Haydn 2 String Quartet in C major, Op. 76, No. 3 Emperor Second movement ‘This is one of Haydn’s later quartets. The six quartets comprising Opus 76 were written in Vienna in 1799, three years after Haydn's second visit to London. In these quartets, the composer realized that the viola and cello could have interesting melodic parts and that the viola’s distinctive voice (timbre) could be used in contrast to that of the cello and violin. The Ist violin part is often modified to a lower pitch or less prominent melody in order to bring the 2nd violin part into greater prominence. Haydn’s chamber music maintained the outline of the classical sonata, employing the usual four-movement pattern. * First movement ~ Sonata form * Slow movement (often in Theme and Variation form) Minuet and Trio Rondo or sonata form or a mixture of both. In classical music many slow movements are in ternary form or Theme and Variations form. In Theme and Variations form, a melody is stated and then manipulated through different variations of that theme. In the 2nd movement of this quartet the theme is restated by each instrument in turn while the other instruments manipulate the theme to create variety. The increased chromaticism of each Variation is apparent.The first violin plays the theme. Notice that the melody begins with ananacrusis. J.) The theme is simple in character. The first section consists of two balanced phrases. This section is repeated. A short bridge passage modulates to the dominant at the pause. The next phrase starts with the climax of the theme marked yf (suddenly loud) and falls away quietly to the end. This section is repeated. The repeated phrases give the work symmetry. The melody is supported by simple diatonic chords. Haydn 5Written 5 Expressive techniques The melody is played smoothly with the bow (arco). Notice the use of phrasing, which is important in the interpretation of the melody. The use of ornaments is a common way of varying or embellishing a melody. In the twenty bars of this melody, we find three kinds of ornamentation which are played or realised in this way: the turn the acciaccatura the appoggiatura or crushed note or leaning note Harmony As with the melody, the harmonies are beautiful in their simplicity. ‘The main chords used are the tonic and the dominant in G major with occasional modulations into the related key of D major. Chords ii, IV and vi are used sparingly. Itis interesting to study the chords Haydn chose and the way they are used. Study this analysis of bars 1-4, You'could model your own harmonizations on these examples if writing in this style. anacrusis 4 2 3 Haydn 7Haydn 6 Also study bars 10-16. Notice the interrupted cadence in bars 10-11 and the modulation to D major in bar 12, Note also the expressive techniques—the appoggiatura in bars 13 and 14, and the acciaccatura in bar 15. The last bars use a strong chord progression—Ib iib Ic V” to Ito conclude the hymn. v Iww ww mw wine ~~ Dmajor — G major Melody The melody is constructed mainly in steps or carefully planned leaps, Apart from leaps of a 5th, 6th, 7th and octave, there are only small upward and downward leaps of a 3rd. The rest of the melody is built in steps, which is a very important characteristic of classical melody.The Variations In these variations the original melody is changed very little and the dynamic level remains soft throughout. Haydn creates variety by giving each instrument an opportunity to play the main melody, changing the tone colour and register of the theme. He varies the texture by adding different counter-melodies played at the same time as the main melody and the variations become increasingly complex in texture, beginning with a duet for two violins in Variation and closing with full quartet sounds and rich chromatic harmonies in Variation IV. Haydn ©Variation I oP Sy HaydnVariation IL The theme now moves to the cello in this variation. It reverts to four- part harmony. The theme is played an octave lower than its original statement, while the viola part consists only of occasional interjection and acts as a bass below the cello. ‘The 1st violin has an interesting syncopated counter-melody. Syncopation - istviolin bart) NJ Dv J SLD = 2ndviolinibar2) DL DJ J The 2nd violin supports the main theme. It often uses the theme’s rhythm, playing in thirds or sixths above the theme. It shadows the cello theme. Haydn 12Variation II Haydn 13Variation III In this variation the viola has the theme. The viola plays the theme softly at the original pitch beginning on G above middie C. The 1st violin still makes use of syncopation, as does the 2nd violin when it enters in counterpoint against the 1st violin. ‘The texture is more polyphonic than the previous variation, Classical textures were typically homophonic but sometimes composers employed the contrapuntal devices of the Baroque period with all parts having independent melodies. The instruments do not begin together. Each entry is delayed. Notice in the opening bars, that the viola is higher than the 1st violin Crossing of parts was a characteristic of polyphonic writing. The violins cross parts frequently, e.g. in bar 2 where the 2nd violin plays higher than the Ist violin. The cello is silent until the bridge passage (bars 8-12), and it then is mostly very chromatic. The violins interweave counter-melodies, while the cello plays a chromatic bass line. The harmony is becoming increasingly complex, as is the rhythmic material. Haydn 14Variation Il Haydn 1sVariation IV Up to this point the harmony has become increasingly complex and chromatic with each variation. In the final variation the theme returns to the 1st violin, but it is harmonised differently. This variation starts in a different key—E minor instead of G major. Haydn 16vin vinz va Bayon 10