String Quartet no 22 in G major, opus 17, no 5 – Joseph Haydn
by richibi
“Rhythm“ (1956)
________
before I return to string quartets, and
Haydn, here’s a divertimento, Mozart’s
First, I couldn’t let it pass, it sparkles
from the very first instant
Mozart himself confounded his musical
definitions, he called his early string
quartets divertimenti, before they were
compiled by his own bibliographer,
Köchel
notably, however, divertimentos were
meant to be joyful, light, fluffy, no, in
other words, adagios
this might create the problem of
confusing movements, however, that
have similar tempos, blending one
indistinguishably into the others, so
that no particular theme stands out,
you leave the show not singing
dance rhythms help that, it’s not too
hard to tell a jive when it follows a
tango, or a polka, it’s something in
our blood
but the more abstract tempos –
andante, allegro, adagio – as musical
prompts are cerebral concepts, and
their airs more suited to singing, not
dancing
from the Baroque suites – sets of
musical dances, gavottes, minuets,
and so on, which were the model
for the string quartets, and indeed
divertimentos of the later 18th
Century – chamber music was
evolving towards a more abstract
level of musical conversation
Haydn and Mozart were setting up
the grammar for that, the Classical
structure, and letting others take
care of the nomenclature
note that though the performance
here is electric, the piece, one you’d
even pay for, you’ll wonder if Mozart
even changed the music, or was it
only the rhythms he altered, his
middle andante wasn’t slow enough
to make a dent in the general flow,
the tenor, the mode, the mood of
the composition
here’s Haydn’s String Quartet no 22,
opus 17, no 5, in G major to compare
though not as crackling as Mozart’s
Divertimento in this, at least, particular
production, just listen to what a little
adagio can do for you, to anchor the
entire experience in your heart
note also that the second movement
is still a minuet, a dance step
this will change
R ! chard
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