Franz Joseph Haydn

String Quartets, Op. 76 (Haydn)

The six String Quartets, Op. 76, by Joseph Haydn were composed in 1797 or 1798 and dedicated to the Hungarian count Joseph Georg von Erdődy (1754–1824). They form the last complete set of string

List of Opus 76 quartets#

Hoboken catalogue and First Haydn Edition (FHE, Ignaz Pleyel) numbers *No. 1 in G major, Hob. III:75 (FHE No. 40) *No. 2 in D minor (“Fifths”), Hob. III:76 (FHE No. 41) *No. 3 in C major (“Emperor”), Hob. III:77 (FHE No. 42) *No. 4 in B major (“Sunrise”), Hob. III:78 (FHE No. 49) *No. 5 in D major, Hob. III:79 (FHE No. 50) *No. 6 in E major, Hob. III:80 (FHE No. 51) Each quartet consists of four movements.

No. 1#

This G major quartet is numbered variously as No. 60, No. 40 (in the First Haydn Edition (FHE) and No. 75 (in the Hoboken catalogue, where its full designation is Hob.III:75). Although its opening key signature indicates that the work is in G major, the quartet moves in and out of G minor and the last movement begins in the key of G minor.

I. Allegro con spirito#

\relative g \key g \major \time 2/2 4-. \f r -. r 4-. r r \bar “. :” \clef “bass” d,,-. \p b4( g) c( a) fis4( a8) fis-. d4 e8-. fis-. g4-. e-. b-. cis-. d2( d'4) An alla breve written in G major, is in sonata form. After a short introduction, the exposition begins in measure 3, ending in the dominant key of D major in measure 88. The development section lasts from measure 89 to 139, with the recapitulation beginning in G major in measure 140.

II. Adagio sostenuto#

\relative e’ \key c \major \time 2/4 e4( _\markup \italic “a mezza voce” d) c8.( cis16 d8 e) f8( a g f) f8( e d8. dis16) e4( d!) c4( d8 e) \override TupletBracket.bracket-visibility = ##f f8( \times 2/3 a16 f d) c8( \times 2/3 b16 d g) f4( e8) r Written in C major and time the movement uses sonata form. It has a hymn-like character and has been compared with the slow movements of Mozart’s Jupiter symphony and Haydn’s own 99th symphony.

III. Menuetto. Presto#

\relative d’ \key g \major \time 3/4 \partial 4 d-. \p g4-. g-. e-. a-. a-. d,-. c’-. c-. ais-. b-. b-. The third movement in G major is the minuet, but, unusual in a minuet written at this time, the tempo indication is Presto, giving it the feel of a scherzo when played. The trio section is more lyrical and features the first violin playing a Ländler while accompanied pizzicato.

IV. Allegro ma non troppo#

\relative g’ \key g \minor \time 2/2 \override TupletBracket.bracket-visibility = ##f \partial 4 \times 2/3 g8( \f fis g) bes4-. g-. d-. \times 2/3 c'8( d c) es4-. c-. fis,-. \times 2/3 d'8( es c) bes4-. \times 2/3 bes8( c a) g4-. d-. es4( \trill d8) r es4( \trill d8) r \acciaccatura d8 \afterGrace es1( \trill d16 es) d4-. d’-. r2 The final movement, alla breve in sonata form, is written in G minor rather than the expected G major, producing an unusual, darker ambience until G major returns for the movement’s coda.

No. 2 (“Fifths”)#

This quartet in D minor is numbered as No. 61, No. 41 (in the FHE) and Hob.III:76. In a reference to the motif of falling perfect fifths that appears throughout the first movement, it is known as the Fifths (or, in German, Quinten) quartet. The movements are:

I. Allegro#

\relative a’ \key d \minor \time 4/4 a2 \f d, e2 a, d8( cis d e) g( f e) a 4 c!16( bes a gis) a4 r It is written in D minor, common time and is in sonata form. The falling fifths motif dominates the exposition section and is featured heavily in the development section using inversion, stretto and other devices.

II. Andante o più tosto allegretto#

\relative a’ \key d \major \time 6/8 \partial 8 a8( _\markup \italic “mezza voce” fis-.) fis-. a32( g fis g) a4 ^\markup \italic “ten.” b8 \f e,4 e32( d cis b) a4 It is a ternary variation form in D major and time.

III. Menuetto. Allegro ma non troppo#

\relative d \key d \minor \time 3/4 \partial 4 d8( \f e) f4-. f8( g f e) d4-. d8( e f g) a4-. a-. d-. cis8( e) a,4-. A D minor minuet in time. It is unusual in that the movement is written like a canon and the trio section is written in the tonic major key as opposed to a relative key (in D major). It has been called the “Witches’ Minuet” (). The minuet is actually a two-part canon: the two violins play (in parallel octaves) above the viola and cello (also playing in parallel octaves) who follow one measure behind the violins. Haydn previously used a two-part canon with the lower string trailing the upper strings by a single bar in the minuet of his 44th Symphony.

IV. Vivace assai#

\relative a’ \key d \minor \time 2/4 \partial 8 a8 \p d8-. d4-> e16( cis) d8( f gis a) d,8-. d4 e16( cis) d8( f gis a) gis8-. gis-. gis16( a b gis) a4( a,8) a’-. gis8-. gis-. gis16( a b gis) a4 \fermata e'8 \fermata The last movement, in D minor and time, uses sonata form. It ends in D major.

No. 3 (“Emperor”)#

The Quartet No. 62 in C major, Op. 76, No. 3, Hob. III:77, boasts the nickname Emperor (or ), because in the second movement is a set of variations on "" (“God save Emperor Francis”), an anthem he wrote for Emperor Francis II, which later became the national anthem of Austria-Hungary. This same melody is known to modern listeners for its later use in the German national anthem, the Deutschlandlied, which has been used since the Weimar Republic.

I. Allegro#

\relative g \key c \major \time 4/4 \partial 8 g8 \f e4( f8-.) d-. c4-. r8 g-. \p e8-. a-. g-. fis-. g4 r8 d’ e8 g4 f! e16 \trill d e8-. c’-. \f d,,8-. r -. r 4 r The first movement of the quartet is in the home key of C major, in common time, and is written in sonata form. The musicologist László Somfai suggested (1986) that the opening notes have an extra-musical origin: they represent the initial letters of " G ott e rhalte F ranz d en C aesar", assuming the license of using the original Latin spelling for “Kaiser” (“K” does not designate a musical note).

II. Poco adagio – cantabile#

\relative g’ \key g \major \time 2/2 \partial 2 g4.( _\markup \musicglyph #“p” \italic “dolce” a8 b4 a c b) a8( fis g4) e’( d c4 b) a( -\tweak X-offset #2.8 \turn b8 g) d'2 The second movement, in G major cut time, is in strophic variation form, with the “Emperor’s Hymn” as the theme. Samuel Adler has singled out this work’s second movement as an outstanding example of how to score for string instruments, observing of the movement’s final variation: This is a wonderful lesson in orchestration, for too often the extremes in the range are wasted too early in a work, and the final buildup is, as a result, anticlimactic. The other formal factor to notice is that the entire structure is an accumulation of the elements which have slowly entered the harmonic and contrapuntal scheme in the course of the variations and have become a natural part of the statement i.e. theme .

III. Menuetto. Allegro#

\relative c \key c \major \time 3/4 \partial 4 c4 \f b4( c) e g,2( c4) d,2( a'4) g,4. The third movement, in C major and A minor, is a standard minuet and trio.

IV. Finale. Presto#

\relative g \key c \minor \time 2/2 4-. \f r -. r 4 r r c \p b2( c4) d es2( d4-.) r The fourth movement, in C minor and C major, is in sonata form.

No. 4 (“Sunrise”)#

The Quartet No. 63 in B major, Op. 76, No. 4, is nicknamed Sunrise due to the rising theme over sustained chords that begins the quartet.

Composer: Franz Joseph Haydn