Hob. # |
Genre |
Key |
No.* |
Instrument(s) |
3:44 |
Quartet |
Bb |
36 |
2 Violins, Viola & Cello |
3:45 |
Quartet |
C |
37 |
2 Violins, Viola & Cello |
3:46 |
Quartet |
Eb |
38 |
2 Violins, Viola & Cello |
3:47 |
Quartet |
f# |
39 |
2 Violins, Viola & Cello |
3:48 |
Quartet |
F |
40 |
2 Violins, Viola & Cello |
3:49 |
Quartet |
D |
41 |
2 Violins, Viola & Cello |
* = indicates probable order of composition |
In the opening essay of 1787, I called this 'Haydn's Golden Age', and also introduced the idea of Haydn having reached the top of a sort of plateau. This entire concept more or less flies in the face of received tradition, which is far more along the lines of a ladder, ever upward. There are a few astute historians, such as Donald Tovey, who recognized early on how the received model simply wasn't congruent with the situation 'on the ground'. Thus, throughout the 19th century and most of the 20th, it was taken as a given that Haydn's Opus 76 and 77 were the top rung of his personal ladder, and everything before then was lower rung material. The same is true with every other genre; I personally know a great many people who, despite being very familiar with everything Haydn wrote from London until the end, don't even exhibit any curiosity about the 'other stuff'. Up until now, and as recently as my look at Opus 33, we were able to enumerate advances which Haydn made, similar in many ways to the rungs-on-a-ladder analogy. But with Opus 50, the mature Haydn, the true creative artist who was a complete master of his craft, has given us something which is different from everything else, and each work, however well nested together, is a unique version of his artistic vision. If you are a musical analyst, which I am decidedly not, I wish you good luck in putting these works into some clever little one-size-fits-all box!
I count myself among the fortunate souls who discovered the worth of Haydn's earlier works all on my own. My first Haydn string quartet CD was Opus 76 #'s 1-3, and it was love at first play. If you could wear a CD out, I would have done with that one! But then I got a few other disks in fairly rapid order, and one of them, on about the third hearing, finally broke through and made an impression on me which eventually supplanted the d minor wonder which is Opus 76 #2. It starts out with the cello, playing all alone… dun-dun-dun-dun… dun-dun-dun-dun… which is, of course, the ostinato opening to Opus 50 #1, still, these many years later, my favorite quartet.
In the event, these works were short in the writing, but long in the making. The gestation period stretches back at least to here:
[To ARTARIA & Co., VIENNA. in German]
Estoras, 5th April 1784.
Nobly born, Most highly respected Sir !
Although I have always received more than 100 ducats for my quartets by subscription, and although Herr Willmann promised to give me this sum, I agree to your offer of 300 fl. with following stipulations; first, that you are patient until July, though all six should be finished by then; secondly, I demand either 12 copies or my choice of the dedication. If this proposal is agreeable to you, I shall await your draft of a contract….
[snip]
Your most obedient servant,
Joseph Haydn
(H.C. Robbins-Landon – The Collected Correspondence and London Notebooks of Joseph Haydn 1959 pg. 45)
We think, at least, we know something about Mozart's composition methods, since he allegedly told a friend how he works out the entire composition in his head and carries it around there until he finally needs to write it down. Whether this is true or not, it seems unlikely Haydn did the same. So he probably didn't have any idea in 1784 what would finally go down on paper in 1787.
A lot of music passed under the bridge between 1784 and 1787 too. And not just his own, which we have already looked at. 1785, for example, saw the completion of Mozart's 'Six Quartets Dedicated to Haydn'. Probably the best symbolic comparison is the 'Paris' Symphonies, which premiered in Paris while the present works were being composed. In terms of historic stature and contributions to the genre, the six symphonies and the six quartets were easily equivalent, but in musical character they are worlds apart. It would be fair to say the symphonies are a reflection of our perception of the City they were dedicated to, an evocation of magical Paris, as it was thought of then and now. The quartets, on the other hand, don't appear to aspire to brilliance or wit, despite being imbued with both, but they bring the genre itself one step closer towards the concept of the string quartet as the Supreme Being of music.
In the letter above, we see where Haydn "demand(s) either 12 copies or my choice of the dedication". Three years on, he hasn't forgot this stipulation. Of course, in 1784 he didn't know who it would be yet, but he had become aware of the value of a dedication and wanted some of it. The nice thing for us is the great amount of documentation which still exists concerning this opus. I published a couple of letters already, such as this one which prompted the dedication:
[To HAYDN FROM FRIEDRICH WILHELM II, KING OF PRUSSIA. (in German)]
His Majesty, King of Prussia, &c., &c. is sensible of the mark of respect which Herr Kapellmeister Haydn, in sending him six new Symphonies*, again wishes to show to His Serene Majesty. They have especially pleased him, and there is no doubt that His Highness has always appreciated Herr Kapellmeister Haydn's works, and will appreciate them at all times. To provide concrete assurance of the same, he sends him the enclosed ring as a mark of His Highness' satisfaction and of the favor in which he holds him.
F Wilhelm
Potsdam, 21st April 1787
[*These are, once again, the 'Paris' Symphonies]
[enclosed is a large gold ring]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[To ARTARIA & Co., VIENNA. German]
Estoras, 19th May 1787.
Most worthy friend !
This is to inform you that I have already finished the 4th Quartet, and will certainly send it next Friday. Now here is something important I have to tell you: you know that I received a beautiful ring from His Majesty, the King of Prussia. I feel deeply in His Majesty's debt because of this present, and for my part I can think of no better and more fitting way to show my thankfulness to His Majesty (and also in the eyes of the whole world) than by dedicating these 6 Quartets to him; but you won't be satisfied with that, because you will want to dedicate the works yourself, and to someone else. But to make amends for this loss, I promise to give you other pieces free of charge. Let me know what you have to say to this. Perhaps we can both be satisfied. In haste,
Your most obedient
Joseph Haydn.
So on this basis, as of late May, 1787, these became 'The Prussian Quartets'. But of course, as we see, the first four were already written by then (this is one of the few opuses in which the numbering is accurate). Friedrich Wilhelm was very well known as a cellist. Generally, works of this type, dedicated to him, such as Mozart's three string quartets of 1790, lean heavily on the cello part, so as to give him more of a featured role. But in this set, people have searched in vain for anything more than Haydn's usual effort to give the cello its own voice. Here is at least part of the reason; much of the work was done before the dedication came about!
On the shoulders of the readily available information on these works, it would be easy to turn this little essay into a mini-series, but I really don't want to. It is already a rare enough thing for me to make two essays out of one topic, but one can scarcely tell the story at one sitting. Opus 50 is already one of the few sets of works which has a book written about it, and which I heartily commend to you either at your local library or, if you are inclined to have your own, it will make a worthwhile purchase. But this book, like others which refer to this opus; e.g. – The String Quartets of Joseph Haydn by Floyd and Margaret Grave, or the various biographies, only mention the correspondence of Haydn and his publishers in a tangential way, such as it bolsters their own arguments. One thing you will learn, if structure and analysis are important to you, is that these works completely resist generalization, they present a great variety of different floor plans, so to speak, and no easy challenge for the analyst. On Haydn's part, there are some controversial actions related to this opus, ones which any complete picture of Haydn would be remiss in the extreme to simply overlook. I intend here to print the relevant parts of some letters and make some illuminating notes on them, but in a non-judgmental sort of way. The cultural changes of the last 230 years have rendered moot and meaningless any sort of 21st century moral application we could wish to make, so the best possible course is to read what happens and take it as a reason why things had to change and have changed. First, though, let's look at the elements of the works. Look! One of them even has a name!
Work |
1st mvmt Tempo / Key / Meter |
2nd mvmt Tempo / Key / Meter |
3rd mvmt Tempo / Key / Meter |
4th mvmt Tempo / Key / Meter |
Op 50 #1 |
Allegro in Bb 2/2 |
Adagio non lento in Eb 6/8 |
Poco allegretto in Bb 3/4 |
Finale: Vivace in Bb 2/4 |
Op 50 #2 |
Vivace in C 3/4 |
Adagio cantabile in F 4/4 |
Menuetto: Allegretto in C 3/4 |
Finale: Vivace assai in C 2/4 |
Op 50 #3 |
Allegro con brio in Eb 6/8 |
Andante più tosto allegretto in Bb 2/4 |
Menuetto: Allegretto in Eb 3/4 |
Finale: Presto in Eb 2/4 |
Op 50 #4 |
Allegro spirituoso in f# & F# 3/4 |
Andante in A 2/4 |
Menuetto: Poco allegretto & Trio in F# & f# 3/4 |
Fuga: Allegro moderato in f# 6/8 |
Op 50 #5 |
Allegro moderato in F 2/4 |
Poco adagio in Bb 3/4 |
Menuetto: Allegretto & Trio in F & f 3/4 |
Finale: Vivace in F 6/8 |
Op 50 #6 'The Frog' |
Allegro in D 4/4 |
Poco adagio in d – D 6/8 |
Menuetto: Allegretto in D 3/4 |
Finale: Allegro con spirito in D 2/4 |
It is surprising with a composer as well known and generally liked as Haydn, for a set of works from his prime to be so rarely recorded. At this writing, there are only two complete sets on period instruments, and few enough others on modern instruments to beg the question; 'why is that?'. Going back to my opening paragraph concerning the popularity of Opus 76 & 77, one can add to those Opus 33, which enjoys a well-deserved good reputation, and which has always been touted by musicologists since the 19th century as 'the beginning of the Classic Era'. Which is a mythical endpoint to a mythical construct, but still, Haydn's sales pitch from 1781, 'written in a new and special way', still rings the bell today, it seems. But this overlooking of one of the Crown Jewels does no service to the listener, and little to the player, for that matter. I understand a new set will be introduced very soon (today is the last of May, 2015), and when it appears, if this music is still a stranger to you, do yourself a great favor and pick up a copy. You will thank me later.
In Part 2 (click here), we will look at the seamy underside of musical publishing in 1787. You will come away with a different appreciation for copyright laws after this tale is told!
Thanks for reading!