Apparently at the very end of his life, all Haydn could really play at the keyboard was the second movement of this quartet, over and over and over and over again.
Hawk Of light Haydn was obviously playing the piano version and did indeed spend time playing around with the harmonies. By 1809, he was extremely frail and housebound, but the context was the French invasion of Vienna. Explosions had shaken Haydn’s house which left the old man seized with trembling and his servants frightened: ‘Children, don’t be frightened, for where Haydn is, no harm can come to you’, he told them. He had already been visited by a French officer who very movingly, sang to him ‘In native worth’ from The Creation’; in truth, Haydn was living in a war zone with his city being invaded. Haydn had heard ‘God save the King’ in England and seen its impact as a national song; he wrote ‘Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser’* - ie the famous melody of this quartet movement and now the German national anthem - as a patriotic people’s song for his own country. The song came first, the quartet soon after. Haydn did indeed call it a ‘Volkslied’ - people’s song - but he came to think of it as a sort of prayer; given the sound of cannon all around, it was obviously an appropriate piece to play. On 26 May 1809, he played the Emperor’s Hymn three times over, took to his bed - which he never left - and died peacefully in his sleep soon after midnight on 31 May. Hope that explains Why? * Take the first letter of each word but change the German Kaiser to the Latin equivalent Caesar - you have G E F D C; now look at the opening notes of the Violino 1 part.
@@elaineblackhurst1509 I wish there was a book about those litle story ; Stalin and the Mozzart concerto no.23, Rostropovitch and the Schubert arpeggione, Thaikovsky and the symphonia No.6, Mozzart and his unfinished Lacrymosa, Elgar and his cello concerto, that one, and probably a lot more. I'm not specially emotive, but I cried when i read your comment, thank you for that touching anecdote.
@@ApplepieFTW Legend Say when he was in his terminal State ( intestinal cancer ) he was unconscious and his familly ( His wife If I remember correctly ) played a recording of the Arpeggione and a few tears appread on Rostropovitch's closed eyes. A Musician until the very end.
The second movement is one of the best examples of true music from the classical period ever written. I love the fact that it was also called ‘Austria’ for Prince Esterhàzy and later the Austrian Empire anthem under Franz I after first being the German Holy Roman Empire anthem (with the same monarch). Later being readopted by Germany in 1922. It had to be dropped by Austria in 1945 because of allied pressure. When listening to this you don't need words (they were changed many times) or countries, it transcends all this and makes us think about humanity. It was the last tune Haydn ever played on the piano and apparently his favourite. I’m sure it influenced his young pupil Beethoven.
Martin Riley Some muddled history in your comment. To clarify: Haydn had heard ‘God Save the King’ many times whilst in England between 1791 and 1795; he was very moved by this first experience of a ‘national anthem’. On his return to Austria, in short, he wrote a national song* for his own country, ‘Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser’, which was first performed in 1797. Haydn’s Volkslied (people’s song) melody later became the German National anthem in 1922, and as is well known, remains so today; it was dropped by Austria in 1945 after some pressure from the Allies. The melody has also been used as a hymn tune. Did you spot the musical cryptogram at the start of the first movement ? (Spell out the notes of the first five notes in the 1st violin part, but change Kaiser to Caesar resulting in G E F D C). * I use the word ‘song’ in its correct Oxford English Dictionary meaning, not the horrible modern mutilation so widely mis-used across the world today where some think it can be used in place of the generic ‘work’ or ‘piece’, or the even more asinine usage instead of symphony, concerto, sonata, and so forth.
Elaine Blackhurst Thanks for your info. It seems it was the anthem of quite a few countries during the Austrian Empire. Still you’re right about it being written first for the Holy Roman Empire which then incorporated Austria where he was born.
@@elaineblackhurst1509 @Elaine Blackhurst This is the first RU-vid comment I’ve seen with a footnote! Of course, you’re right about songs: They gots to be sung.
@@starless5668 Beethoven made a few attempts at writing nationalistic songs in the manner of Haydn’s sublime ‘Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser’, they are not to be found amongst his very lengthy list of triumphs.
@@starless5668 If you search a list of antonyms to the word ‘sophisticated’, you will understand that if anything, you have inadvertently made matters worse.
riverstun Dude I just need to let you know, this made me laugh so hard. I clicked on show responses expecting a rather unfunny German joke and to my pleasant and unexpected surprise I found your comment. Please just know, this brightened my mood to an obscure level.
@@Hyde2997 Brahms wrote more than one string quartet (check his Opus 51 and Opus 67), so it’s not clear that you know what you are talking about; additionally of course, a comment about Brahms is pretty much irrelevant to append to a recording of quartets by Haydn.
4 года назад
What an excelente quartet by the great master Joseph Haydn. Thank you for the upload.
xellossaxon ‘Germany’ - which did not exist until 1871 - though Austria shared a common German language, culture and heritage. They were categorically not the same country, and they fought numerous wars against each other throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. You are trying to rewrite history by denying that Haydn - and Mozart too - we’re not Austrian; they remain separate countries today, and only Hitler enforced an Anschluss between the two countries in modern times. Your point is inaccurate, unhelpful and confusing to anyone attempting to learn about the origin of this piece of music.
@@elaineblackhurst1509 Well, Mozart actually was from Salzburg which didn't belong to Austria then and Haydn worked much in the Burgenland which then was part of Hungary.
I consider that Haydn's string quartets are superior to Mozart's. Haydn seems to be more comfortable with the medium; and, as Charles Rosen noted, Haydn's writing for the instruments is like a "conversation".
@@beethovenlovedmozart We’ll never know; Mozart may have stalled like Dittersdorf, Boccherini, Michael Haydn, Vanhal, and a string of others. Or perhaps like Joseph Haydn - who was the exception here - he may have continued a spectacular development right until the end. Chissà?
Haydn heard ‘God Save the King’ often during his time in England between 1791 and 1795; on his return to Vienna, he wrote a national song (or anthem as we would call them today) for his own country ‘Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser’ and it was first performed in 1797 and caught on immediately. Haydn then took the song and used it as the basis of the beautiful set of theme and variations that is the second movement of his string quartet Opus 76 No 3; the song came first, the quartet second. Its later history was as you say, and included being adopted into most English-language hymn books under the name ‘Austria’, and usually to the words beginning: ‘Glorious things of thee are spoken, Zion city of our God…’ In 1922, Haydn’s song was adopted as the German national anthem and as such it remains today, though after WW2, under some pressure from the Allies apparently, it was dropped by Austria.
By the way the playing is sublime, please tell those who performed this it really is fantastic, also who recorded it, thank, you although I felt the cello should have come out more in the second movement, and the other principle lines for each variation. Its hard to meet perfection ...
I am an amateur string player (violin and viola, though not at the same time!). I also have perfect pitch. This work shows the interaction between the four parts well.
Alban Alban? Berg? Oh so he done out together his own quartet? Since when. Since he ain’t alive bruh? These dude oh yeah u know he probably did yeah he was around putting down in Alban berg band. So he conducted this or played and conduct? I’ll do my research and be fun learning quest.
Beides ist richtig. Nur Österreich-Ungarn existiert in dieser Form nicht mehr Nichts ist für die Ewigkeit, außer vielleicht dieses musikalische Streichquartett 😊
