dy. Hellmesberger heard it played at two rehearsals, and then went
home and wrote out the whole work from memory.

No small portion of the immense influence which Joachim has wielded in
the musical world has been directed toward quartet playing, and he has
established a quartet in London and another one at Berlin, which both
bear an enviable reputation. His chamber music classes, too, at the
Berlin High School, tend to develop admirable quartet players; thus we
find Marie Soldat organising a ladies' quartet which had a good career,
and Gabrielle Wietrowitz taking the place of first violin in the
excellent ladies' quartet formed in England by Miss Emily Shinner.[1]
Miss Shinner, whose efforts in the artistic world have been of great
value, and whose quartet has an immense reputation in England, was also
a pupil of Joachim.

[Footnote 1: The Shinner Quartet consisted of Miss Emily Shinner (Mrs. F.
Liddell), first violin, Miss Lucy H. Stone, second violin, Miss Cecilia
Gates, viola, and Miss Florence Hemmings, violoncello.]

The "Florentine Quartet" was founded by Jean Becker, a violinist of
excellent ability, who made his mark in Europe about the middle of the
nineteenth century. Becker was travelling in Italy in 1865, and settled
in Florence for a time, during which he organised the above-mentioned
quartet, with Masi, second violin, Chiostri, viola, and Hilpert,
violoncello. In Florence there existed a society for the performance of
chamber music, which had been established by a wealthy professor named
Bazzini, a violinist and composer who travelled much, and whose
influence in Italy, in the cause of German music, was of great value.
Bazzini was born in 1818 and died in 1897.

From time to time this society gave subscription concerts, and Becker
was invited to lead ten such concerts during the winter of 1865-66. He
consented to do so, but found the quartet in a state of dissolution. He
brought Hilpert with him, and engaged Masi as second violin, Chiostro
being the only member of the original quartet. Masi was not accustomed
to chamber music, but Becker took him in hand and he improved rapidly.
In order to still enhance his value in the quartet, Becker presented him
with a Stradivarius violin. They remained in Florence until their
ensemble was absolutely perfect, and then began a series of tours which
took them all over Europe. In Vienna the quartet was subjected to
comparison with those of Hellmesberger and of Joachim