CCI. HAYDN, Franz Joseph: String Quartet in B-Flat Major, Op. 55, No. 3

CCI. HAYDN, Franz Joseph (1732-1809)

String Quartet in B-Flat Major, Op. 55, No. 3
1. Vivace assai
2. Adagio ma non troppo
3. Menuetto
4. Finale: Presto
Kodály Quartet
(18:26)

First Movement

A simple theme in unison:

Later inverted:

Second Movement

and as the variations follow, look how he sends the first violin into the air!

and the others also take flight:

and in the final variation, a delightful interplay, with the first lightly skipping up the scale:

a

Third Movement

Look how he inserts 8th-note triplets in the very last bar of the minuet, and then continues the idea in the trio:

Fourth Movement

A unison 6/8 Presto that moves along quickly;

a 1/4-note canon in cello & viola that flies into a flourish of clever modulations, before he returns to a traditional IV-V-I finale.

From an academic standpoint, it is very interesting to see how Haydn greatly influenced Beethoven -- in the way he used off-beat sforzandi, the first violin flying above the accompaniment, and the strong sense of a rooted tonality which -- nevertheless -- is constantly surprising, and of course the masterful use of the quartet sonority.