The Inter-nationality of Late Nineteenth-Century Budapest Quartets and Their not Entirely Prejudice-free Reception in the Press

Abstract

Pest-Buda already had two permanent ensembles during the 1830s - the Táborszky and the Szervacinszky quartets; in the 1850s, ambitious programs, explicitly labeled as "quartet concerts," were performed by the short-lived Ridley-Kohne quartet. However, it was only in 1876, that the first Budapest-based quartet was founded that remained stable for the years to come. Although this ensemble, which was led by Dragomir Krančević and disposed of an excellent playing technique, was referred to in the press as the "Budapest quartet," only the second violinist was of Hungarian origin and native of Pest. The case of the Hubay-Popper quartet - established ten years later, in 1886 - was quite similar: of its members, Jenő Hubay was only the one to be born and having studied in this city. In this paper, I will present the press reception of the two latter quartets, focusing on the following issues: How did a biased discourse emerge in the Hungarian press that made a clear distinction between the "German" and the "other" (e. g., French or Hungarian) manners of playing? What was the role played by the performers' national origin, the influence of their teachers and of the schools they attended? How did the press reviews treat these aspects? How did the repertoire of these quartets evolve during this period, and was there any connection with the prejudices suggested by the press?

Keywords

• budapest
• string quartet
• reception
• reviews
• dragomir krančević
• jenő hubay