Franz Joseph Haydn : Six Divertimenti Hob. IV:6* - 11*

The Flute trios which Joseph Haydn composed in London in 1794 are spirited pieces similar to divertimenti. They first became known thanks to Leo Balet's carefully prepared edition of 1933. These trios which are of moderate difficulty and let both Flutes partake in the musical activity to an equal extent have won a permanent place in Flute teaching as well as in home music making.

À l?époque du classicisme viennois le terme de divertimento désignait une pièce instrumentale légère en plusieurs mouvements de caractère gai et dansant. Outre Mozart Haydn fut également un grand maître dans l?art de composer des divertimenti légers et divertissants de la plus grande qualité. Comme si souvent chez lui l?authenticité des divertimenti pour piano 2 violons et violoncelle n?est pas toujours attestée. L?édition présentée ici propose dans sa partie principale les cinq ?uvres du groupe Hob. XIV dont l?authenticité a pu être vérifiée et en annexe le divertimento Hob. XIV:C2 dont on pense qu?il est aussi très probablement de sa main. Majoritairement en Ut majeur les six pièces sont faciles à jouer et se prêtent ainsi parfaitement à la musique de salon. Le piano domine tandis que les cordes confèrent aux morceaux leur densité sonore. Dotée d?une préface détaillée l?édition Urtext a été préparée avec la précieuse collaboration du spécialiste de Haydn Horst Walter.

Though not nearly as well-known as the 'London Trios ' these six delightful divertimentos are Haydn's first pieces of chamber music to expressly call for the flute. Straightforward and full of Haydn's esprit they are a treasuretrove for all lovers of music-making in the home. The stylistic variety of these cheerful pièces d'occasion surely reflects the fact that they are partly based on earlier models: Haydn's baryton trios as well as arias and otheritems from his opera 'Il mondo della luna' ('The World on the Moon').

String Quartets Book II op. 9-Six works belong to opus 9 the first group of Haydn’s String quartets of which we know. The composer also went new ways as far as form was concerned: whereas he had still adhered to the five movement divertimento inthe previous quartets opus 1 and 2 in this case he favoured four movements something he continued in the future. Apart from this he also expanded the register and experimented with metric surprises (for instance in the trio ofthe minuet from the G major quartet).