Changes in fashion and compositional technique that had accrued since the time of the earliest quartets are duly reflected in Haydn’s instrumental works from the early to mid-1760s; and among the new quartets it is not surprising to find corresponding differences in style with respect to the pre-Esterházy works.
Especially in their sonata form first movements, the quartets of Opp. 9 and 17 display far greater diversity of surface rhythm and theme as well as a generally more ambitious approach to form and motivic development. Points of connec-tion to the early quartets are nonetheless apparent, especially among the interior movements and finales, and are perhaps quite deliberate in light of those previ-ous works’ enduring popularity. Keeping up with contemporary trends was obvi-ously an important aim; but if Haydn was motivated to explore, extend his reach, and respond to changing tastes, he also had reason not to abandon certain traits that had helped sustain the success of his earlier accomplishments.
As witnessed in table 9.1, the most decisive change in overall design is the abandonment of a five-movement format. Haydn now chooses to eliminate the second of the two dance movements, and the center of gravity shifts accordingly:
the interior Adagio, no longer favored as a quartet’s centerpiece, yields in impor-tance to a relatively long, technically exacting first movement, cast as a sonata form in all but two cases. The exceptions, Opp. 9/5/i and 17/3/i, are strophic variations, similar in style to the first movement of Op. 2/6.
Essential to the character of the refashioned cycle is the heightened impor-tance given to the first violin at the outset, both as a commanding thematic pres-ence and a vehicle for brilliant execution. It is as if the soloistic manner, previ-ously concentrated in an interior slow movement, is now permitted to spread to other parts of the cycle, especially the more elaborate, grammatically complex first movements in common time, whose broad underlying motion, affirmed by the tempo designation moderato, accommodates a new wealth of foreground detail.
The first movements’ proportions are by and large more expansive, and develop-ment sections in particular have grown in relative size and rhetorical importance.
The dance movements of Opp. 9 and 17, similar in many respects to those of the earliest quartets, may be viewed as tangible points of connection with the earlier endeavors. Several of the minuets are scarcely distinguishable from their
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Op.No. Hob.No. Movement
i ii iii iv
9/1 III:19 C Moderato C/Cm34Un poco allegretto F68Adagio C24Presto
SF 72 M/T 34/28 SF 67 SF 156
9/2 III:20 E Moderato E 34 Cm –34Adagio–Cantabile E Allegro di molto
SF 109 M/T 20/22 Binary (irreg.) 61(r) SF 57
9/3 III:21 G Moderato G34Allegretto C34Largo G24Presto
SF 81 M/T 30/21 Slow-mvt. 73 SF 138
9/4 III:22 Dm Moderato Dm/D34 B Adagio. Cantabile Dm68Presto
SF 75 M/T 48/16 SF 76(r) SF (irreg.) 93
9/5 III:23 B 24Poco adagio B 34Allegretto E 34Largo. Cantabile B 24Presto
Strophic var. 124(r) M/T 28/16 Large binary 71 SF 218
9/6 III:24 A68Presto A/Am34 E Adagio A24Presto
SF 133 M/T 34 /34 SF 57 Rounded binary 53
17/1 III:25 E Moderato E/Em34 Em68Adagio E24Presto
SF 110 M/T 50/32 SF 75 SF 237
17/2 III:26 F Moderato F/Dm34Poco allegretto B Adagio F24Allegro di molto
SF 100 M/T 34/28 Slow-mvt. 90 SF 169
17/3 III:27 E 24Andante grazioso E 34Allegretto A 34Adagio E Allegro di molto
Strophic var. 99 M/T 36/28 SF 85 SF 69
17/4 III:28 Cm Moderato C/Cm34Allegretto E 34Adagio. Cantabile Cm Allegro
SF 130 M/T 40/40 Large binary 107(r) SF 136
17/5 III:29 G Moderato G/Gm34Allegretto Gm34Adagio G24Presto
SF 89 M/T 32/24 Slow-mvt. 80 SF 135
17/6 III:30 D68Presto D34 G Largo D24Allegro
SF 200 M/T 22/20 Binary 43 SF 147
predecessors in melodic style and rhythmic impetus, and only a few significantly exceed their predecessors in size. There are nonetheless some important novel-ties, most notably the intrigue of open-ended trios in Opp. 9/1 and 17/2 and 5, and the metrically dissonant escapades of Opp. 9/3 and 17/5 (anticipated, to be sure, by the Op. 2/4/iv trio), as well as other signs of change in approach—for ex-ample, fewer passages in which the viola and cello proceed in unison or octaves, and less indulgence in textures that pair upper and lower parts in two-part counter-point. Two special sounds—con sordino and pizzicato—disappear altogether as part of a general retreat from the colorful sonorities, chromatic inflections, and theatrical contrasts that had distinguished some of the most memorable early trios.
Resemblances to the earliest quartets are unmistakable among the new in-terior Largos and Adagios, where the emphasis continues to fall on soloistic de-livery by the first violin. Following Haydn’s own precedents, several of the new slow movements begin with introductory or ritornello-like phrases in the man-ner of a concerto; and that quintessential marker of concerto style, the cadenza, is now a recurrent feature, especially in Op. 9. Different from any of the earlier Adagios is the adoption of varied-reprise forms, which provide a basis for lavish spontaneous-sounding decoration.
Among the finales of Opp. 9 and 17, points of connection with the early quartets include the persistence of a very fast 24meter (on eight occasions), an ac-cent on restless momentum, and a fondness for rapid-fire eighth notes among the accompanying voices. These enduring preferences are easy to understand in light of the new format, by which a dense, detail-laden slow movement comes directly before. A feeling of relief now attaches to the abrupt shift in tempo and mood, which breaks the slow movement’s spell, clears the air, and makes way for a high-energy finish to the cycle. Syntactically less complex than the sonata form open-ing movements, the new finales play a distinctive role within the cycle. Their streamlined, often repetitive melodies and sweeping transitions help convey an impression of finality, an ultimate untangling of disparate strands in the musical discourse. Proportions are generally enlarged by comparison with the earliest fi-nales, and the longest, that of Op. 17/1, stretches to more than three times the size of the shortest finale among the earlier works, Op. 1/1/v. But there is one striking exception, the breathless finale of Op. 9/6, whose singular compactness, velocity, and emphasis on exuberant closing formulas all contribute to the image of a musical punctuation mark for the cycle, and perhaps for the opus as a whole.6 Within its fifty-three-measure span, the first reprise consumes a mere eight mea-sures, and a large portion of the second reprise consists of closure-affirming ad-denda to the main design.7
Headlong momentum, typical for the new finales as it was for their prede-cessors, gives rise to strokes of surprise, suspense, or sudden change in color and surface activity. In the last movement of Op. 17/4, for example, the pulsating eighth notes that underlie the secondary theme come to a dead stop on the
down-beat of measure 32 (m. 100 in the recapitulation). Something must be done to compensate or regroup, and so the first violin now begins to sparkle with a new sonority—a series of string-crossing flourishes, sounded in alternation with stub-born chords in the lower parts—as if struggling impatiently to restart the action (see ex. 9.1a, which quotes from the exposition). The effort extends for a full four measures before progress resumes toward a brilliant high point and ultimate descent to the close. Haydn may have modeled this passage on a no less cunning precedent of his own, from the finale of Op. 2/2, quoted in example 9.1b, in which ruptured surface activity likewise gives rise to a call for renewed action by the ensemble leader, underscored in this earlier instance by the telescoping ef-fect of progressively shorter time intervals between string-crossing exclamations.