|
Hob. # |
New Grove # |
Genre |
Key |
Opus |
Instruments / Notes |
|
3:22 |
11 |
Quartet |
d |
9 #4 |
2 Violins, Viola & Cello |
|
3:19 |
12 |
Quartet |
C |
9 #1 |
2 Violins, Viola & Cello |
|
3:21 |
13 |
Quartet |
G |
9 #3 |
2 Violins, Viola & Cello |
As I mentioned earlier, no one knows why Haydn stopped writing quartets in 1760, nor why he recommenced the practice circa 1769. I'm sure if you think about it, you can come up with reasons which are perfectly plausible, one or two of them may even be correct. It is a fair thing to say at the outset of your list of ideas; the Prince almost certainly wasn't involved in the concept in any way. There is absolutely no record of 'quartet' or 'quaddro' or 'divertimentos a quattro' ever having escaped the Princely lips. There was no commission (there couldn't be, by contract), no known outside request; in short, it seems like a bolt from the blue. Maybe he wasn't busy enough… OK, not likely.
I have my own thoughts on the matter of course. As we saw recently, through Tomasini's trip to Paris with the Prince, Haydn gained some glimmer of the depth of his popularity and also (circumstantially) made some contact with Parisian publishers, who were already in love with their latest 'cash cow'. His Opus 1 quartets had been published in Paris in 1764, with Opus 2 following quickly along in 1766. Tomasini would have seen them both prominently displayed in shop windows, and certainly have borne the news home to his good friend. Despite his contractual obligation to the Prince, simply for the sake of having them get it right, Haydn could have been in contact with a representative, probably in Vienna. Which is not to say he outright wrote these to sell to publishers, I highly doubt it. But if one wanted a reason why he composed music which was clearly not for the Prince, what better place to start? Opus 9 was in fact published by Hummel in 1771, only a year after composition was completed! And Opus 17 in 1772, again only one year after completion. Hmmm….
Another thought I have on this same topic; in addition to possibly composing for sale, I find it very difficult to shake off the conviction that he composed these works to play himself, with his companions in the band. There is no reason at all not to believe his early quartet playing ten - twelve years earlier hadn't irretrievably hooked him on the practice. He played works with the Prince regularly which were easy as could be for a player of his caliber. Why would he not want music to play on his 'busman's holiday' with the likes of Tomasini on first violin and Weigl on cello, with himself in the viola or second violin chair to get a little more challenge? Perhaps you feel I am belaboring this idea for more than it is worth, but my interest lies in performance style. It has always been one of my pet peeves to hear these early quartets performed as by players togged out in tuxedos and playing so formally as though they were giving a recital before the Queen. If I am correct (and I believe I am), then this was good time Saturday night music, where the performers were not sweating into their starched collars, instead they were having a wonderful time conversing musically, audience be damned! If you are already a fan of these works then you will know there are few groups who perform it that way, but the few who do have my admiration for using their ability to further the art rather than following the deep ruts left by the horde which has preceded them.
A final note; possibly the real reason, above all, is Haydn's need to try new things, and to have a 'workshop' genre in which to test new ideas. The quartets are rife with new ideas, some of which show up later in other, larger works. Since no one in Austria, and therefore in Haydn's experience, ever performed a quartet in public, unlike in England where it was commonplace, he could safely consider this a private genre which might not ever have an audience. With three musical companions to give feedback, what better way to try out new ideas?
If analyzing the music is your ambition, there is plenty of literature out there to help you with it. Despite the fact I haven't acquired the taste yet for musical analyses, I still have a book or two, not so much for telling me the first movement is in sonata form, but rather to help me to place these works within the context of the life and works of Haydn. My choice is this one by Floyd and Margaret Grave.
In the bigger picture of Haydn's many string quartets, what importance do Op. 9 (and 17) carry? First and foremost, they codified the structure of the genre; four movements, fairly standard tempos, inner movements including a dance (minuet) or variation thereof (scherzo). More technical aspects include use of the first movement as a display of texture and motivic complexity, using the slow movement as a place for the first violin to display some virtuosity, using the minuet, much as he did in his symphonies, as a place to put his individual stamp on the work with his characteristic eccentricities, and finally, the use of the finale as a display of his rhetorical mastery, making his final musical argument, throwing in a surprise or two. In all of his subsequent quartets, despite the permutations and combinations available to him in structuring his cycles and the works within them, he would continue to use variations on the themes established in these two opuses.
Below are two sets of recordings of Opus 9. Both are on period instruments, both use period performance styles as they are understood today. I would be hard-pressed to recommend one over the other, but I chose them here because they display the two sides of the performance dichotomy which I outlined above. If you are shopping for a set of these quartets, you might test drive one of these and see if it suits your ear.
Next time we will look at some other chamber works of the year. I think you will enjoy them.
Thanks for reading!
| |
One of the first period instruments recordings ever of Opus 9, and played with that wonderful, casual style which symbolizes for me an ideal for early Haydn quartets, which he never wrote for 'recital' venues. |
| The much newer London Haydn Quartet, great sound and perfect precision make a very enjoyable listen. |