"In 1884, Herzogenberg composed the three quartets which make up his Opus 42 and dedicated them to his friend Johannes Brahms. The last of the three, Op.42 No.3, is characterized by its conciseness and from its clarity and transparency, we can clearly hear that it is classical in form and structure, while its ideas and their expression is very rich and flow quite naturally and with rare simplicity and without any artificiality. The first movement, Allegro, begins with a pleasing main theme which leads to a lovely second subject which appears to be of folkish origin. The second movement, Andantino, has a magnificent set of variations based on a sweet, song-like theme. The main section of the third movement, a Minuet, allegro moderato, is dignified and calls to mind a similar movement from Beethoven’s Op.59 No.3. The charming trio provides excellent contrast. The finale, Vivace, at least with regard to the prancing main subject, could well be something Haydn might have penned and the second subject also has a antique quality to it.”
—So wrote the famous chamber music scholar and critic Wilhelm Altmann in his Handbook for String Quartet Players.
The Austrian composer Heinrich von Herzogenberg (1843-1900) was greatly influenced by Brahms and while one can easily hear this influence what is striking is the amount of original and fresh thoughts there are, notwithstanding the influence of Brahms. His chamber music is unquestionably first rate and some of it made Brahms envious.
