by Andrew Gillett | 14 May 2026 | blog
Haydn, Schubert and Webern. Without doubt, these are three of the most significant and influential writers of string quartet music, as well as being hugely important in the history of classical music generally. In a way they summarise everything about the quartet genre. All three were immersed in and central to the music and cultural life of Vienna, albeit at different times. The musicologist, Sir Donald Tovey, wrote that “every page of the six quartets of Joseph Haydn’s Op. 20 (1772) is of historic and aesthetic importance… there is perhaps no single or sextuple opus in the history of instrumental music which has achieved so much”. No 5 of the set is in the dark key of F minor. Stringed instruments resonate more freely and richly in keys where the open strings happily resonate, such as D major and G major, so Haydn’s choice of F minor is a deliberate limiting of the brighter tones of the instruments, making for an appropriately sombre and dramatic sonic mood. This could be seen to be a response to the claustrophobic and lonely predicament that Haydn and his fellow musicians found themselves in at the isolated Esterházy palace where they were employed by Prince Esterházy. Haydn’s empathy with his colleagues is always apparent in his writing, and despite the intense atmosphere in this music, there are several moments for each player where an unexpected note or surprising new phrase lifts the spirit or even raises a smile. For example, the beautifully shaped arioso of the slow movement suddenly evaporates, the pulse and flow of the music disappearing, making musicians and listeners alike wonder...
Recent Comments