2 - Development of the genre

Summary

Three sets of six

It was the best part of a decade before Haydn was able, with Op. 9, to resume the writing of string quartets, and the results differed so radically from the earlier ‘cassations’ that there seems to be little common ground between the two groups of works. Indeed, near the end of his life Haydn said that he wished his quartets to be remembered as starting with this set from the years 1768–70. By this time Haydn had been in the service of Prince Nicolaus Esterházy for some nine years, and full Capellmeister since 1766. He may therefore have achieved sufficient status and security in his position to be able to undertake an independent venture: in the first instance these quartets were written for himself, and not at the behest of the Prince. Nicolaus constantly demanded new works for the baryton (forming a trio with viola and violoncello), new symphonies, and church music, but none of Haydn's string quartets was to be in any sense commissioned until the 1790s. For all that, Haydn may well have become aware of the enormous success of his early quartets, and the presence of the brilliant leader of the Esterháza orchestra, Luigi Tomasini, would have provided a further incentive to take up the form again. On the other hand, Haydn must also have learnt of the many hostile critical reactions to these early works; as Griesinger informs us, they deplored the ‘debasement of music to common fooling’ (a complaint that was to be echoed many times throughout Haydn's career).