Molé Chamber Music Concert Club
(1891 - 1892)





The Molé Chamber Music Concert Club was founded by Boston flutist Charles Molé in the spring of 1891 and presented its first concert on March 2. Earlier, in the fall of the same concert season, another chamber music society, the New England Conservatory Music Club, had been formed comprising Mr. Molé, flute; Oscar Reine, oboe; Eustach Strasser, clarinet; Frederick Hermann Guenzel, bassoon; Albert Hackebarth, 1  horn, Carl Faelten, piano; Emil Mahr and Charles Mclaughlin, violins; Daniel Kuntz, viola; Leo Schulz, cello; A. Goldstein, bass;; and Heinrich Schuecker, harp. This Club gave three concerts with various combinations of its members in the fall of 1890 at Union Hall. No further mention of that organization has been found, however.

For the first season of three concerts in the spring of 1891 the Molé Club comprised Mr. Molé, flute; Auguste Sautet, oboe; Mr. Strasser, clarinet; Mr. Guenzel, bassoon; and Albert Hackebarth, horn, all except Mr. Strasser were current principals of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and all except Mr. Sautet had been members of the former New England Conservatory Music Club. Woodwind quintets were a novelty in the United States at that time. Chamber music concerts were almost exclusively limited to string quartets which were fairly numerous and had extensive literature.

The Boston Herald, March 6, 1891

Programs for the First Season (1891)

March 5.
    Onslow: Quintet for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Horn and Bassoon, in F, op 81;
    Bach: Sonata for Flute and Piano in B minor (Arthur Nikisch, piano);
    Beethoven: Octet for two oboes, two clarinets, two horns and two bassoons, in E flat, op. 103.
        (L. Demuth, oboe 2; Schneider, horn 2; P. Metzger clarinet 2; C. Dietzsch, bassoon 2)
In his review, Boston Daily Advertiser critic Louis C. Elson wrote:
The new club with Mr. Molé at its head, gave a concert of novelties at Association Hall last night. The novelties were by Bach, Beethoven and Onslow, and dated from the last century and early part of this, but were not less enjoyable on that account, since they were absolutely new to Bostonian ears. The resurrection of Onslow was perhaps the least pardonable part of the transaction, for the quintette (for woodwind and horn) which represented him, but was a sugary and formal affair - merely Spohr-and-water. The andante was its best movement, and had a fine theme for oboe and also some florid bassoon work, which was unexpectedly accompanied by a locomotive bell from outside, in another key. With this accidental interruption excepted, the playing of the quintette was excellent and perfectly balanced. Messrs. Molé, Sautet, Strasser, Guenzel, and Hackebarth each deserving praise.
April 2.
    Charles Lefevbre: Suite for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Horn and Bassoon, in B flat, op. 57
    Beethoven: Sonata in A, op. 69, for piano and cello, (Ernst Perabo and Leo Schulz)
    Kulau: Two movements from Quartet for four flutes, in E minor (F.M. Heindl, P. Fox, Master John Costello)
    Mozart: Quintet for Piano, Oboe, Clarinet, Horn, and Bassoon.

April 17.
    J. Sobeck: Quintet for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Horn and Bassoon, in F, op. 9;
    Beethoven: Serenade in D, op. 25 for Flute, Violin and Viola (Mr. Roth and D. Kuntz)
    L. von Cromphout: Sextet in G, for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Horn, Bassoon and Piano (Arthur Foote)


The Boston Herald, September 26, 1891


Programs for the Second Season (1891-1892)

Early advertising for the second season (see above clipping) listed the same members as the first, however by the time of the first concert on December 1, 1891, there were three new members: Friedrich C. Mueller, oboe, (replacing Mr. Sautet); G. Goldschmidt, clarinet, (replacing Mr. Strasser) and Franz Hain, horn (replacing Mr. Hackebarth). The new members all held positions in the Boston Symphony.

December 1.
    Anton Reicha: Quintet for Wind Instruments, in D
    E. German: Serenade for Voice, with Quintet accompaniment (Mr. C.F. Webber)
    Godard: Suite for Flute and Piano (Arthur Foote)
    Lalo: Aria from "Le Roi D'Y's," (Mr. Webber)
    Rheinberger: Piano Quartet in E flat, op. 16 (Mr. H.G. Tucker)

December 15.
    In memory of Mozart: Quintet in A for Clarinet and Strings
    Concerto in D, for Flute and Piano (H.G. Tucker)
    Quintet in E flat, for Piano, Oboe, Clarinet, Horn and Bassoon
    Arias from "The Marriage of Figaro" and "Don Giovanni" (Thomas E. Clifford, baritone)

December 28.
    Ludwig Thuille: Sextet for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn and Piano (Mrs. Dr. Maas)
    Georges Bizet: "Habanera" from Carmen; Kellie: "Sleeping Tide"; and two encores (Clara Poole)
    J. Sobec: Woodwind Quintet
    Duet for flute and clarinet (Messrs Molé and Goldsmith)

January 26.
    Kulau: Quintet for Flute and Strings in A
    Beethoven: Sonata for Horn and Piano, op. 17
    Onslow: Woodwind Quintet, op. 81
    Songs by Bordier and Chadwick, (Mrs. J.K. Morrison)
    Violin solos by Wieniawski and Vieuxtemps, (Johannes Miersch)

February 18.
    Kulau: Quintet op. 55
    Neumann: Trio
    Rubenstein: Quintet for Piano and Wind Instruments, op. 55


The Boston Evening Transcript, February 17, 1892

Acknowledgements
Special thanks to Dr. Jane Ellsworth,  music history professor at Eastern Washington University,  for identifying clarinetist Goldschmidt in the photo, which dates it to the second season of the Molé Chamber Music Club.

Notes
1. The horn player shown in the photo is apparently Franz Hain based upon the identification of clarinetist Goldschmidt.
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References

Howe, Mark Antony De Wolfe; The Boston symphony orchestra: an historical sketch, The Atlantic monthly press, Boston, 1914

Wilson, G.H.; The Musical Year-Book of The United States, vols. VIII through X, (seasons of 1890 through 1892), G.H. Wilson, Boston, 1891 - 1893


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