Haydn’s String Quartet in C major, op. 76 no. 3 ‘Emperor’ (Hob. III:77)
Allegro
Poco Adagio; cantabile
Menuet: Allegro
Finale: Presto
In 1795 Haydn returned to Austria after the second of his two triumphant visits to London. His master was now Prince Nicolaus II Esterhazy – the fourth of that dynastic family under whom he was to serve. Although the prince was determined to resurrect music at his court after his predecessor, Prince Anton, had disbanded his father’s famous orchestra, the demands on the now ageing composer were considerably reduced from the heady days of before, such that he was able to live for most of the year in a new house in Vienna, with his presence at Eisenstadt required only during the summer months. Nicolaus II’s passion was for church music, and all he required of his illustrious old Kapellmeister was an annual mass to celebrate the name-day of his wife, Princess Marie Hermenegild. Although the prince himself was a difficult man Haydn was particularly fond of the princess; so the production of these masses for her must have given him enormous pleasure, despite the physical effort they cost him (“often when the powers of mind and body weakened, and it was difficult for me to continue in the course I had entered on……”). In her turn Princess Marie saw to his comfort when eventually he could compose no more. The second of the two tremendous oratorios composed during this period – The Seasons – caused him particular physical hardship; yet the virile splendour of all of this music betrays not the slightest hint of the composer’s feebleness.
If the six great masses form a fitting apotheosis to Haydn’s career in their fusion of symphonic and ecclesiastical styles, the eight string quartets he composed following his return from London (Opp.76 and 77) surely occupy a similar position in his instrumental output, surpassing even the twelve “London” symphonies – whose formal mastery is combined with the perfection of quartet style achieved in Op.74 to attain yet more sublime heights. The six quartets of Op.76 were commissioned in 1796 by Count Joseph Erdödy, and published three years later. Each is a masterpiece in its own right, and each has its own special characteristics which enable it to stand apart from its companions in the set. The C major contains what is surely the most famous melody Haydn ever wrote: Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser, the so-called Emperor’s Hymn (hence the title this quartet has since acquired), which became his country’s national anthem. He himself was so proud of it that he reputedly requested it to be played to him just before his death. Although this Adagio is nominally a set of variations Haydn’s wise judgment retains the actual melody virtually unaltered, passing it round to each instrument in turn. The changing backcloth of counterpoint and harmony on which his theme rests seems ideally suited to the character of each successive instrument, achieving ever more radiant harmony and texture and as the movement reaches its ethereal climax.
In its proper context this inspired music appears at the heart of what is a particularly large scale design. There is an expansiveness and a sonority which is almost symphonic in scale, so that such memorable passages as the massive viola/cello drone in the first movement development section, or the extended tonic pedal at the end of the work, seem entirely in proportion. Certainly the three quicker movements together provide the ideal complement to their more illustrious companion, and it is interesting to note that the principal motifs of all three bear a striking relationship to each other – particularly in their common use of an up-beat.
It has been customary for many years for a Haydn quartet to be placed at the beginning of a programme, almost as a warming up piece. This is a trend to which the Fitzwilliam has long taken exception, such that our aim has always been to give these works the prominence they deserve – and surely would have received in the 1790s, often playing them at the end of a concert. Imagine oneself back at the close of the eighteenth century (and when we employ period instruments this can be accomplished more easily) and the stature of these great quartets can be readily understood. There was an occasion, back in the 1970s, when the BBC recorded a concert from Oxford containing this very “Emperor” Quartet – complete with both enormous repeats in the first movement. When later broadcast the producer had reversed the original order of Shostakovich/Fauré/Haydn. No amount of protest could change an attitude somewhat set in its ways……!
© Alan George
