CHAPTER 31
Musical Conversations:
Haydn and Classical
Chamber Music
Copyright © 2022 W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Expanding Musical Ideas
Theme: musical idea, building block
• thematic development
– melodic outline, rhythm or harmony varied
– extension, contraction, repetition
– motive: melodic or rhythmic fragment of a theme
– sequence: repeated at higher or lower level
– necessary in larger forms: clarity, coherence, logic
Classical Forms, Part 1
Absolute music: no prescribed story or text
• form important organizing element
• recognizable structures; dependent on listener’s expectations
• internal forms bind sections into artistic whole
Classical Forms, Part 2
Multimovement cycle
• three or four separate movements in one piece
• prescribed forms and tempos:
– 1st mvt: sonata-allegro form; Allegro
– 2nd mvt: theme and variations or ternary (A-B-A); Andante or
Adagio
– 3rd mvt (optional): minuet and trio, or scherzo and trio;
Allegretto or Allegro
– 4th mvt (last): sonata-allegro (or rondo, or sonata-rondo);
Allegro or Vivace
Classical Forms, Part 3
Multimovement cycle (cont.)
• instrumental works: symphonies, sonatas, concertos, string
quartets, other chamber music
• common practice of the Classical and Romantic eras
Classical Forms, Part 4
The fourth movement: rondo
• lively, upbeat movement, lighthearted theme
• recurring main theme (refrain) alternates with contrasting
episodes
• extension of ternary form (A-B-A-C-A)
Classical Forms, Part 5
Chamber music
• two to ten performers: one
player per part
• smaller ensemble, intimate
genre
– players function as a team:
equal participation
– conversations without
words
– predictable musical forms
– Haydn, central role in
evolution of the genre
Classical Forms, Part 6
Chamber music (cont.)
• string quartet: most important chamber music genre of the era
– instrumentation: violin 1, violin 2, viola, and cello
– composers’ private thoughts, profound music
– enjoyed by cultivated music lovers
• other favored combinations: duo sonata, piano trio, quintet
Haydn’s Joke Quartet, Part 1
Joseph Haydn (1732–1809)
• prolific Austrian composer
• choirboy at St. Stephen’s
Cathedral in Vienna
Haydn’s Joke Quartet, Part 2
Joseph Haydn (1732–1809) (cont.)
• Esterházys: patronage system at its best
– patrons for nearly thirty years
– Haydn directed orchestra, opera company, marionette theater,
chapel
• two trips to London, 1790s; phenomenal success
• important in development of the orchestra and string quartet
• mature Classical style: expressive harmony, structural logic,
varied moods, expanded orchestra size
• output: over 100 symphonies, 68 string quartets, concertos, 14
operas, keyboard music
Haydn’s Joke Quartet, Part 3
Op. 33 Quartets
• Op. 33, set of six quartets
• dedicated to Grand Duke Paul
of Russia, son of Catherine
the Great
• new elements introduced:
– lively scherzo replaces
minuet
– order of middle movements
sometimes inverted
Haydn’s Joke Quartet, Part 4
Joke Quartet, Op. 33, No. 2, fourth movement
• quartet named after clever fourth movement
• refrain established (A section): rounded binary form (a-a-ba-
ba)
• first violin leads conversation
• humorous coda, playful treatment
Haydn’s Joke Quartet, Part 5
LG 20: Haydn: String Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 33, No. 2
(Joke), IV (1781)
• Presto, rondo form (A-B-A-C-A + coda)
• A section: jaunty rondo theme
• B section: episode, new key, sforzando downbeats
• C section: episode, home key, violin in high range
• Coda: sudden Adagio tempo, pauses, surprise ending
Haydn’s Joke Quartet, Part 6
This concludes the Lecture PowerPoint presentation for The
Enjoyment of Music, 14th Edition, Chapter 31: Musical
Conversations: Haydn and Classical Chamber Music
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