Haydn String Quartets

[stephenjohn]

Hello Everybody
I would like to start a general conversation about Haydn String Quartets and see where it goes. To put my point of view into context, musically I fall into the group of people that Mozart is alleged to have referred to as the ‘long ears’. About 7 years ago I was having a conversation with a colleague about music in which I was recommending him to try some late 20th century string quartets and he rejoined with the suggestion that I try Haydn. So I did. I started with the Op20, the 33, then 77. There seemed too many to get to know them properly, but since then I have kept dipping in and out. Again and again.
Now, I have recordings of all of them [except the single Op42] played by a variety of different string quartets with a few favourites duplicated. Currently I am captivated by the G minor from the Op20 set played by the Mosaiques, I also enjoy the same set played by the Auryn Quartet. This last few months I re-approached the Op20 by starting with the Op9 set and then spending a while listening to the Op17.
For me it is a very slow process to really get to know these wonderful works. Repeated listening is deeply rewarding and it is also satisfying that with so many of them to explore I think I have many years pleasure ahead of me.
I would be very interested to hear of other peoples experiences of Haydn’s String Quartets
Best wishes to All
Stephenjohn

[johnQpublic]

There's a wealth of fascinating material in all those quartets.

I once read that Mozart's quartets are technically easier to perform than Haydn's, but that most ensembles prefer playing Haydn's because the material is more imaginative; that there are pleasant surprises all along the way.

I love the finale to the "Joke" quartet and play it for non-Classical music people whenever I can.

[Elpenor]

I came to Haydn's quartets after Mozart's, but now I think Haydn's op. 76 rank among my favourite quartets from the classical period. Even though some of my favourite works overall are String Quartets (Schubert's last two, Beethoven's op. 131 & 132 for example), I rarely feel like I can listen to lots of quartets in a row - but Haydn's op. 76 is an exception, they're a joy from start to finish.

[stephenjohn]

Hello Elpenor
do you have a particular favourite recording of the opus 76 set?

[karlhenning]

I have all the Quatuor Mosaïques recordings, and many (though not all) of the Amadeus Quartet recordings; and the Nomos Quartet playing the Opus 50. Really, I am still in the stage of deepening acquaintance, but I certainly like everything I hear.

Though I am uncomfortable with any idea of throwing Mozart under the bus, in the process of appreciating Haydn's quartets . . . .

Cheers,
~Karl

[John F]

Mozart's quartets dedicated to Haydn, Haydn's Op. 76 which might with justice have been dedicated to Mozart, and Beethoven's Op. 18 which might likewise have been dedicated to them both, sum up that golden age of string quartet writing, from which Beethoven eventually moved on. Any preference is entirely about one's taste, not the character, interest, or importance of the works themselves.

[Chalkperson]

I have so many fine recordings of Haydn's Quartets that it may outnumber many peoples actual Collections, and I do not regret one purchase that I can think of...

[Elpenor]

Hello Elpenor
do you have a particular favourite recording of the opus 76 set?

I don't tend to keep multiple recordings in most cases (piano repertoire is a different matter!), but for Haydn op. 76 I like the Kodaly Quartet on Naxos and the Quatuor Mosaiques. They complement each other quite well, since the Kodaly Qt. plays in an old-school, laid back manner compared to the more adventurous period Mosaiques.

[diegobueno]

I like the ending of this movement (ca. 6:40). Haydn kind of lets his imagination go.

[gfweis]

As a nice antidote to that adagio from the Kaiser quartet, I submit the presto finale from the Op. 76, No. 5, in a spirited performance by the Fry Street Quartet. A friend once said about this movement that if it doesn't make you smile, you are already dead!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuHyY3CXVs8

[stephenjohn]

Thanks for the clips - I think seeing the musicians can add something sometimes. Although at others not seeing can help me get lost in the music. I very rarely use YouTube, mainly I listen on my Hi Fi and occasionally attend concerts. The latter both being wonderful but ephemeral for me.
Karl, how would you compare and contrast the Amadeus with the Mosaiques?
I have most of the Mosaiques, some Lindsays [which between these two is perhaps like the contrast you describe Elpenor], a smattering of Auryn, Takacs for some late ones [which are as dynamic as the Mosaiques but with a crisper sound], and a couple of others.
I think it is interesting to compare Haydn to Mozart and Beethoven quartets, all of which I find very enjoyable indeed. However, I knew the latter two much before the Haydn because the lesser number to get to know was both less daunting and also in terms of listening time actually possible, as it takes me a very long time to get familiar with any work. I have at least one friend who said he doesn't listen to the Haydn because he doesn't know where to start.

[slofstra]

The sheer number of Haydn string quartets is certainly daunting, and in some sense I understand where your friend is coming from. I purchased the Angeles String Quartet box a couple of years ago, and in spite of quite a few hours of listening, still don't have much sense for the character of the individual pieces, as I would have, for say, the Beethoven piano sonatas. I think there's 25 CDs in the box, so to attain that kind of familiarity based on 3-4 passes through would take 100 hours or more of focused listening. (And much of my listening to date has been background listening.)

Still, I have found that the time put in has been worthwhile. I've been listening to the op.33 this morning, randomly picked out of the box. The other factor here, and I'd like to ask everyone this: how many hours of Haydn string quartets can you listen to before a) your mind goes numb, and b) before you enjoyment is significantly deprecated? After this 70 minute CD I'll move on to something completely different.

In tackling something like the Haydn string quartets a couple of observations are in order. On first or second listening there is a sameness which inclines one to depreciate the value of the music. The instrumentation, phrasing and idiom are the same across 25 CDs, and that is the main thing the mind hears at first. Repeated listening brings out the incredible variety and expressiveness of the music, but that requires focus. I'm thinking that it would be better to take one of Haydn, Beethoven or Mozart's chamber music and listen over and over, rather than dabble in all three. That is, if those are the only two choices.
Finally, I don't think it's necessary to know where to start. When I approach new music I pay scant attention to which quartet, sonata or concerto I'm listening to. The kind of familiarity required to appreciate music does not require it; what is required is familiarity of the ear and mind in the aural landscape and that just comes naturally with repeated listening. So my advice to your friend would be to just grab a CD and listen.

[John F]

Thanks for the clips - I think seeing the musicians can add something sometimes.

Here's a quartet movement in which you really miss out if you don't see it being played, or play it yourself, or at least follow with a score. The humor extends to the layout of the parts, especially in the pizzicato bits.

[diegobueno]

Brahms was a great fan of Haydn string quartets, and he must surely have known op. 33 no. 1 in B minor. The idea of a piece that seems to start in D major but then settles in to B minor is echoed in the Brahms Clarinet Quintet, op. 115. But Brahms also borrows a specific passage from this B minor quartet of Haydn:

Compare the passage at 1:11 in the 3rd movement of the Haydn



with this passage at 3:45 in the first movement of Brahms' 2nd symphony:



Both passages start with a pulsing major 2nd, D and E, and add a melody which goes G#-A#-B-E---.