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Joseph Haydn

String Quartets, Op. 50

Op. 50

The String Quartets, Op. 50 (Hob. III/44–49, L. 36–41), were composed by Joseph Haydn in 1787. The set of six quartets was dedicated to King Frederick William II of Prussia. For this reason the set is commonly known as the Prussian Quartets. Haydn sold the set to the Viennese firm Artaria and, without Artaria's knowledge, to the English publisher William Forster. Forster published it as Haydn's Opus 44. Haydn's autograph manuscripts for Nos. 3 to 6 of the set were discovered in Melbourne, Australia, in 1982.
Each of the six quartets in the set has four movements, and in each case the movements are ordered in a conventional fast–slow–minuet–fast sequence.
The set was Haydn's first complete set of quartets since the Opus 33 set of 1781. While the Opus 33 set was apt for broad public consumption, the Opus 50 set is more serious and experimental. It is perhaps because of the Opus 50's intellectual character that other sets among Haydn's mature quartets have received more attention from performers.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Movements

  1. String Quartet in B-flat major, op. 50 no. 1, Hob. III:44: String Quartet in B-flat major, op. 50 no. 1, Hob. III:44: I. Allegro
  2. String Quartet in B-flat major, op. 50 no. 1, Hob. III:44: String Quartet in B-flat major, op. 50 no. 1, Hob. III:44: II. Adagio non lento
  3. String Quartet in B-flat major, op. 50 no. 1, Hob. III:44: String Quartet in B-flat major, op. 50 no. 1, Hob. III:44: III. Menuetto. Poco allegretto
  4. String Quartet in B-flat major, op. 50 no. 1, Hob. III:44: String Quartet in B-flat major, op. 50 no. 1, Hob. III:44: IV. Finale. Vivace
  5. String Quartet in C major, op. 50 no. 2, Hob. III:45: String Quartet in C major, op. 50 no. 2, Hob. III:45: I. Vivace
  6. String Quartet in C major, op. 50 no. 2, Hob. III:45: String Quartet in C major, op. 50 no. 2, Hob. III:45: II. Adagio. Cantabile
  7. String Quartet in C major, op. 50 no. 2, Hob. III:45: String Quartet in C major, op. 50 no. 2, Hob. III:45: III. Menuetto. Allegretto
  8. String Quartet in C major, op. 50 no. 2, Hob. III:45: String Quartet in C major, op. 50 no. 2, Hob. III:45: IV. Finale. Vivace assai
  9. String Quartet in E-flat major, op. 50 no. 3, Hob. III:46: String Quartet in E-flat major, op. 50 no. 3, Hob. III:46: I. Allegro con brio
  10. String Quartet in E-flat major, op. 50 no. 3, Hob. III:46: String Quartet in E-flat major, op. 50 no. 3, Hob. III:46: II. Andante più tosto allegretto
  11. String Quartet in E-flat major, op. 50 no. 3, Hob. III:46: String Quartet in E-flat major, op. 50 no. 3, Hob. III:46: III. Menuetto. Allegretto
  12. String Quartet in E-flat major, op. 50 no. 3, Hob. III:46: String Quartet in E-flat major, op. 50 no. 3, Hob. III:46: IV. Finale. Presto
  13. String Quartet in F-sharp minor, op. 50 no. 4, Hob. III:47: String Quartet in F-sharp minor, op. 50 no. 4, Hob. III:47: I. Allegro spirituoso
  14. String Quartet in F-sharp minor, op. 50 no. 4, Hob. III:47: String Quartet in F-sharp minor, op. 50 no. 4, Hob. III:47: II. Andante
  15. String Quartet in F-sharp minor, op. 50 no. 4, Hob. III:47: String Quartet in F-sharp minor, op. 50 no. 4, Hob. III:47: III. Menuetto. Poco allegretto
  16. String Quartet in F-sharp minor, op. 50 no. 4, Hob. III:47: String Quartet in F-sharp minor, op. 50 no. 4, Hob. III:47: IV. Finale. Fuga. Allegro moderato
  17. String Quartet in F major, op. 50 no. 5, Hob. III:48: String Quartet in F major, op. 50 no. 5, Hob. III:48: I. Allegro moderato
  18. String Quartet in F major, op. 50 no. 5, Hob. III:48: String Quartet in F major, op. 50 no. 5, Hob. III:48: II. Poco adagio
  19. String Quartet in F major, op. 50 no. 5, Hob. III:48: String Quartet in F major, op. 50 no. 5, Hob. III:48: III. Menuetto. Allegretto
  20. String Quartet in F major, op. 50 no. 5, Hob. III:48: String Quartet in F major, op. 50 no. 5, Hob. III:48: IV. Finale. Vivace
  21. String Quartet in D major, op. 50 no. 6, Hob. III:49: String Quartet in D major, op. 50 no. 6, Hob. III:49: I. Allegro
  22. String Quartet in D major, op. 50 no. 6, Hob. III:49: String Quartet in D major, op. 50 no. 6, Hob. III:49: II. Poco adagio
  23. String Quartet in D major, op. 50 no. 6, Hob. III:49: String Quartet in D major, op. 50 no. 6, Hob. III:49: III. Menuetto. Allegretto
  24. String Quartet in D major, op. 50 no. 6, Hob. III:49: String Quartet in D major, op. 50 no. 6, Hob. III:49: IV. Finale. Allegro con spirito

Elsewhere

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