Budapest String Quartet

Budapest String Quartet
The Budapest String Quartet, March 1938. L-to-R: Josef Roisman, Boris Kroyt, Alexander Schneider, Mischa Schneider
Background information
Years active	1917 (1917)–1967 (1967)

The Budapest String Quartet was a string quartet in existence from 1917 to 1967. It originally consisted of three Hungarians and a Dutchman; at the end, the quartet consisted of four Russians. A number of recordings were made for HMV/Victor through 1938; from 1940 through 1967 it recorded for Columbia Records. Additionally, several of the Quartet's live performances were recorded, at the Library of Congress and other venues.

1st Violin:

2nd Violin:

Viola:

Cello:

The Budapest String Quartet was formed in 1917 by four friends, all members of opera orchestras that had ceased playing owing to World War I The members were all protégés of Jenő Hubay (violin), a Hungarian pupil of Joseph Joachim and David Popper (cello), a Bohemian. Hubay and Popper had helped to make Budapest a major centre for musical education, attracting famous students such as Josef Szigeti. Hubay and Popper had supported Sándor Végh and Feri Roth in the formation of quartets, and were themselves part of an earlier Budapest Quartet, the new quartet being named partly in honour of that. The debut recital of the new Budapest String Quartet (in Hungarian: Budapesti Vonósnégyes), took place in December 1917 in Kolozsvár, then in Hungary, now called Cluj-Napoca, in present-day Romania.

The quartet was established with rules:

No previous quartet had attempted to live entirely on the proceeds from its concerts. It was a brave decision for the time. Much later, in July 1930, the current members added another rule to resolve tied votes. One player, chosen by lot, would have a deciding vote. His initials would be written on the music and he would always have the extra vote for that piece. If he was replaced, his successor would take on his voting rights.