Concert by the Society for Forgotten Music Quartet - February 13th, 1950

[Justin]

Found this rare recording of an American radio broadcast put on by the "Society for Forgotten Music." It includes various American works by composers which even in 1950 were already figures of the distant past. Hope you find it interesting.

https://www.wnyc.org/story/concert-by-the-society-for-forgotten-music-quartet/

Works:

String Quartet No. 2 Op. 132 by Henry Hadley

Piano Sonata in E Major by Alexander Reinagle

I Have a Silent Sorrow Here by Alexander Reinagle

My Days Have Been So Wondrous Free by Francis Hopkinson

Come Fair Rosina by Francis Hopkinson

O'er The Hills by Francis Hopkinson

To Helen by Charles Martin Loeffler, words by Edgar Allan Poe

"Mona's Dream" by Horatio Parker from the opera "Mona"

Quartet by George Whitefield Chadwick

[matesic]

The Hadley quartet is certainly a new one for me. I like its "fresh air" muscularity. It wasn't published until 1941 but probably dates from much earlier. The Chadwick quartet is his No.4 from the 1890's - much more conservative and rather bland Dvorak-and-water I think. Thanks for posting this!

[semloh]

Interesting set of works. The Chadwick 4th String Quartet can be heard on YT, and appears on a fascinating collection of early American chamber music: https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-early-string-quartet-in-the-usa-mw0001381822
The work by Hadley was started in 1932 - some sources say it was completed in 1934 - and I think falls outside the scope of UC.

[Mark Thomas]

Yes, unlike much of Hadley's orchestral music which is late-romantic in style, this quartet falls squarely outside our remit on both chronological and stylistic grounds.