“I recall as the most perfect and beautiful of all my musical memories, a string quartet and quintet (with piano) session in Paris, in my own home, where we played four of the loveliest chamber music works ever written in the following combination:  Beethoven’s 7th quartet (Ysaye, Vo.  I, myself, Vo.  II, Kreisler, viola—­he plays it remarkably well—­and Casals, ’cello); the Schumann quartet (Kreisler, Vo.  I, Ysaye, Vo.  II, myself, viola and Casals, ’cello); and the Mozart G major quartet (myself, Vo.  I, Kreisler, Vo.  II, Ysaye, viola and Casals, ’cello).  Then we telephoned to Pugno, who came over and joined us and, after an excellent dinner, we played the Cesar Franck piano quintet.  It was the most enjoyable musical day of my life.  A concert manager offered us a fortune to play in this combination—­just two concerts in every capital in Europe.

“We have not enough variety in our concert programs—­not enough collaboration.  The truth is our form of concert, which usually introduces only one instrument or one group of instruments, such as the string quartet, is too uniform in color.  I can enjoy playing a recital program of virtuose violin pieces well enough; but I cannot help fearing that many find it too unicolored.  Practical considerations do not do away with the truth of an artistic contention, though they may often prevent its realization.  What I enjoy most, musically, is to play together with another good artist.  That is why I have had such great artistic pleasure in the joint recitals I have given with Harold Bauer.  We could play things that were really worth while for each of us—­for the piano parts of the modern sonatas call for a virtuose technical and musical equipment, and I have had more satisfaction from this ensemble work than I would have had in playing a long list of solo pieces.

“The ideal violin program, to play in public, as I conceive it, is one that consists of absolute music, or should it contain virtuose pieces, then these should have some definite musical quality of soul, character, elegance or charm to recommend them.  I think one of the best programs I have ever played in America is that which I gave with Harold Bauer at AEolian Hall, New York, during the season of 1917-1918: 

Sonata in B flat . . . . . . Mozart
BAUER-THIBAUD

Scenes from Childhood . . . . Schumann
H. BAUER

Poeme . . . . . . . . . E.  Chausson
J. THIBAUD

Sonata . . . . . . . . . Cesar Franck
BAUER-THIBAUD

Or perhaps this other, which Bauer and I played in Boston, during
November, 1913: 

Kreutzer Sonata . . . . . . Beethoven
BAUER-THIBAUD

Sarabanda }
Giga } . . . . . . . J.S.  Bach
Chaconne }

                                  J. THIBAUD

Kreisleriana . . . . . . . Schumann
H. BAUER