Mason-Thomas Chamber Music Soirée: 5th

“Beethoven’s Quartette in G, op. 18, has been often played and enjoyed, and yet it offers on every new occasion new traits of interest and attraction. It belongs to an earlier period of his life, when hope and sunshine prevailed, and only occasionally dark clouds passed through his mind. It is so full of melody, grace and joy, and even in its sorrowful strains of such a mild character that we can easily understand why just this quartette is such a favorite of the great mass of amateurs. It was superbly played, especially the three last parts. In the Sonata, which Mr. Wm. Mason performed with his usual charm of touch and finish, the great master spoke in quite different language. Here everything is original; the ideas, especially in the first part, are grand, and the treatment is accordingly. It is, however, in the last part with its variations, where the master’s genius shines in all its might, where the simple theme has been made to speak in the most varied and unexpected manner.

Bach’s Sonata pleased, as usual, mostly by its slow movements, which are beautiful, and appeal by far more to our modern sympathy than the quick movements, although these are to us as interesting as the former. But the public at large seem soon to become tired of the fughato style, not because it is difficult to understand (we think that, for instance, Beethoven’s Sonata, which was played on this occasion, is for the non-musician more difficult to understand than Bach’s Sonata), but because the master speaks in a language which decidedly belongs to a past period of our art.

Schubert’s very long, very grand and fanciful posthumous quartette was very much appreciated in spite of the unmistakable fact that the author repeats himself in this work more than is necessary, and that the last part is unworthy not only of the whole, but of Schubert himself.”

Only mentions that the concert took place and gives the program.