There are times when a mere definition fails to capture the essence of what something is. The baryton is like that. To say that it is a 'bowed string instrument with frets on the front of, and sympathetic strings behind, the neck' is in no way to define this extraordinary instrument. The fact that very few original specimens and even fewer replicas exist today, coupled with the extraordinary difficulty of playing it well, makes knowing it even more unlikely.
Before violins, violas and cellos existed there were viols. They were a family of stringed instruments, chiefly of the 16th and 17th centuries, having a fretted fingerboard, usually six strings, and a flat back and played with a curved bow. They came in all the expected sizes and a few unexpected ones too. But the one of primary interest to us was the Viola da Gamba, which was the bass member of the family. The baryton was, if not a descendant actually, then a bastard stepbrother. The outstanding feature that makes it unique is the parallel neck added alongside the fingerboard, underneath which dwell a variable number of strings which are not visible from the front. The back of the neck is open, and these strings live inside. As harmonic things tend to do, when something in their frequency sounds, these strings audibly vibrate (sympathetic vibration) and produce a droning sound on pitch. This was not a construction feature unique to the baryton; before it came along (and for a short while after it disappeared) there was an instrument called the viola d'amore which also had sympathetic strings. Those were arranged in an even more bizarre manner, running along the underside of the fingerboard while the bowed strings ran on top. But the principle of sympathetic vibration was the same. No doubt there are many other examples to be unearthed.
The other instrument in the pedigree of the baryton is the lyre. The strings behind the neck were also intended to be plucked by players of sufficient dexterity. And indeed, they are quite harp-like in sound. My first impression was of a guitar being played close to the bridge. One can readily imagine the difficulty of playing this instrument! It is no surprise that it was dying out even by the time that Haydn began composing for it. Its heyday was in the 17th century when it was played by professionals. The drone strings on those instruments were said to sometimes be as many as forty-four! There were technological improvements made in the instrument as the mid-18th century arrived, but it was still no easily tamed beast. This fact, coupled with the additional reality that the interest of Prince Esterházy was the driving force in keeping it alive, shaped the music to conform with his capabilities. This is the reason why left thumb plucking is minimized in the works by Haydn and his coterie of baryton composers.
As we continue our trek from year to year, for the next 14 years we will continue to encounter, sometimes overwhelmingly, works which Haydn composed for this unique instrument. It would be a shame to dismiss them as dull or uninteresting, because they aren't. No one knows exactly what Haydn thought about having to write in this medium, probably he just considered it part of his job and carried on. He did, however, invest his art and ingenuity in them as he did with everything else. For example, he used seemingly worked out fugal effects which would eventually be put to a more popular use as the fugal finales of Op. 20. In addition, several of the themes which first appeared in the trios eventually saw reuse in other works in far flung genres. Finally, many of the works were transcribed for different instruments (frequently for String Trio), probably not by Haydn, but they eventually were published under his name and helped to create an even greater appetite for his work. So the tools in the workshop were expanded and honed. For a true artist, no effort goes wanting.
As we proceed, I will make an effort to point out some works which have particular points of interest. One cannot descriptively review 126 trios and another 25 or so other extant works within the context of a blog, but I can and do encourage you to take advantage of a few of the disks which are available to give a good flavor of the music. I think you will find the experience worth your while. Next time we will begin to look at the music of 1764.
Thanks for reading!