Page Twc

THE MICHIGAN DAILY

Thursday, September 25, 19'69

Poge Twc' THE MICHIGAN DAILY 4 hursday, September 25, 1969


Stanley Quartet:

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By JIM PE.'I1EIs
B~efor'e tihe idea of four men
getting together to make music
became synoriomous with "rock
group'' or "band,'" there was the
ever faithful string quartet. And,
here in Anin Arbor, before the
Stooges, there was the Stanley
Quartet.
When Gilbert Toss, profes-
sor of music herei, came to Ann
Arbor in 1942, the University
of Michigan was hardly noted
for its musical adventuresomne-
ness. Coming , from eas2tern
Smith College( wheretk,' par-
ticipated in the fire side'-styled
Smith College Stringt Quartet.
Ross carried the conce£pt of re-
sident string quar tet to tin!
booming Midweskt 
It was the timge of musical
expansion. During the first half
of the 20th century, New York
City was the center for orches-
tral and chamber groups. Or-
chest ras were the first to be
funded, people f elt that there
was sonic safety in nunmbers,
and if they gathered together
100 musicians, even though they'
were Americans, whatever went
wrong couldn't. really be not-
iced-- as long as there was a
baton-hurling; European c on-
dutctor' to kep them in line.
But the't, are only four mem-
ber's of a6string quartet, anid no
one dlaredi to talk about stupport-
ing ath ing:Ii_ as risky as that,
innce chamber music was held
eer'ti'miore sacred than the or
chestral i'i'ptory.
So, traveling trine qua rtets
lrk thlt.'1lnaes the Kneis-
els, andti e London String
Qutttu rc, th!le Uniit ed
S'tattes-v. ihthemn plea-
sant , unof len ie %vorks. Tchai-
kovsky's "'A ndanite Cantabile''
and Dvorak's "American Quar-
tet" were favorites.
But aftet(r thbe stecondl World
liar, nothing European wv a s
sacred. And t he American cul-
ttural ri nio ec began, of
course, ,wherethu money ws --
in the colleest.-arid unive rsities.
T1here are two ways~ to set-up
atny resident group). _A universityv
either buys a ptaek aed-roup) to
be its own, therbyacuiin6
status symbol rand a fe widt
players for its orchiest'aor
else, as Michigan (ild, develops
a group of teacher- lherf o mci's
whbo are' factulty members.
Thus in 1949, the Stanley
Quartet was ceeate-d, ior which
individual rmusician s wrere-
cruit ed,baeonteriees
in te cd ii '° a .'wellas iilayiiig
a hi lit y.
and let i'iii~iiig is goL a id
t'unl it'r re tvo iflry it
,1' oc,' a iletRoss,
firs vioini't frlte Quartet.
Th'is irnlg tatenment involv-

cis a lot, arid the Stanley Quar-
tet has taken. on a lot of re-
sponsibilities. Since its incep-
tion the Quartet, with Univer-
sit y Funds, has commissioned
anrd performed major chamber
piect's by 20th century comnpos-
('I's.
Using the talents of stuch corn-
posers as Darius Milhaud, Heitor
Villa-Lobos, Leon Kirchner, and
Walter Piston, the Quartet in-
terprets "service" in one sense
as Piatronage to aspiring comi-
Aind then, being part of a
mun iversit y, t he group's "service"
has been extended to introduc-
ing modern compositions to the
students. This interest has
priomnpted many younger com-
posers such as Leslie Basset,
Wallace Berry, andi Ross Lee
Finney to dedicate new quar-
tets to the Stanley ensemble.
The Quartet performs Hinde-
mnuth, Bartok, Prokofiev, and
Stranvinsky regularly.
Surrounding any institution
is a community, andi the in-
volvemnent of the Stanley Quar-
t.t is not lacking here either,
"Above all, it is the purpose of
he r'esident quartet to reach
young people, since they will
constitute the listening public
of tomorriow," says Ross. Arid
to him this means personal con-
tact.
In 1958 the Quar't~t made a
tour' of Negro colleges in the
deep South. Last year they gave
at sies of ten recitals around
Mvichl ian and neighboring
sates, They hold a yearly string
clime for' high school music-
ianis. andt usually have a place in
t he Conternporairy Music F"es-
tial he'ld iher'e each year.
It is easy to say that a quar-
tet composed of faculty menu-
b~'rs can never equal the per-
formiance standards and tech-
iqutes of the Budapest on'
Guinari Quar'tets; and that's
true, But looking at this col-
lectiorn of nitsicians fromi that
point of view eliminates a reat
part of what the y'vec beenI try-
ing to do.
This is whiat. all the history
and facts fail to point otit: the
Quartet, during its twenty
yo ar's, has gained an unrestrict-
edi freedom from being part of
the University.
"The concert artist is de-
pendent for' his living on next
yeair's enlgag"lements, so he must
plan his program dis each year so
as not to offenid anyone," Ross
adds. As Gilbeit Ross mel(ntiorned
hi>, i' had been talking abott
t ,' om qtuarte'ts commissioned
reenlyfrom George Crumb
ai: ncleyrnotni'Shifrin.
Itis'ti lac'k of tinancial
w\(.ir ' ha illowvs the group
to c xl)['Il'inerit with new music,
lp'rotc ,chamber compositions
by early 20th cent ur'y compos-

THURSDAY, OCT. 2, 7:30 P.M.

Dalier, Exci*tement, Reward
Venture Forth to the
Creative Arts Festival M/ssMeeting.
in the Union BaI.'room for
Committee Sign ups
Learn About The Festival .. .
THEN JOIN UP

D~aly-JerryWerchsle'r

er's, and1(1 (xipay Mozar't
poor'ly, vi ii oik:'d on a
nmoder'n qtmatotr'a lpartic.ular'
recital1.
Chamber music is probably
consider'ed to bt' niore yawn'i-
inducing; than op ' by th'
ge(neral pjublit'.btut the priese'nt
ni'mnbers of the Quartet, Gil-
bert Ross, violin: Gustave Ros-
seels, violin; Rober't Courte,
viola: arid Jerome Jelinek, cel-
lo, smile much more than they'
yawn.
Not unlike a r'oc'k grotup, they
live a commiunalI life ai'ound
their music. ''Tile days of the
musical diret't', ot a string;
qua't et ai'e0v,''':1"4a I ,nisel
diecided what xva, o be layed
and howv they woV(ld payit. But
rio longer. All nun rtepi tations
ar'e decidled inunso: aidAif
airy one mnmnber'fel ixeti"a
i'ehear'sal is necessaryit one''
sas Ross, t'hoiiig the.)'' ucu
of the enitire Qintti t
Tihey aregl'. n ~iii
arnd wami'i pl s xel.f'or'
one( coticcrt ffous a;t.I (Gustave
Rossels flew- toCicago; w t hle
the ti mheerti ' riei_'r td to
drive, i olint Rsses'strtcs
wvas lost iii transt. so the Stan-
ley Qua :'rt appared i1con -
mert, nt li tiPo of tine
r':ir 1 i :p'agmeCoolidge
Founidtion of. t lie, Libi'ar'vof
Congkt;s, inha",' y;lack1s anid
wrinkled 's)0rt('Oats
Bell hot t ow-sari l tv ii-
stru'menits mnay roth nthe'rmxt
>1 'p. hint xvi tin l t im tu
onily the tx t na iiseaori for'
t him Stanilcy %-Quai t.:asg'ounp
THU RSDAY and FRIDAY
Double Feature
DA RYO u'F A
CHA 11MBERMAID
Blood of a Poe
(ir. JEAN CCCTEIAU 1930
Bath films each show,
come twice

Fit-w Michiigan Dail', eclited and i an-
' ' by tud'its at t'heUiversity or
~Ma~ an ewsphone: 784-0)552. Second
'te- IO~tatepaiid at Ann Arbor, Mich-
I a' : 420 Mavr' St.. AinnArbor,
t( i ~4814.Pubnished 6'ai,' 'rues-
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.1il , ya'. S bcriptiorl ..t-'s 510 by
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Pent your
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B~etween Ypsilanti & Ann Arbor
SHOW TIMES:
Wed.. Sat., Sun.-1 -3-5-7-9


last

"Its strength is in its two key play-
ers. Each beinci determined, per-
haps, ta do his best actinq before
a peer, Burtan and Harrison qive
firmly disciplined, finely delineated
performances of undeviotinq hon-
esty. Burton has rarely immersed
hiimself in a part to the extent that
one could forgiet he was Richard
Burton, but he doems it this time,
Harrison has often seemed to be
octinq before a mirror rather than
a camera, In Staircase he is actinq
'oefore the broken mirror of a
man's life ,and he evolves a poiq-
nancy that is wonderfully real,"
'lime Maciazinc
20th Century-Fox presents
RICHARD BURTON REX HARRISON
in the Stanley Donen
Produaction
"STAIRCASE"
am sad gay story
J D t)d byt STANLEY DONE N
~ HA- LES DYER ",d upon t-,upra
to _UOL YMOORE -PANAVISION'
COLOR c. Det,,'~
R. _
thursday and Friday
1:00, 9:00
PT'TH Foruyj

T ,f/i,

ALPHA PHI ALPHA-

UNION-LEAGUE

Present the

1969
Cannes
Film
Festival

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t .try k.N.. .: 7 " K..
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MATNLUTHIER KING
BENEFIT CONCERT

with

"EXUBERANT"

"A MATRWORK

7 &
662_,

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887 1

ARCHITECTURE'
AUDITORIUM

PIOI ..

misomm,


loollsomil IN

TONIGHTd AT 800

-.MONUMENTAL"
Munemor IIt


OVERWHELAIING"

'EI 1tG
EXCELLE,\

;r ,,; "ALL FIRST RATE"

NA, Daily New,

I I / I

-Toledo Blade

MaGNIIC E N T

-Detroit Free Pre(s

N. Y. Three,



@4 SHOWS-i1 :15-3:45-6:15-8:45
VANESSA REDGIIAVE
"4ITHE LOVES OF ISADORN'
X IXANTCHENI{O
"JASON ROBA RDS
SNEtAK PREVIEW

ScpL.,16 Sept. 28, 1969

Ann Arbor Newswf
SHAKESPE AES

RICHARD
EASTON

y
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y e o t w.
;

THE FIFTH DIMENSION
SATURDAY, OCT. 11

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