Haydn referred to his unfinished D minor Quartet, Op. 103, as his 'last-born child, but it still resembles me', despite refusing its publication for almost four years in hopes of completing it.
Composition History
The two central movements of Haydn's unfinished String Quartet in D minor, Op. 103, were sent to publishers in 1806, along with his visiting card featuring a vocal quartet with the words 'All my strength is gone - weak and old am I'.
Composition History
Haydn's Op. 77 quartets were originally intended to be a cycle of six quartets dedicated to Prince Lobkowitz, who would later become Beethoven's patron.
Performer Biography
The Pražák Quartet, founded while its members were students at the Prague Conservatory, won the First Prize at the Evian International Competition in 1978 and the Prague Spring Festival Prize in 1979.
Compositional Technique
The String Quartet in G major, Op. 77, No. 1, features daring harmonic language that prefigures Beethoven and the Romantics, including Mahler, with abundant distant modulations and adventurous key relationships.
Composer Biography
Joseph Haydn, considered the father of the modern string quartet, composed 68 true quartets over thirty years, from 1769 to 1799.
Critical Reception
Haydn's String Quartet in G major, Op. 77, No. 1, earned the curious nickname 'Komplimentier-Quartett' (Compliments' Quartet) due to its energetic march rhythms.
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