Toronto String Quartette

The Toronto String Quartette (TSQ) was the name of three un-related professional Canadian string quartets based in Toronto, Ontario.

The first Toronto String Quartette was formed in 1884 by the newly established Toronto Quartette Club (TQC), an organization dedicated to increasing public enthusiasm for chamber music. The original group consisted of violinists Henri Jacobsen and John Bayley, violist Carl Martens, and a Mr Kuhn on cello. The ensemble’s first performances were in the Winter of 1884 in a series of five concerts presented by the TQC. A similar concert series was mounted the following season with the quartet being joined by F.H. Torrington, A.E. Fisher, a Mr Haslam, and a Mr Daniels in performances of Mendelssohn’s Octet for Strings among other works.

In the 1885-1886 season, the TQS underwent some personnel changes with Fisher replacing Martens on the viola and Ludwig Corell assuming the role of cellist. That season the quartet presented a series of twelve popular concerts on Monday nights with repertoire including works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Joseph Haydn, and Robert Schumann among others. Also on the program were piano trios by Hummel and Reissiger with Martens on piano, the Mozart Clarinet Quintet with New York clarinetist Herr Kegel as a guest performer, and guest performances by Teresa Carreño and Emma Juch.

In spite of the TQS’s popularity, the group suffered from financial difficulties. In 1886 the Chamber Music Association was established by music publisher Abraham Nordheimer among other Toronto citizens to ensure the quartet’s continuation. The CMA sponsored the 1886-1887 season which included a series of six concerts at Shaftesbury Hall. Unfortunately, the ensemble did not survive beyond this season as Corell and Jacobsen both moved to the United States, forcing the quartet to dissolve in September 1887.

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