Marjorie Hayward (violin); Edwin Virgo (violin); Raymond Jeremy
(viola) ; Cedric Sharpe (violoncello)
Joseph Jongen , the Belgian composer, was bom at Liége in 1873. He studied at the Liége Conservatoire where he was Professor of Harmony from 1901-1920, when he went to the Brussels Conservatoire as Professor of Fugue and Counterpoint. After five years he was appointed Principal.
In his earlier works Jongen shows a deep influence of Franck, but the two Serenades for string quartet, which were published in 1918, mark the beginning of a strongly individual style that broke away from the tradition of Franck.