April 16, 2021

Joseph Haydn

1 hour 9 minutes

Donald Macleod surveys the string quartets of Joseph Haydn.

From his opus 0 and opus 1 of the 1750s to his unfinished opus 103 of 1803, Haydn’s 68 string quartets span the major part of his compositional life. While he wasn’t the inventor of the form, he’s fully deserving of the epithet, the “father of the string quartet” as he elevated the form to new heights. It’s his ideas that take the quartet from its 18th century antecedents to the conventions that are rather more familiar to us today. The conversational textures he created redefined the relationship between the four instruments. Always aware of his surroundings, and other musical influences, he used ideas and rhythms from folk music, dance, opera, the instrumental concerto and other genres for larger forces. He established a sequence of movements, and within them, adapted sonata form, as well as making use of the minuet-trio, the variation, the rondo and fugue forms. Original, serious, yet with his trademark, irresistible humour never too far away, Haydn’s quartets make up a unique body of work that justly receive both admiration and appreciation.

Across the week Donald Macleod enjoys a masterclass in string quartet writing from one of the great masters of the form. His survey of Haydn includes complete performances of opus 50 no 4 - a quartet written for a King in the grandest of styles, the brilliant and theatrically inspired op 64, no 2, and the spritely and playful Lark Quartet. The versatile composer produced opus 71 no 2 with the largest of concert spaces in mind, and the series concludes with the second of Haydn’s opus 76 quartets, the last complete set he wrote, and widely regarded as being among the supreme accomplishments of his career.

Music featured:

String Quartet in E flat, op 33 no 2 ("The Joke")

The Seven Last Words of Christ Hob XX.2 arr. for string quartet

String Quartet, op 54 no 1 in G

Symphony no 98

Symphony no 94 in G major (Surprise)

String Quartet, op 50 no 4 in F sharp minor

Symphony in G, Hob 1 no 8 (Le soir)

Piano Trio no 40 in F sharp minor, Hob.XV:26

Symphony no 92 (Oxford)

String Quartet, op 64 no 6 in E flat major

l’anima del filosofo

String Quartet no 56 in E flat major op 71 no 3 Hob III: 71:1

String Quartet op 54 no 3

Symphony no 92 in G major, Hoboken I/92, (Oxford symphony)

Quartet op 64 no 5 in D major (The Lark)

Miseri noi! Misera patria! (Cantata), Hob.XXIVa:7

String Quartet no 50 in B flat major, Opus 64 no 3

3 German dances IX:12 - version for 3 part string orchestra (excerpt)

Quartet in C, no 72, opus 74 no 1

Symphony no 99

String Quartet, Op. 71 No. 2 in D major

Piano Sonata in E flat major, Hob XVI:49 (written 1789, pub 1790)

String Quartet no 59 in D major op 74 no 3 (Rider)

String Quartet in G major, Op 76 No 1

Recollection Hob. XXVIa:26

Symphony No. 101 in D major 'The Clock'

Berenice che fai?

String Quartet, Op. 76 No. 2 in D minor 'Fifths'

Presented by Donald Macleod

Produced in Cardiff by Johannah Smith

For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000v1sr

And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z

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By BBC Radio 3

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