Franz Josef Haydn, 1732-1809

String Quartet in d minor, Op. 76, No. 2, “Fifths”, 1796-1797

Haydn’s entire quartet legacy comprises a rough total of sixty-eight quartets written over the span of nearly fifty years and includes at least twenty-five unequivocal masterpieces. The quartets were generally published in groups of six or three of which there are several landmark sets, each with its own personality, ingenuity and style. Each set tends to reflect a particular phase of Haydn’s ever-creative quartet thinking and, rather miraculously, forms a complete universe in itself, so rich and varied are the musical treasures within. If one were forced to pick the so-called “desert island” opus, the likely candidate might be Op. 76, the last complete set of quartets Haydn wrote between 1796 and 1797 when he was 65 years old. At the time, Haydn was essentially retired from service to the Esterhazy family, “world” famous after his two fabulously successful tours to England, materially well-off and still in full command of his art. « more »