Quartet N. 4 In E Flat Maj

Appony Quartets-Joseph Haydn composed the string quartets known as Op.71/74 also called the 'Apponyi' Quartets in 1793. The composer dated the autograph scores accordingly although the year that appears on those of the B flat major and D majorquartets shows signs of having been corrected. These two works might already have been finished in 1792. However it is certain that Op.71/74 were composed in Vienna during the period between Haydn's two journeys to England andintended as a series of six quartets.The decision to divide the quartets into two sets of three was taken by the publishers. The three Quartets Op.71 were first published in 1795 by Corri Dussek & Co. then in a slightlyrevised reprint by the Viennese publishing house of Artaria & Co.

Quartet No. 1 in G Major, K.80 Quartet No. 2 in D Major, K.155 Quartet No. 3 in G Major, K.156 Quartet No. 4 in C Major, K.157 Quartet No. 5 in F Major, K.158 Quartet No. 6 in B-flat Major, K.159 Quartet No. 7 in E-flat Major, K.160 Quartet No. 8 in F Major, K.168 Quartet No. 9 in A Major, K.169 Quartet No. 10 in C Major, K.170 Quartet No. 11 in E-flat Major, K.171 Quartet No. 12 in B-flat Major, K.172 Quartet No. 13 in D Minor, K.173 Quartet No. 14 in G Major, K.387 Quartet No. 15 in D Minor, K.421 Quartet No. 16 in E-flat Major, K.428 Quartet No. 17 in B-flat Major, K.458 Quartet No. 18 in A Major, K.464 Quartet No. 19 in C Major, K.465 Quartet No. 20 in D Major, K.499 Quartet No. 21 in D Major, K.575 Quartet No. 22 in B-flat Major, K.589 Quartet No. 23 in F Major, K.590

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 -to a 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 CompleteEdition and for the first time juxtaposes the quartet in E flat major and the two original trios.