Amadeus Quartet facts for kids
The Amadeus Quartet was a very famous string quartet that started in 1947. A string quartet is a small group of four musicians who play string instruments. The members were Norbert Brainin (first violin), Siegmund Nissel (second violin), Peter Schidlof (viola), and Martin Lovett (cello).
How the Quartet Began
Three of the musicians, Norbert Brainin, Siegmund Nissel, and Peter Schidlof, were from Vienna. They had to leave their home and move to London in 1938 because of their Jewish background. This happened after Adolf Hitler took control of Austria.
When World War II started, they were sent to special camps in Britain. This was because they were considered "enemy aliens," meaning they were foreigners from a country Britain was fighting. The three violinists met in one of these camps. They spent a lot of time playing music together.
Soon, they were allowed to leave the camps. They then studied music with a kind violin teacher named Max Rostal. He taught them for free. Another student of Rostal's was Suzanne Rozsa, who was married to the cellist Martin Lovett. Peter Schidlof decided to switch from playing the violin to the viola. This allowed them to play string quartets together.
In 1947, they officially formed a group called the Brainin Quartet. But Siegmund Nissel thought of a better name: the "Amadeus Quartet." He felt it sounded more special than using just one person's name. So, in 1948, they changed their name. "Amadeus" was one of Mozart's middle names.
First Performances and Success
The Amadeus Quartet played their first concert under their new name on January 10, 1948. This special event took place at the Wigmore Hall in London.
After that first concert, they quickly became very popular. They traveled all over the world, performing in many concerts and music festivals. They also gave special lessons called masterclasses to other musicians.
The quartet made about 200 recordings during their career. These recordings included all the string quartets by famous composers like Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, and W. A. Mozart. They also played music by newer composers from the 20th century, such as Béla Bartók and Benjamin Britten. Benjamin Britten even wrote his third quartet especially for them!
The Amadeus Quartet became one of the most famous and respected quartets of the 20th century.
The End of the Quartet
The members of the Amadeus Quartet had a special agreement. They decided that if one of them ever became too ill or passed away, the quartet would stop playing. They would not replace any member with a new person.
Sadly, the quartet stopped performing in 1987. This was after the death of their violist, Peter Schidlof.
Norbert Brainin passed away in 2005. Siegmund Nissel died a few years later in 2008.
See also
In Spanish: Cuarteto Amadeus para niños
