Description
Mozart once remarked, "It was from Haydn that I first learned the true way to compose quartets." The publication of Twelve String Quartets represents the second volume in an ambitious project aimed at producing a complete collection of Haydn's string quartets. This edition offers musicians, students, music historians, and enthusiasts of Haydn an affordable opportunity to access a well-structured, durable, and clearly printed modern edition of his most distinguished works in full score.
Musicians, music students, and publishers often find it challenging to keep pace with Haydn, whose prolific output of exceptional compositions is well-documented. He explored nearly all established musical forms, enhancing several with a legacy of broadened potential and distinct, recognizable structures. Notable among these forms are the symphony, the sonata, and particularly, the quartet.
Over a span of 50 years, Haydn (1732–1809) produced more than 80 string quartets. Scholars continue to engage in discussions regarding attribution and completeness, as previously unknown works by Haydn continue to emerge. Consequently, music enthusiasts have had to rely on a patchwork of outdated and out-of-print editions of some of the more well-known quartets.
Otto Jahn noted, "It is not often that a composer hits so exactly upon the form suited to his compositions; the quartet was Haydn's natural mode of expressing his feelings." Haydn's connection to the quartet form began with his earliest compositions, where he played a pivotal role in establishing the four-movement structure characteristic of chamber music. Like many truly great artists, who often achieve their most significant work later in their careers, Haydn's later quartets are regarded as his finest.
The use of large, legible noteheads, generous margins for fingerings, opaque paper, and a durable binding makes this volume an essential resource for music libraries and musicians alike.
