Classical 10: Mozart’s “Haydn” quartets

(A) Introduction

In a scene from Last Action Hero, Jack Slater (Arnold Schwarzenegger) confronts John Practice (F. Murray Abraham, who also played Salieri in Amadeus), who just betrayed him to the bad guys:

 

Jack Slater: “Danny told me not to trust you.  He said you killed Mozart.”

John Practice: “Moe who?”

Jack Slater: “Zart.”

John Practice: [thinks for a bit, shrugs] “You know, I kill a lot of people, I can’t remember half of them.”

Yes, this is the memory that comes to mind whenever I hear the name “Mozart.”  Hey, it’s better than Rock Me Amadeus.

The young Mozart and the elder Haydn were pretty good friends.  The best-known record of that friendship is in the exchange of string quartets that they had together.  Haydn’s Russian quartets are thought to have inspired Mozart to write some of his own.  He wrote his “Haydn” quartets, and Haydn in turn paid an homage to Mozart with his Prussian quartets.  They were, in essence, riffing off each other.

 

I’ve heard Haydn’s side of the conversation, so now I’m going to listen to Mozart’s “Haydn” quartets.

 

(B) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Mozart is another titan of the classical music world.  His musical gifts started showing themselves when he was three years old, and his dad – a composer and musician in his own right – started him on a program of intense musical training.  By the time he was six, he was already touring Europe with his dad.

 

Young Wolfgang soaked it up like a sponge.  The guy was a genius, and his works are widely considered some of the best pieces of music ever written.  Just look at what Haydn said upon hearing the quartets dedicated to him (see below).

 

He died in his mid-thirties; who knows what he could’ve done if he’d lived longer!  Mozart’s death is a source of speculation and gossip – everything from undiagnosed kidney failure to influenza to being poisoned by F. Murray Abraham.

 

Mozart’s work is considered the archetypal “Classical period” music, much like Haydn’s work is seen.  He was prolific – he wrote everything from masses to symphonies to operas to string quartets.

 

(C) String Quartets, K. 387, 421, 428, 458, 464, 465, Opus 10 ‘Haydn’ Quartets (1782–1785)

And now, a note on cataloguing.  Mozart’s works were catalogued in 1862 by Ludwig Ritter von Köchel, a musicologist, composer, writer and sometime botanist.  The Köchel catalogue is a chronological and thematic inventory of Mozart’s music.  Instead of the usual Opus number (Op. XX), we use the “K number” to identify a work of Mozart’s.

 

So let’s cue up the string quartets.  They’re organized into a set of six, unsurprisingly.  Another two-fer of quartets!

-String Quartet No. 14 in G major, K. 387

-String Quartet No. 15 in D minor, K. 421

-String Quartet No. 16 in E flat major, K. 428

-String Quartet No. 17 in B flat major, K. 458, “Hunt”

-String Quartet No. 18 in A major, K. 464

-String Quartet No. 19 in C major, K. 465, “Dissonance”

 

String Quartet No. 14 in G major, K. 387

The sextet of quartets starts out with this slow, mournful one.  Quite the difference in mood from Haydn’s happy Opus 76!  It doesn’t pick up till the 3^rd movement, the dance section.

 

String Quartet No. 15 in D minor, K. 421

This one also starts out down-tempo, and continues throughout.  It’s somewhat somber.

 

String Quartet No. 16 in E flat major, K. 428

The fourth movement, allegro vivace, has some excellent bass riffs and some enthusiastic fiddling.

 

String Quartet No. 17 in B flat major, K. 458, “Hunt”

Another slow movement in the 3^rd, which is usually more upbeat.

 

(D) Commentary

On hearing them Haydn is said to have told Mozart’s dad: “Before God and as an honest man I tell you that your son is the greatest composer known to me either in person or by name: He has taste, and, furthermore, the most profound knowledge of composition.”  What an endorsement! 

 

While Haydn wrote his Prussian quartets in a Mozartian style, Mozart didn’t do his in a Haydnesque style (at least, not as far as I can tell).  When I listened to the Prussian quartets I thought they sounded more thoughtful and deliberate.  Haydn’s comment about Mozart having “the most profound knowledge of composition” certainly points to that.

 

There isn’t the slightest hint of messiness or disorder in these quartets.  Every note seems to be carefully placed.  This isn’t music that you just groove along to, it demands your attention.  Not in the “grab you by the collar and yell at you” way, but more like your conscience: sitting on your shoulder whispering to you.

 

Mozart was firmly entrenched in the Classical period.  During this period the emphasis was on elegance of form, thoughtfulness in expression of ideas, and on working within a definite structure.  These quartets sure seem to exemplify that approach.

 

(E) What I’ve Learned

-Mozart is another Godzilla of classical music.  Looks like I’m hitting all the big guys in a row – Beethoven, Haydn, now Mozart…  What does this say about classical music?  Do all roads lead to these guys?  Is their influence that pervasive?  Or did I just luck out?

-Mozart and Haydn were friends, and they riffed off each other in their string quartets.

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