title: Virtuoso Quartet
text: # Virtuoso Quartet
  
  The Virtuoso String Quartet was a British quartet, founded by the Gramophone Company (better known as HMV) in 1924, being the first such quartet established specifically for recording. In effect they displaced the Catterall Quartet from their position recording for HMV.
  
  Marjorie Hayward led them for the 15 years of their life. Raymond Jeremy and Cedric Sharpe previously performed in the Philharmonic Quartet.
  
  ## Personnel
  
  * Marjorie Hayward, first violin
  * Edwin Virgo, second violin
  * Raymond Jeremy, viola
  * Cedric Sharpe, cello
  
  ## Concerts
  
  1926/10: The first Bradford Festival of Chamber Music. Brahms sextet op36; Schoenberg Verklärte Nacht
  
  1926/12/11: St. Martin-in-the-Fields. Debussy quartet G minor; Mozart quartet in E flat (K.v. 428)
  
  1927/6: Wigmore Hall, London. John B. McEwen: Three quartets
  
  1927/10: Second Bradford Festival
  
  1927/9/28, 1927/10/12&26: Aeolian Hall, London
  
  1927: Wigmore Hall, London. Bax: Quartet 2, Oboe quintet, Piano quintet
  
  1928/3/13, Town Hall, Chelsea: Chelsea Music Club 36th concert
  
  1928/6/15: Aeolian Hall, London. John B. McEwen: Quartet in C Minor, first performance; Arnold Bax; York Bowen.
  
  1928/10/23: Town Hall, Oxford: Ravel
  
  1928/11/22: Town Hall, Oxford
  
  1930/3/26 Wigmore Hall: Bax
  
  1930 As part of the Celtic Congress, University College concert hall, London; concert included work by John McCormack, the Welsh soprano Megan Foster, and the cellist, Beatrice Harrison
  
  ## Acoustic recordings (4 sets; all premiere recordings)
  
  Beethoven: no 8, E minor (Op. 59/2): late 1924
  
  Tchaikovsky Quartet 1 in D, Op. 11: 1923
  
  Franck: String Quartet in D: Premiere recording (1925)
  
  Bridge Three Idylls: 1923.
  
  ## Electrical recordings (6 sets and some singles)
  
  Ravel: quartet; Introduction and Allegro with John Cockerill, harpist.
  
  Borodin: Nocturne
  
  Debussy: Quartet G minor
  
  Beethoven: No.9 in C Op.59/3
  
  Beethoven: No.6 in Bb Op.18/6.
  
  Glazounov: Orientale: 1928
  
  Thomas: Mignon Gavotte 1928; HMV B 2784
  
  ## Press notices
  
  "From the London station [BBC] we have had many good things during the past month, the pick being the Virtuoso Quartet in Mozart and Debussy…"
  
  "Good as these Budapest party records are [Haydn op76/1, HMV D1075-7], they are beaten all round by those of the Virtuoso Quartet in Debussy's G minor… For vividness and sonority this is surely among the finest achievements of the [Gramophone] Company".
  
  "… distinguished themselves as virile performers of Beethoven… put up so excellent a show [in Ravel]"
  
  