(A) Introduction
Haydn was a productive guy. Not only did he father the symphony, but he also sired the string quartet. Indeed, he’s known as the father of the string quartet just as much as he’s known as the father of the symphony.
A string quartet is, as you may suspect, a musical ensemble of four string instruments. Works written for these guys are also usually called string quartets. So, the term “string quartet” applies equally to the piece of music and to the guys playing it. How postmodern.
The standard quartet consists of two violins, a viola and a cello – you can get string quartets with a different setup, but it’ll be specified in the title of the work. So when you see the title “string quartet” with no disclaimers, you’ve got two violins, a viola and a cello.
The string quartet is the principal form in a genre called chamber music. It’s called chamber music because you can fit the musicians into a palace chamber – it’s only a few guys, so you don’t need to rent out a concert hall for them to play. No, you can just shove the guys into a corner over by the fireplace and not have them blocking the window overlooking the palace gardens.
The music is divided into four movements, with a structure similar to the symphony: a fast movement, a slow movement, a minuet and trio and a fast finale. Except it seems to me the quartet is a symphony writ small. You’re not working with an entire orchestra, you’ve just got the four dudes.
(B) Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Not only did Haydn write 104(!) symphonies, he also wrote 80+ string quartets.
According to a <a href=”http://inkpot.com/classical/haydnqt_na.html” mce_href=”http://inkpot.com/classical/haydnqt_na.html”>review</a> of Haydn’s string quartets on the Flying Inkpot website: “For those who have tentatively explored Haydn’s output through some of the symphonies, the quartets are an excellent way to further expand their knowledge and whet their enthusiasm.”
I’m taking the Flying Inkpot’s suggestion! I’m going to use the website’s review as the starting point from which to launch into the string quartets. I can’t find the actual set that was reviewed on the Naxos website, but I’ve found different performances of the highlighted quartets.
The Hoboken catalogue of Haydn’s works lists his string quartets as category III. Thus, for example, Quartet No. 31 in B Minor, Op. 33, No. 1, Hob III:37 translates into:
-Haydn’s 31st quartet
-Haydn’s 33rd published work
-written in B Minor
-it’s the first quartet in the set
-its Hoboken catalogue number is III:37
Complicated, eh?
(C) Quartets 29-34: Opus 33, the “Russian” quartets (1781)
Haydn wrote his string quartets in sets. These ones are called the “Russian” quartets because they were performed in Vienna for the visiting future Tsar Paul II and his wife. There are five in this set:
-Quartet No. 31 in B Minor, Op. 33, No. 1, Hob III:37
-Quartet No. 30 in E flat Major (“The Joke”), Op. 33, No. 2, Hob III:38
-Quartet No. 32 in C Major (“The Bird”), Op. 33, No. 3, Hob III:39
-Quartet No. 34 in B flat Major, Op. 33, No. 4, Hob III:40
-Quartet No. 29 in G Major (“How Do You Do?”), Op. 33, No. 5, Hob III:41
-Quartet No. 33 in D Major, Op. 33, No. 6, Hob III:42
These quartets are considered important milestones in Haydn’s development as a composer. There’s more fluidity from one musical idea to another, and Haydn introduced a kind of counterpoint into the music. These quartets mark the ascendancy of the Classical period of music. Mind you, I didn’t figure that out myself – this is just what the Internet tells me.
I think I can point out the counterpoint, especially in the cello. It sounds pretty nice, and it’s subtle; it gives the music more character and makes it more complex. In fact, it’s amazing how complex it can sound, considering there’s only four musicians (then again, Rush only has three, so it’s not impossible).
Each quartet has four movements: that’s a total of 24 movements to go through for the Russian quartets. Instead of going through one by one, I’ll pick out highlights of the set.
Quartet No. 29 in G Major (“How Do You Do?”), Op. 33, No. 5, Hob III:41
The counterpoint in the 4th movement is especially juicy, and I love the riffing of the cello. It’s something I could imagine Geddy Lee doing. There’s also a little slide that occurs in the movement, just a one note slide downwards. It’s very cool.
Quartet No. 30 in E flat Major (“The Joke”), Op. 33, No. 2, Hob III:38
In the 2nd movement there’s a cute little upward slide on one violin, with the other violin prancing around it. It sounds comical, like something you’d see in a Looney Tunes cartoon. There are also some amusing starts and stops in the 4th movement, something worthy of Sylvester sneaking in starts and stops after Granny… no anvils, though. I almost LOLed hearing it. What did I expect – it is called “The Joke”.
Quartet No. 31 in B minor, Op. 33, No. 1, Hob III:37
The andante movement (3rd movement) is peaceful yet vaguely sinister – I can’t decide whether to feel relaxed or anxious. It’s as if Haydn had written the score to a Hitchcock movie…
Quartet No. 32 in C Major (“The Bird”), Op. 33, No. 3, Hob III:39
The last movement in this quartet is a rondo – my favourite! There’s some showing off among the musicians – it’s proggy goodness!
(D) Commentary
The Russian quartets playful and melodic; these were written in his late period, after his Sturm und Drang compositions, and they sound like they’re meant to be crowd pleasers. That’s not a bad thing; when the crowd is the future Tsar of Russia, I don’t imagine you’ll be phoning it in…
(E) What I’ve Learned
-A string quartet is a piece of music structured like a symphony, but played by four musicians (who are also called a string quartet).
-Haydn is the father of the string quartet, having written almost as many of them as he did symphonies.
-string quartets are classified as “chamber music” – played by small ensembles in a room, rather than a big orchestra in a concert hall.
