Franz Joseph Haydn : String Duos

This fourth volume of Haydn's String Quartets contains full scores of the twelve masterful quartets from Opp. 20 and 33 (six quartets from each). Composed in 1771 and 1781 respectively these popular quartets are among the most performed and recorded pieces in the repertoire. This inexpensive volume would be an invaluable addition for any music student or Haydn fan.Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) was an Austrian composer who became the figurehead of the classical movement. He formed a close and mutually respectful relationship with Mozart and later taught Beethoven but it was his compositions that left an indelible mark on the musical landscape ofWestern Europe.

Volume 1 of the complete edition of Joseph Haydn's String Quartets. Set of parts. Edited by Moser.14 Famous Quartets: Op.9 No.2; Op.17 No.5; Op.50 No.6; Op.54 Nos.1 2 3; Op.64 Nos.2 3 4; Op.74 Nos.1 2 3; Op.77 Nos.1 2

String Quartets Book XI op. 77 und 103-These are the last of the nearly seventy quartets in Haydn?s oeuvre. Originally he intended to write a set of six quartets as so often in the past but at the time they were written in 1803 Haydn?s healthwas so poor that he could not fully satisfy the commission from Prince Lobkowitz. Instead he published only two complete quartets as op. 77. Later he allowed an incomplete work consisting of two middle movements to appear as op.103 adding to the print the portentous words: ?Gone is all my strength old and weak am I?. Musically however these quartets are anything but weak: they represent the aged composer virtually at the zenith of his powers.Haydn even went so far as to call op. 77 no. 2 his ?most beautiful string quartet?.

String Quartets Book VIII op. 64-The quartets were dedicated to the violinist Johann Tost who was the second principal violinist at the Esterházy court during the 1780s. His business sense led him to sell twelve quartets - opus 64 was probably amongst them - toa Parisian publisher. Whether Haydn approved of this is open to question - the dedication was however no longer present in the second imprint or the following ones. Our edition follows the Haydn Complete Edition and for thefirst time juxtaposes the quartet in E flat major and the two original trios.

String Quartets Book IV op. 20-The preface by Christin Heitmann provides illuminating background information. Haydn did not assign the nickname ?Sun Quartets?: it alludes to an edition of the time in which the title page wasdecorated with a rising sun. The Quartets op. 20 are the last series in a group of earlier string quartets but are clearly ahead of their time. The demanding fugues which close three of the six quartets are aparticular structural feature.The study edition HN 9208 complements the parts of the String Quartets op. 20.