The Menuets of Haydn's String Quartets, op. 20 no. 4 and op. 76 no.

Joseph Haydn was widely considered to be “the Father of the string quartet”1, a title which many
believe to have been earned following the widely successful quartets op. 20, composed in 1772.
By the time Haydn composed the quartets op. 76 in 1797/1798, he had created and mastered a
revolutionary and ambitious chamber music style, deviating from traditional sonata form. In this
essay I will compare and contrast the third movements of op. 20 no. 4 and op. 76 no. 1-Minuet
and Trios. In terms of rhythm, harmony and orchestration, I feel these works are perfect to show
the development of Haydn’s compositional style. I will use my analysis and comparison of these
two movements to ultimately show the progression which Haydn showed in the 25 years between
these two pieces.

The third movement of Haydns quartet op. 20 no. 4 is a simple minuet and trio. The minuet is split
into A and B sections of 8 and 12 bars, and the trio is 16 bars long, split into two 8 bar sections.
This simple, functional form and structure typifies the kind of third movements Haydn was writing
at this time, with the music very much staying true to its minuet form-it is very much in a dance
style. Another key feature of the music is the almost constant orchestration-the first violin has the
melody, the other three voices accompany and provide some counter melody at times. This is
very much typical of the string quartet of the time, and was something which was seen as
ornamental music. In this period, the most popular music for grand musical events were operas,
oratorios, concertos and symphonies. Chamber music such as the string quartet was only in the
early stages of becoming music for the platform, and was mostly reserved for background music
at parties and other social events. Therefore, an easy on the ear melody and accompaniment
instrumentation was key to creating the required sound.

The minuet of op. 76 no. 1 is in many ways similar to that of op. 20 no. 4. It is a minuet and trio,
with the first violin part certainly being used as the main melodic instrument, and it has a very
similar feel to the movement- a fast three with a dance style certainly in mind. There are, however,
a great deal of ways in which we can see Haydn’s progression as a composer, and as father of the
string quartet, in the 25 years between the two works. Firstly, there is a clear innovation in form
and structure. The very regular, danceable phrase patterns are now disjointed, with some phrases
of 5 or 6 bars in length, as opposed to more conventional 4s and 8s. Also, we can see a definite
change in rhythmical feel, with Haydn choosing to compose and almost relentless barrage of
crotchets in the minuet section. The more lyrical melodic feel of op. 20 no. 4 is replaced by a what
seems like never ending staccato notes, giving the movement a more angular shape and sound.
The phrase lengths play a major role in this change in rhythmic feel, as the danceability of
previous works is now disjointed, with the irregular phrases creating an unsettled feel to the
movement. This is a very intelligent compositional technique from Haydn, emphasising the
concept of tension and release. The “release” of a resolution such as a perfect cadence is
intensified greatly if the tension that precedes it is of heightened uncertainty, both rhythmically
and harmonically.

In terms of harmony, we can certainly see a progression in Haydn’s composing. As early as bar 5
in op. 76 no. 1 we see examples of adventurous harmonic language which was rarely seen in the
works of 25 years earlier. Chromaticism and dissonance is common, and the harmonic language
of bars 11-15 is particularly of note. Haydn precedes a root position dominant chord in bar 14
with dissonant and unsettling chords over a dominant pedal, creating a harmonic language that is
certainly not found in op. 20 no. 4, a piece mostly consisting of ii-V-I progressions to accompany
a very regular and conforming melody. Here in op. 76 no. 1 at bars 11-15 and throughout the B
section, the melody is not so much a sequence of motifs or ideas, but simply a chromatic
structure at the top of a chord progression, and a dissonant one at that.

I personally find it fascinating that such drastic new harmonic progressions and chords can sound
so subtly different when listening to the movement in context. The irregularity in phrases, and
dissonance of some of the chords is not as shocking as it may look on the score. I believe this is

1Cobbett, W.W, Cobbett's Cyclopedic Survey of Chamber Music (Oxford University Press; 2nd
Edition 1964)
because of the idea which I mentioned earlier of tension and release. Although the music may
pass through some very dissonant colours when compared with op. 20 no. 4, the dissonance is
masked by the clear functionality of the ends of phrases throughout the movement-easily defined,
pleasant to the ear cadences.

In conclusion it is clear that a comparison between the third movements of these two string
quartets allows us to see a clear progression in Haydn’s compositional techniques, and his
harmonic landscape. He is certainly more adventurous, and his quartets show an insight into the
fast development of music at that time. The increase in chromaticism and dissonance in his music
shows this unequivocally. There are, however, clear similarities between the two works, and we
can see thats Haydn’s commitment to creating joyous, pleasant, melody and accompaniment
chamber music is unfaltering throughout the 25 year period between the two quartets that I have
analysed.

Bibliography

Cobbett, W.W, Cobbett's Cyclopedic Survey of Chamber Music (Oxford University Press; 2nd
Edition 1964)