String Quartets, Op. 33 (Haydn)
Encyclopedia
The Op. 33 String Quartets were written by Joseph Haydn
Joseph Haydn
Franz Joseph Haydn , known as Joseph Haydn , was an Austrian composer, one of the most prolific and prominent composers of the Classical period. He is often called the "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet" because of his important contributions to these forms...

 in the summer and Autumn of 1781 for the Viennese publisher Artaria
Artaria
Artaria and company was one of the most important music publishing firms of the late 18th and 19th century. Founded in the 18th century in Vienna, the company is associated with many leading names of the classical era.- History :...

. This set of quartets has several nicknames, the most common of which is the "Russian" quartets, because Haydn dedicated the quartets to the Grand Duke Paul of Russia
Paul I of Russia
Paul I was the Emperor of Russia between 1796 and 1801. He also was the 72nd Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta .-Childhood:...

 and many (if not all) of the quartets were premiered on Christmas Day, 1781, at the Viennese apartment of the Duke's wife, the Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna.

Opus 33 No. 1

This quartet in B minor
B minor
B minor is a minor scale based on B, consisting of the pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. The harmonic minor raises the A to A. Its key signature has two sharps .Its relative major is D major, and its parallel major is B major....

 is numbered in variously as No. 31, Hob.
Hoboken-Verzeichnis
The Hoboken-Verzeichnis is the catalogue of over 750 works by Joseph Haydn as compiled by Anthony van Hoboken.Unlike Ludwig von Köchel's catalogue of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's works, or Otto Erich Deutsch's catalogue of Franz Schubert's works, which are both arranged chronologically by date of...

 III:37 and FHE No. 70.
  1. Allegro moderato, 4/4
  2. Scherzo
    Scherzo
    A scherzo is a piece of music, often a movement from a larger piece such as a symphony or a sonata. The scherzo's precise definition has varied over the years, but it often refers to a movement which replaces the minuet as the third movement in a four-movement work, such as a symphony, sonata, or...

    : Allegro di molto, 3/4
  3. Andante, 6/8 in D major
    D major
    D major is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature consists of two sharps. Its relative minor is B minor and its parallel minor is D minor....

  4. Finale: Presto, 2/4


The first movement pretends to start in D major
D major
D major is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature consists of two sharps. Its relative minor is B minor and its parallel minor is D minor....

 before settling in the home key of B minor
B minor
B minor is a minor scale based on B, consisting of the pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. The harmonic minor raises the A to A. Its key signature has two sharps .Its relative major is D major, and its parallel major is B major....

, echoed by Haydn's later quartet in B minor, Op. 64, No. 2.

Opus 33 No. 2

This quartet in E-flat major, nicknamed The Joke is numbered in variously as No. 30, Hob.
Hoboken-Verzeichnis
The Hoboken-Verzeichnis is the catalogue of over 750 works by Joseph Haydn as compiled by Anthony van Hoboken.Unlike Ludwig von Köchel's catalogue of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's works, or Otto Erich Deutsch's catalogue of Franz Schubert's works, which are both arranged chronologically by date of...

 III:38 and FHE No. 71.
  1. Allegro moderato, 4/4
  2. Scherzo: Allegro. 3/4
  3. Largo, 3/4 in B-flat major
  4. Presto, 6/8

Fourth Movement

The fourth movement implemented a lighter character, originating from Haydn’s first shift from the minuet
Minuet
A minuet, also spelled menuet, is a social dance of French origin for two people, usually in 3/4 time. The word was adapted from Italian minuetto and French menuet, and may have been from French menu meaning slender, small, referring to the very small steps, or from the early 17th-century popular...

 to the scherzo
Scherzo
A scherzo is a piece of music, often a movement from a larger piece such as a symphony or a sonata. The scherzo's precise definition has varied over the years, but it often refers to a movement which replaces the minuet as the third movement in a four-movement work, such as a symphony, sonata, or...

. It also portrayed some new features in Haydn's compositions, for example, the Rondo form, which satisfied audiences since the form was becoming enormously popular at this time. In a letter to Artaria
Artaria
Artaria and company was one of the most important music publishing firms of the late 18th and 19th century. Founded in the 18th century in Vienna, the company is associated with many leading names of the classical era.- History :...

, Haydn boasted about his pieces by saying, they are “a new and entirely special kind.” The rondo form of the final movement remains true to its definition by always returning to the tonic in the refrain. It is also in a basic binary form
Binary form
Binary form is a musical form in two related sections, both of which are usually repeated. Binary is also a structure used to choreograph dance....

, in which each section is repeated in the first refrain
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...

, and followed by sections in which the repeats are omitted.

Form

The "Rondo
Rondo
Rondo, and its French equivalent rondeau, is a word that has been used in music in a number of ways, most often in reference to a musical form, but also to a character-type that is distinct from the form...

" results in an ABACA form. Chronologically, the first refrain
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...

 (A) (mm.1-35) beginning in E flat major, repeats each section, (a) and (ba), forming (aababa.) In the first episode (B) (mm.36-71) beginning in A flat major, moves to F minor and finally resolves to E flat major at the beginning of the second refrain
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...

 (A) (mm.72-106), which is almost an exact repetition of the first refrain
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...

 (aba) with the only change being the omission of the repeats. The second refrain
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...

 is not only the arrival point of the tonic
Tonic (music)
In music, the tonic is the first scale degree of the diatonic scale and the tonal center or final resolution tone. The triad formed on the tonic note, the tonic chord, is thus the most significant chord...

, but is also the final point of modulation
Modulation
In electronics and telecommunications, modulation is the process of varying one or more properties of a high-frequency periodic waveform, called the carrier signal, with a modulating signal which typically contains information to be transmitted...

 for the remainder of the piece. The piece then progresses to new thematic material in the second episode (C) (mm.107-140), but, again, does not modulate
Modulate
Modulate is Bob Mould's fifth solo album, released in 2002. Although a few tracks on his previous release, The Last Dog and Pony Show, had featured tape loops and samples, Mould shocked his fans with such a dramatic embrace of electronica...

 to a new key. After the new material, the final refrain
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...

 (A) (mm.141-147), should be considered A’ due to the refrain
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...

 material being condensed. The end is quite unique; this particular coda
Coda (music)
Coda is a term used in music in a number of different senses, primarily to designate a passage that brings a piece to an end. Technically, it is an expanded cadence...

 changes the tempo to an adagio (mm.148-153) then, in the conclusion of the piece, moves to (a’) as Haydn teases the audience, hence the name, "The Joke."

The Joke

At the end of the Rondo, starting at measure 148, Haydn implements a joke in this piece. It begins with a grand pause that makes the audience wonder if the piece is over. This is followed by a sudden forte sixteenth note in the beginning of the adagio that shocks the audience. After this, the first violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....

 plays the A theme of the opening phrase with rests interrupting the music every two bars. The rests get progressively longer, giving the impression that the piece is over many times in a row, making for an amusing ending. During this time period, it has been said that audiences would erupt in laughter at this humorous coda
Coda (music)
Coda is a term used in music in a number of different senses, primarily to designate a passage that brings a piece to an end. Technically, it is an expanded cadence...

. Haydn used this coda
Coda (music)
Coda is a term used in music in a number of different senses, primarily to designate a passage that brings a piece to an end. Technically, it is an expanded cadence...

 not only to make fun of audiences confused as to where to applaud, but also amateur musicians who were too "beat-driven," and what he deemed a redundant rondo
Rondo
Rondo, and its French equivalent rondeau, is a word that has been used in music in a number of ways, most often in reference to a musical form, but also to a character-type that is distinct from the form...

 form. Also, not surprising due to Haydn’s witty personality, this is not the only type of humor in the piece: this entire movement is filled with little “jokes.” For example, the large dominant preparation over a pedal base in the B section merely resolves to a small recapitulation
Recapitulation
Recapitulation may refer to:* Recapitulation , a section of musical sonata form where the exposition is repeated in an altered form and the development is concluded...

 of the opening theme. This toys with the audience and leaves their expectations cut short. Some may say that the only joke, besides the obvious ending, is on the people trying to find “the new and special way.” Others also argue that the adagio is a “remembrance of things past due,” hinting at the thought that it is time to advance music to another new level. Nevertheless, these carefully calculated humorous strategies give this piece its title “The Joke.”

Opus 33 No. 3

This quartet in C major
C major
C major is a musical major scale based on C, with pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature has no flats/sharps.Its relative minor is A minor, and its parallel minor is C minor....

, nicknamed The Bird is numbered in variously as No. 32, Hob.
Hoboken-Verzeichnis
The Hoboken-Verzeichnis is the catalogue of over 750 works by Joseph Haydn as compiled by Anthony van Hoboken.Unlike Ludwig von Köchel's catalogue of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's works, or Otto Erich Deutsch's catalogue of Franz Schubert's works, which are both arranged chronologically by date of...

 III:39 and FHE No. 72.
  1. Allegro moderato, 4/4
  2. Scherzo: Allegretto. 3/4
  3. Adagio ma non troppo, 3/4 in F major
    F major
    F major is a musical major scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat . It is by far the oldest key signature with an accidental, predating the others by hundreds of years...

  4. Finale: Rondo
    Rondo
    Rondo, and its French equivalent rondeau, is a word that has been used in music in a number of ways, most often in reference to a musical form, but also to a character-type that is distinct from the form...

     - Presto, 2/4


The first movement opens with a melody in the first violin featuring repeated notes. Grace notes are inserted between the repeated notes which gives the melody a "birdlike quality" and hence gives the quartet its nickname.

Opus 33 No. 4

This quartet in B-flat major is numbered in variously as No. 34, Hob.
Hoboken-Verzeichnis
The Hoboken-Verzeichnis is the catalogue of over 750 works by Joseph Haydn as compiled by Anthony van Hoboken.Unlike Ludwig von Köchel's catalogue of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's works, or Otto Erich Deutsch's catalogue of Franz Schubert's works, which are both arranged chronologically by date of...

 III:40 and FHE No. 73.
  1. Allegro moderato, 4/4
  2. Scherzo: Allegretto, 3/4
  3. Largo, 3/4 in E-flat major
  4. Finale: Presto, 2/4

Opus 33 No. 5

This quartet in G major
G major
G major is a major scale based on G, with the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has one sharp, F; in treble-clef key signatures, the sharp-symbol for F is usually placed on the first line from the top, though in some Baroque music it is placed on the first space from the bottom...

, nicknamed How Do You Do is numbered in variously as No. 29, Hob.
Hoboken-Verzeichnis
The Hoboken-Verzeichnis is the catalogue of over 750 works by Joseph Haydn as compiled by Anthony van Hoboken.Unlike Ludwig von Köchel's catalogue of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's works, or Otto Erich Deutsch's catalogue of Franz Schubert's works, which are both arranged chronologically by date of...

 III:41 and FHE No. 74.
  1. Vivace assai, 2/4
  2. Largo e cantabile, 4/4 in G minor
    G minor
    G minor is a minor scale based on G, consisting of the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. For the harmonic minor scale, the F is raised to F. Its relative major is B-flat major, and its parallel major is G major....

  3. Scherzo: Allegro, 3/4
  4. Finale: Allegretto, 6/8


The first theme of the opening movement begins and ends with the same rising four-note cadence that gives the quartet its nickname. When the cadence appears at the end of the movement, it is repeated so as to emphasize that this is really the end of the movement and not the beginning of the theme.

The second movement is an aria in G minor for first violin over a steady accompaniment in the other three instruments. The melody bears a strong resemblance to the oboe theme that begins the arioso "Che puro ciel" from Gluck
Christoph Willibald Gluck
Christoph Willibald Ritter von Gluck was an opera composer of the early classical period. After many years at the Habsburg court at Vienna, Gluck brought about the practical reform of opera's dramaturgical practices that many intellectuals had been campaigning for over the years...

's Orfeo ed Euridice
Orfeo ed Euridice
Orfeo ed Euridice is an opera composed by Christoph Willibald Gluck based on the myth of Orpheus, set to a libretto by Ranieri de' Calzabigi. It belongs to the genre of the azione teatrale, meaning an opera on a mythological subject with choruses and dancing...

 which Haydn had directed at Esterhazy in 1778. The movement ends with a unison pizzicato
Pizzicato
Pizzicato is a playing technique that involves plucking the strings of a string instrument. The exact technique varies somewhat depending on the type of stringed instrument....

 G.

Opus 33 No. 6

This quartet in D major
D major
D major is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature consists of two sharps. Its relative minor is B minor and its parallel minor is D minor....

 is numbered in variously as No. 33, Hob.
Hoboken-Verzeichnis
The Hoboken-Verzeichnis is the catalogue of over 750 works by Joseph Haydn as compiled by Anthony van Hoboken.Unlike Ludwig von Köchel's catalogue of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's works, or Otto Erich Deutsch's catalogue of Franz Schubert's works, which are both arranged chronologically by date of...

 III:42 and FHE No. 75.
  1. Vivace assai, 6/8
  2. Andante, 4/4 in D minor
    D minor
    D minor is a minor scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. In the harmonic minor, the C is raised to C. Its key signature has one flat ....

  3. Scherzo: Allegretto, 3/4
  4. Finale: Allegretto, 2/4


The finale is in double variation
Double variation
The double variation is a musical form used in classical music. It is a type of theme and variations that employs two themes. In a double variation set, a first theme is followed by a second theme , followed by a variation on A, then a variation on B, and so on with alternating A and B...

form (ABA1B1A2) with themes in D major and D minor.

External links

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