This string quartet by Haydn opens softly with five enigmatic six-bar phrases, followed by a violent outburst. It then goes boldly where no quartet had gone in terms of dramatic adventure, including the kind of silent pause and false recapitulation for which Haydn would become famous.
String quartet texture had previously been dominated by the first violin; in the poignant variations of the “affettuoso” slow movement, Haydn shares the thematic wealth among all four instruments.
The minuet is “alla zingarese” (in Gypsy style) and utterly undanceable by anyone trained at court rather than in taverns.
The final Presto continues “scherzando” (jokingly) with “Gypsy” elements and surprising harmonic and rhythmic twists, before disappearing in a whisper.
Here is this amazing music:
