Haydn – Quartet in Bb major, Op. 64, No. 3 (audio sample via Amazon.com)

By 1790, when the six quartets of Op. 64 were published, Haydn had achieved full mastery of the genre.  He had brought the string quartet from short pleasant compositions resembling (and named) "divertimenti " to the rich imagery and variety of these quartets.

The third quartet of Op. 64 is marked by wit and good humor.  The Vivace assai, for example, opens "forte" with such assertiveness that the immediately following "piano", and the alternations heard next achieve a sophisticated comic effect.  Even the smooth second theme, with its genteel nods, polite gestures and solicitous murmurings confirms the playful nature of this movement.

The principal melody of the Adagio resembles a serene operatic aria with a rocking rhythm, which is continued in the accompanying voices.  Each time the tune returns it is varied, a common practice in arias.  The contrasting middle section is a more impassioned song, exploring distant keys, but the return of the first section re-establishes the feeling of gentle reflection. The Menuetto features strong vigorous rhythm, contrasting sharply with the syncopation of the Trio, which imparts a swaying motion.  The Finale returns to the good humor of the first movement; the music fairly bubbles along, presenting one melody after another.  Haydn never seems to run out of good tunes!

–Raymond Vaught

Gershwin – Lullaby (audio sample via Amazon.com)

American composer, George Gershwin, was equally talented in writing and performing for the theater, concert orchestra, and jazz band. Published posthumously by Ira and Arthur Gershwin in 1968, Lullaby was probably written about 1920.  The opening theme was used in an aria of Gershwin's one-act opera, Blue Monday, which closed immediately after it opened in 1922. Harmonica virtuoso, Larry Adler, reminded Ira of the work about 40 years later, and transcribed it for harmonica and string quartet, premiering it to significant acclaim at the Edinburgh Festival in 1963. Finally, on October 28, 1967, Lullaby was performed by a string quartet as orginally written. The violin introduces the first motif with harmonics accompanied by the syncopated arpeggios of the cello and the rocking lullaby theme quickly follows.  Throughout the work, Gershwin develops these two ideas in different keys and textures as he gently weaves to a delicate pizzicato conclusion.

–Claire Sakai Hazzard

Grieg – String Quartet in g minor, Op. 27 (audio sample via Amazon.com)

The pre-eminent Norwegian composer, Edvard Grieg, was determined to develop a typical Norwegian style through his works, and like many other composers, he looked to native folk music; however, he discovered that written music could not fully convey the unique spirit, rhythms, and harmonies created by native folk musicians.  Written ten years after his Piano Concerto in a minor,  Grieg's sole String Quartet  came out of a period of depression and artistic turmoil. Using themes from his earlier work, "The Fiddlers", Op. 25, Grieg found a means to unify the four movements and, thus, began work on his Quartet in g minor.

The Allegro molto ed agitato is filled with great passion and

energy and is lovingly complemented by  sweet interludes of the first haunting theme of the Andante juxtaposed with a forceful, marcato development of the same theme.  The second movement, Romanze, begins with a pastoral theme in 6/8 time but we are soon propelled into a passionate rhapsody.  Grieg continuously alternates between the two but concludes peacefully to contrast sharply with the ensuing Intermezzo, which is filled with vigorous syncopations.  The Finale begins with a restatement of the opening theme of the first movement but its peaceful conclusion marks the beginning of the Saltarello--an Italian dance in 6/8 time.  Grieg's Saltarello is very much like a tarantella with the dizzying frenzy of whirring melodic lines, and the entire work notably ends in g major--the composer seemingly having come to terms with his personal demons and with his only opus in the quartet medium;  we are left with the memorable images of the stark glaciers and the beauty of his homeland--the land of fjords.

–Claire Sakai Hazzard