Historique et réception des diverses formations Pro Arte (1912-1947)
(2012)
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- (en) Founded in 1912, the Pro Arte Quartet immigrated to the United States in 1939 where he was appointed resident quartet at Madison. Further to the departure of founders, American musicians have succeeded to Belgians. Today, the ensemble is known as the Pro Arte Quartet of the University of Wisconsin. Alphonse Onnou (founder and first violinist), was born in Dolhain-Limburg. Laurent Halleux (second violinist) was born in Verviers. Germain Prevost (violist) was a native of Tournai and was the only one to get U.S. citizenship. Cellist Robert Maas was born in Brussels in a musical family. In 1913, the quartet gave its first public concert in Brussels with Belgian works not very well known. Arthur Prevost (Germain’s brother) and Paul Collaer founded the Pro Arte Concerts programming numerous unpublished scores, including those of the ‘groupe des Six’. Elizabeth Coolidge, a wealthy American, devoted her time and her fortune to Chamber Music. She realized that the Pro Arte could help her in her quest for the promotion of contemporary works. At the American Academy in Rome, she organized a concert where the Pro Arte presented scores commissioned by her. This was the beginning of the Pro Arte-Coolidge Concerts. In 1926, the Library of Congress invited the quartet to inaugurate the Coolidge Auditorium. The success of the Pro Arte was such that it was proposed to extend their stay. In 1930, the quartet gave its first concert at Mills College. Until 1940, it will perform annual concerts during summer periods. The quartet gave its first concert in Madison in 1939. In November 1940, Alphonse Onnou died. Antonio Brosa succeeded to him. A hundred compositions of contemporary music were dedicated to the Pro Arte or to one of its members or one of its patrons. The ensemble had clarity and a quality of interpretation that still astonishes today. Its performances reflected a universality of understanding and interpretation of which examples are rare. To the credit of the Pro Arte, one has to mention many creations of which the most legendary is the Samuel Barber’s Quartet containing the famous ‘Adagio '. The Pro Arte recorded for His Master’s Voice many of Haydn’s quartets. Only the Second World War prevented to achieve the integral. In March 2012, the University of Wisconsin will celebrate the centenary of the quartet.
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Van Malderen, A. (2012). Historique et réception des diverses formations Pro Arte (1912-1947). https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/160629