Subscription Concert: 1st

“The Onslow Quintette Club gave a refined and charming concert on Monday evening at Chickering Hall. The choice of the name of this French composer for the club, though it may seem a little singular from the circumstance of his compositions being so little known in this country, is probably explained by the fact that he is one of the most prolific writers of the class of music to the interpretation of which this combination of artists devotes itself. His quartettes and quintettes number probably sixty or more, and his life being in great measure given up to their production.

The finest piece offered was probably, in the general estimation, Raff’s quintette in A minor, a composition of remarkable smoothness, unity, and force, the andante of which had nearly the same theme on which Meyerbeer constructed his ‘Dinorah’ overture, and something of the method of treatment that Schumann gave to his famous andante and variations for two pianos.

A trio by Fesca, an Onslow quartette, and the ever popular canzonetta from Mendelssohn’s quartette, so much played by the Mendelssohn Quintette Club in Boston, completed the stringed portion of the programme. Miss Brainerd sang Arthur Sullivan’s interminable song, ‘Cycle, the Wrens,’ and also one of Liszt’s most famous and descriptive songs, the best of all in the estimation of many of his admirers, the ‘Loreley.’ Miss Brainerd’s merits as a singer were not obscured even by the cold under which she labored.

There should be in this city a sufficient number of lovers of music for music’s own sake and not for that of fashion, who will support this laudable undertaking. Caryl Florio, the pianist, us at the head of it, and the four instrumentalists who assist him are artists, and are thoroughly up to the difficult work they have in hand.”

Review: New-York Daily Tribune, 13 December 1871, 4.

“The first of a series of subscription concerts by the Onslow Quintette took place on Monday evening at Chickering Hall. This Quintette is a new organization formed for the cultivation of a branch of art which has been entirely neglected in New-York since Messrs. William Mason and Theodore Thomas abandoned these soirées about three years ago. The number of those who take an interest in chamber music is unfortunately not large, and it remains to be seen whether the [instigators?] of this new enterprise will receive a more generous public support than their predecessors. They proved at any rate on Monday that they deserved every encouragement. It was not to be expected that the performance should exhibit that perfect accord of touch and sympathy which comes only [at?] long practice, but it was highly creditable for a first public effort, and called forth repeated expressions of approval from the small but attentive and [illegible] audience. The programme was an excellent one, except it was rather too long. A fine quintette of Raff’s [illegible]; a barcarole and scherzo from Alexander [illegible]; a beautiful quartette of [illegible] in C minor), a piano-forte sonata of Johann [illegible], with a [sonata?] by Onslow; Arthur [illegible] charming Song Cycle, ‘The Wrens,’ with [illegible] other numbers made up a choice entertainment [illegible] for their musical merit [illegible] comparative novelty. The quartette of Onslow was [illegible] relished. The members of the club are [illegible], first violin; George Wiegand, second violin; Louis [illegible], viola; Michael Brand, violoncello and Caryl Florio, piano.”

Announcement: New-York Times, 17 December 1871, 4.

"likely to reflect high credit on the taste of our music public."