String Quartet in G Major, Op. 64, No. 4 - Cello

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Introspection Late Night Partying. Rainy Day Relaxation Road Trip. Romantic Evening Sex All Themes. Streams Videos All Posts. AllMusic Featured Composition Noteworthy. Genre Chamber Music Classical. Was the celebrated composer of The Creation now too shy to be compared with Beethoven, the upstart darling of Vienna? Apparently, that may have been the case, as had happened after Mozart made a splash in Vienna with his piano concertos and operas.

Haydn then had avoided those genres. Now a young string- quartet rival loomed, and the aging Haydn simply backed off. Robbins Landon puts it this way: Various movements of the Opp.

Beethoven had formally received the torch — but for a while, both composers ran with it. This abstract and unadorned idea leads to a first variation duet between first and second violin. The ensuing variations embellish the theme slightly with ornaments and counter melodies, always keeping it very clear. The second movement is a Fantasia, also unusual for a string quartet, though it begins as a typical slow movement.

The minuet returns the quartet to more typical territory, with its bouncing and lighthearted melody and raucous staccato exchanges. Yet curiously quiet dynamics, contrapuntal melodies, and strict inversions sometimes lead to an unusual dramatic trajectory. The Finale, enigmatically marked Allegro spirituoso, takes an idea from the third movement as its first theme in a modified sonata form. The movement ends in the midst of the motion with little artifice. This melody became not only the basis for this quartet, but also the national anthem of Austria.

Particularly striking is a pastoral moment over cello and viola drones in the development. The final Presto, which begins in C minor, pits restrained lyricism against fiery runs, pairing the two at the close for a resounding cadence in C major. This melody is later taken over in the minor mode by the cello and viola, then the second violin and first violin, in imitative textures.

The tranquil second movement departs from its modest beginnings through a nearly Romantic, chromatic section to a dismal exchange of the primary melody in the minor mode, before the more pleasing version reemerges in the first violin. The ensuing minuet is graceful and flowing, while an intriguing trio features hushed tones in the upper strings over an urgent cello line. The Presto finale begins as though it were ending, with a cadence repeated, then repeated faster.

This, however, becomes a primary melody for the movement, along with a quick-moving, galloping theme, sometimes heard in inversion going upwards instead of downwards. The second part of the melody takes the idea of the descending fifth and fills it in, making a triad. The trio section emerges from a single D, flourishing to a D major suddenly full of harmonic depth. The urgent Vivace assai uses surprising pauses to interrupt its panicked motion.

A return to D major with a sweet and hushed violin melody sets up the even more energetic finale. The imitative first theme leads to a second theme and development that borrow from the Baroque violin concerto. The following Adagio sostenuto leads from an ensemble, lyrical first theme to an aria-like minor mode solo by the first violin. Its minuet is quick-moving, with sudden accentuation and syncopation in typical Haydn fashion. The trio is a first violin solo with acrobatic, motive arpeggios. Joseph Haydn was a natural entertainer: Their dedicatee, princess Marie of the Esterhazy family, was in fact a budding pianist herself.

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With each subsequent return of the theme, whether in its major or minor guise, the texture becomes more active, the mood more energetic, and the composer more playful, virtuosic, and free. In the humorous Presto that follows, Haydn showcases virtuosic passagework. Joseph Haydn composed the six quartets of his Opus 76 shortly after returning from his second trip to London, completing them in the summer of when he was This was a moment of transition for the aging Haydn.

He was moving away from instrumental music: But Haydn is just as rigorous in his handling of tonality, and much of the tension in this quartet rises from his stark opposition of D major and D minor.

The opening Allegro is an unusually stern movement. By contrast, the second movement brings relaxation and sunlight.

The dark D minor of the opening movement gives way to D major here, and the movement belongs largely to the first violin, which soars easily over the other voices. The third movement brings back the rigor of the first. Haydn returns to D minor and writes a minuet in strict canon: The trio section begins in D minor but quickly relaxes into D major as the first violin dances high above the other voices.