Haydn: String Quartet in B-flat major, Op. 50, No. 1
Joseph Haydn dedicated his Opus 50 string quartets to King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia, as would Mozart with his own “Prussian Quartets.” The two composers often converged in the string quartet genre; they played quartets together, and Mozart dedicated an earlier set of quartets to the older composer. Upon first hearing these “Haydn Quartets,” Haydn lauded Mozart as “the greatest composer known to me either in person or by name.” Such an enthusiastic reaction makes it no surprise that the creative influence would flow both ways, and indeed, Haydn’s quartets bear conspicuous traces of Mozart’s compositional footprint.
Haydn’s String Quartet in B-flat major, Hob. III:44, Op. 50, No. 1 opens curiously with unflinching, repeated B-flats in the cello before Haydn sprinkles terse melodic fragments from the higher strings on top: a measure-long, fleeting breath of lyricism in conversation with nimble triplet figures. The rest of the spirited first movement unfolds like an exercise in compositional virtuosity as Hadyn deftly threads together these meager slivers of melody into a cohesive whole. Along the way, Haydn’s impish chromaticism and breathless deceptive cadences bespeak an unmistakable dialogue with the younger composer’s style.
The second movement is a courtly variation set fit for its regal dedicatee. The trio section of the graceful Menuetto rejects the notion of melody once more, like an impudent parody of the fragmentary first movement, favoring instead choppy arpeggios that would be almost banal if not for Haydn’s dry wit. This humor reaches its height in the multiple false endings of the Vivace Finale, as Haydn tries to goad the audience into premature applause.
© Graeme Steele Johnson for Chamber Music Northwest
Joseph Haydn dedicated his Opus 50 string quartets to King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia, as would Mozart with his own “Prussian Quartets.” The two composers often converged in the string quartet genre; they played quartets together, and Mozart dedicated an earlier set of quartets to the older composer. Upon first hearing these “Haydn Quartets,” Haydn lauded Mozart as “the greatest composer known to me either in person or by name.” Such an enthusiastic reaction makes it no surprise that the creative influence would flow both ways, and indeed, Haydn’s quartets bear conspicuous traces of Mozart’s compositional footprint.
Haydn’s String Quartet in B-flat major, Hob. III:44, Op. 50, No. 1 opens curiously with unflinching, repeated B-flats in the cello before Haydn sprinkles terse melodic fragments from the higher strings on top: a measure-long, fleeting breath of lyricism in conversation with nimble triplet figures. The rest of the spirited first movement unfolds like an exercise in compositional virtuosity as Hadyn deftly threads together these meager slivers of melody into a cohesive whole. Along the way, Haydn’s impish chromaticism and breathless deceptive cadences bespeak an unmistakable dialogue with the younger composer’s style.
The second movement is a courtly variation set fit for its regal dedicatee. The trio section of the graceful Menuetto rejects the notion of melody once more, like an impudent parody of the fragmentary first movement, favoring instead choppy arpeggios that would be almost banal if not for Haydn’s dry wit. This humor reaches its height in the multiple false endings of the Vivace Finale, as Haydn tries to goad the audience into premature applause.
© Graeme Steele Johnson for Chamber Music Northwest