Notes

And so you begin to learn how to think inside the box. You don't need to start here, necessarily. But, oh, what a wonderful place to start, or to come upon eventually when the patterns align to bring you here: like now, as you read, this moment. Welcome.

String quartets comprise a genre of classical composition written for an ensemble of the same name. You might say, "Tonight, I am going to hear a string quartet play Haydn's String Quartet in G-major". (You may well see this "piece" of music listed that way in a program guide. This is insufficient to communicate which quartet in G-major since Haydn wrote more than one. More on nomenclature in a moment). As established by history, by convention, by the chief examples of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, a string quartet composition has four movements: it is a rather large sectional piece featuring four different "songs" that, together, make a set. At about 20 minutes in length (at least, these

One of the prevalent features of multiple quartets within Op. 76 is the use of both the major and minor modes within a key. That is, though marked as being in G-major, this quartet features liberal amounts of G-minor, using the contrast between major and minor as a significant and historically new element of tension and drama. Hans Keller calls this a home tonality rather than a key since it embodies a broader combined base of both major and minor: a shared tonic note, but two different key signatures. This is most prominent in the powerfully tense but gleefully resolved 4th movement (Allegro) and significant in the 2nd movement (Adagio) as well. The 2nd movement is deep and beautiful, employing a novel, flowing form and regarded by some as the quartet's "center of gravity". The 3rd movement, though titled Menuetto, is in fact considered the first example of the more modern scherzo due to its tempo, rhythm and spirit. This is a quality shared by all the Minuets of Op. 76. The 1st movement is a dazzling essay in mature classical string quartet texture: it is a virtual catalog of polyphonic devices the artfully and effortlessly blend into a rich, energetic complexity that bristles with counterpoint, dialog, subgrouping, as well as homophony and the bold unity of combined forces, all marshelled into an organic delight. Both the 1st and last movements are excellent examples of motivic development. Finally, in another tendency of more than one quartet in Op. 76, there are credible unities across movements (see the 4th movement) With this, and what Keller identifies as a longer, coherent line of tension due to the added modal contests of the 4th movement, Haydn has a fashioned a significant, organic whole from its parts, a true artistic feat in the face of the demands of a multi-movement work with its otherwise inherent challenge of diversity.