The Op. 50 string quartets contain some of the purest writing Haydn ever accomplished. In this first full account of the six quartets, Dean Sutcliffe evaluates the Op. 50 in relation to Haydn's more frequently performed quartets and considers their relevance to Haydn's wider output. Each quartet is discussed in detail. The background to these works includes a brief history of the string quartet and an assessment of Haydn's earlier works in this genre and of his role at Esterhaza. The description of the composition and publication of the Op. 50 quartets is based on the evidence of Haydn's surviving letters and the recently discovered autograph copies of nos. 3 to 6--a discovery that is vividly documented here for the first time.
Biografie (Julian Rushton)
Julian Rushton is the Emeritus West Riding Professor of Music at the University of Leeds. He serves on the editorial boards of Journal of the Royal Music Association, Music Analysis, and Eighteenth-Century Music. He is the general editor of the Cambridge Music Handbook series and is the former president of the Royal Musical Association. He has published widely, especially on Mozart and Berlioz.
