Walter Trampler; Ludwig Hoelscher; Elly Ney ''Strub-Quartett, Elly Ney Kammermusikabend : Donnerstag, den 18. Februar 1937, 20 Uhr, Kaisersaal der städtischen Tonhalle''. * Wolfgang Gruhle: ''Streichquartett-Lexikon: Komponisten, Werke, Interpreten''. 3rd updated and extended edition, TRIGA – Der Verlag, Gelnhausen 2005, , . * Jürgen Stegmüller: ''Das Streichquartett. Eine internationale Dokumentation zur Geschichte der Streichquartett-Ensembles und Streichquartett-Kompositionen von den Anfängen bis zur Gegenwart''.''Das Streichquartett : eine internationale Dokumentation zur Geschichte der Streichquartett-Ensembles und Streichquartett-Kompositionen von den Anfängen bis zur Gegenwart''
on WorldCat (''Quellenkataloge zur Musikgeschichte''. Vol. 40). Noetzel, Wilhelmshaven 2007, , .

References

External links

*

{{String quartets, state=collapsed German string quartets 1929 establishments in Germany 1965 disestablishments in Germany