Joseph Haydn: String quartets book IV op. 20 [Sun quartets]

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.

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.

With Critical Report-Critical notes on Joseph Haydn's String Quartets Op.20 And Op.33 as compiled by Georg Leder.

Over a 50-year period Haydn composed more than 80 string quartets featuring a range and variety of structural invention exceeded only by Beethoven's works. In this volume the composer's mastery of the form is strikingly evident particularly in the six popular and much-recorded 'Prussian Quartets.'This volume contains the full scores of:Op. 42 in D minor (composed in 1785)Op. 50 Nos. 1 6 ('Prussian Quartets ' composed in 1787 and dedicated to the Prussian King Friederich Wilhelm II)Op. 54 Nos. 1 3 (First set of 'Tost Quartets' composed c.1788 and dedicated to the merchant Johann Tost)Large readable noteheads ample margins for notations opaque paper and permanent binding make this a fundamental addition to music libraries and musicians' repertories.Reprint of the Ernst Eulenburg Ltd. London n.d. edition.