Pleyel's string quartets on this album are two or three movements, unlike Haydn's typical four-movement pieces, and incorporate Scottish folk music motifs.
Composer Biography
After the French Revolution, Pleyel was arrested on suspicion of sympathizing with the Austrian aristocracy and was only released after agreeing to compose a patriotic anthem.
Composition History
Pleyel's first string quartets (Op. 1) were released in 1784 and were so widely acclaimed that even Mozart praised his music in a letter to his father.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Pleyel's works are described as 'purely functional' and 'soft and sweet,' aiming to be entertaining and easily consumable rather than intellectually adventurous like Haydn's.
Composer Biography
Ignace Joseph Pleyel, born in 1757, was a student of Haydn and received accommodation from him in Eisenstadt.
Cultural Impact
Pleyel moved to Paris in 1795 and established a music publishing house that operated for 39 years and published over 4000 musical works, including complete editions of Haydn's string quartets.
Cultural Impact
Pleyel also founded a successful piano factory, and a concert hall was opened and named after him in 1830.
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