16. Haydn. String Quartet in E flat, Op.33, No. 2, The Joke : movement IV

Transcription

1 16. Haydn String Quartet in E flat, Op.33, N. 2, The Jke : mvement IV (Fr Unit 6: Further Musical Understanding) Backgrund infrmatin The string quartets f Jseph Haydn ( ) span his creative life and it has been argued that ne f his greatest achievements is as the Father f the String Quartet. Given this nickname, it may cme as a surprise that Alessandr Scarlatti had the innvative cncept f a Snata fr fur instruments: tw vilins, vila, and cell withut harpsichrd sme half a century previusly. Haydn s cntributin t the develpment f the string quartet was, hwever, unparalleled; he transfrmed the medium frm the lightweight backgrund music fund in his Opus 1 quartets t the high art frm it became in his final wrks. With the set f six Op. 33 Quartets, we are almst at the midway pint in Haydn s string quartet utput. These quartets were nt, as is cmmnly believed, cmpsed fr the Esterhazy Curt but were a cmmissin fr the Viennese publishing firm Artaria, which issued them in An inventive eighteenth-century marketing ply t bst sales may accunt fr the bast that the pieces were f a new and entirely special kind. As chamber music, they were intended fr private r semi-private perfrmance by fur accmplished players. Opus 33 has attracted its fair share f nicknames. The unusual use f scherz mvements instead f minuets resulted in Gli Scherzi and a picture f the frnt cver f the scre generated the name Jungfernquartette ( maiden quartets) but the dedicatee, Grand Duke Paul f Russia, whse wife heard the first perfrmance in her Viennese apartments n Christmas Day 1781, brught abut the mst cmmnly heard title, the Russian quartets. The mvement with which we are cncerning urselves here has caused the secnd quartet f the set t be labelled, The Jke. The jke here is mst bviusly played n the audience in this witty mvement, with the surprising twists, discncerting silences and a cncluding false start, making applause a risky activity fr a cntemprary audience! Or is the jke als n thse amateur beat driven perfrmers wh were a surce f frustratin t the cmpser and wh wuld find the carefully planned ensemble challenges f the final page quite daunting? H. C. Rbbins Landn came up with the thery that Haydn s cmmencement f an affair with the yung mezz-spran Luigia Plzelli is the real reasn behind the sheer ptimism and cheerfulness f the music. Whether yu accept this r any f the ther theries, Mzart s cmment that Haydn culd amuse and shck, aruse laughter and deep emtin, as n ne else is a cmment n ne listening t this wnderful mvement culd pssibly disagree with.

2 Perfrmance frces and their handling The Jke, like all string quartets, is fr Vilin I, Vilin II, Vila and Cell. The first vilinist regularly plays higher than the secnd (althugh bth players have instruments f the same specificatin and range). Only ne player is required fr each part. N dubling is expected as with string parts in symphnies, nt even dubling f cell by duble bass an ctave lwer. N keybard cntinu instrument is required as in ne precursr f the Classical string quartet, the Barque tri snata fr tw (cnstantly-crssing) vilins and cell. String-playing techniques All instruments play with the bw (arc) thrughut there is n pizzicat, but frequent staccat helps create the light playful effect. Duble stpping (where an instrument plays tw ntes at nce) is used in tw passages ntably in the brief Adagi near the end fr greater weight and mck slemnity. Dynamics The tw episdes (bars 36 and 107) are frte (f). Sfrzand (sf) emphasises sme strng beats in the first. Each phrase f the Adagi starts impsingly at f. Many ther passages are p, with sme use f crescend and diminuend but the jke ending is at a very subtle pp as is the last cntinuus hearing f the first part f the rnd refrain (bars ). The texture is: Largely fur-part Texture Usually each instrument is independent dubling at unisn and ctave is nt a feature Hwever, vilins have sme parallel 3rds, 6ths and 10ths (as in the middle f the pening sectin r refrain, frm bar 9) There are three parts in the secnd phrase f the refrain, first heard in bars 3-4) Hmphnic Very ccasinal chrdal r hmrhythmic mvement (all parts sharing the same rhythm, as at the tw pause chrds in bars ) Usually Vilin I meldy dminates, ther parts accmpanying with the same rhythm (e.g. at the beginning) this is meldy-dminated hmphny. Textural exceptins and ntewrthy pints are as fllws. In bars (frm the secnd episde) ther parts take up the meldy just heard in Vilin I. This is nt strict imitatin, hwever, because successive entries d nt genuinely verlap. In the bars f three-part texture Vila functins as the bass instrument in lieu f Cell (e.g., bars 3-4).

3 The afrementined duble-stpping autmatically creates a denser texture five parts in bar 151 and six parts in bar 149. Pedals are cmmn, either as a sustained nte (bars 87-92) r as reiterated ntes (bars ). Unusually, in bars the textural divisin seems t pair ff inner (2 nd Vilin & Vila) and uter (1 st Vilin and Cell) parts. What then ensues in bars is the three upper parts wrking in partnership whilst Cell is islated. Structure When cnsidering structure, it is wrth remembering that Haydn was a cmpser f astunding imaginative genius and nt a music analyst. That is why this rnd frm mvement is pen t mre than ne interpretatin. The mst cmmnly agreed and persuasive analysis can be fund in the table belw. Bars 0-36 A Refrain(with repeats) Bars B Episde Bars A Refrain Bars C Episde Bars A 1 Refrain (substantially altered) Als wrthy f nte is the internal structure f the A sectin as runded binary frm, clearly delineated by the repeat marks n its first appearance at bars It wuld nt be Haydn if there were nt sme anmalies thrwn in fr gd measure. Particularly prblematic is the final A 1 sectin which includes an incngruus adagi and much unsettling fragmentatin f the main theme. Analytical cnsideratin shuld als be given t the fllwing pints. Althugh the tw episdes are labelled B and C they d begin with almst identical meldic phrases in 1 st Vilin (2 nd Vilin is identical). Each episde seems t have a rather transitry feel; in the case f B it is because f harmnic instability (a lack f reslutin during the pedal nte passages) and C remains in E flat majr with little feeling f nvelty. The end f the C sectin (bars ) bears t clse a resemblance t bars in the centre f A fr it t be anything ther than a direct reference. Each Episde ends with an incnclusive Dminant 7 th Chrd creating bth a lack f finality and emphasising the musical identity and cmpleteness f the Refrains all part f a subtle plan which eventually adds t the dramatic impact f the bizarre, fragmented final Refrain. The mvement als shws evidence f Haydn s mnthematicism. As we shall see when cnsidering meldy, mst f the thematic material can be derived frm a few small mtivic units with the result that structural cntrasts are significantly diluted.

4 Meldy Haydn s meldic style in this piece is as typical f the Classical style as ne culd ever hpe t find. Features wrthy f cmment are: peridic phrasing lk n further than the pening 8 bars t find a perfect ( ) Classical phrase structure much use f scale and arpeggi patterns bars are a gd example f alternatin between them sme chrmaticism within a mainly diatnic meldy the phrase at bars 9-12 exemplifies this meldic dissnance fr example, what wuld have been a rather bland arpeggi in bars 18 and 20 is transfrmed by the inspired inclusin f a surprising strng beat A natural passing ntes these vary frm diatnic, unaccented (e.g. the D in bar 3) t chrmatic, accented (e.g., the B natural in bar 13) auxiliary ntes the A natural in bar 4 is a chrmatic lwer auxiliary nte échappée the G in bar 3 qualifies as ne f these unusual ntes rnamentatin quite limited in this mvement althugh acciaccaturas d make a number f appearances, the first ne being in bar 7 articulatin the crisp and buyant nature f Haydn s meldy is brught alive by shrt slurs and much use f staccat. As mentined abve, Haydn is particularly renwned fr adpting a mnthematic apprach. The pening phrase can be analysed as cmprising three thematic units: X, Y & Z. It des nt take t much imaginatin t relate every ther meldic unit in the piece t ne f these initial mtives. Here are clear examples f hw Haydn utilises and transfrms each mtive. X Bar One tne lwer and rising a tne instead f a semitne Bar Bars Inversin Chrmatic rising sequence Y Bar 3 2 Inversin Bar 6 Six ntes rise instead f just three

5 Bars Persistent repetitin cmprising shrt-term descending sequences cntained within a lngerterm rising sequence Z Bar 18 1 Arpeggi rises instead f falling Bars Repetitins in the secnd half f each bar as a diminished triad instead f a majr triad Harmny As ne wuld expect, much f the harmnic language Haydn utilises adheres t cntemprary stylistic nrms, fr example: functinal harmny tnic and dminant chrds used very frequently e.g. the pening phrase cnsists f a straightfrward I-V-I frequent perfect cadences pedals sme limited use f chrmatic harmny e.g. a diminished triad in bar 69 harmnic sequences e.g. bars suspensins quite rare in this mvement, but ne can be fund in bar 14 (the Bb). In additin, there are sme features which are bth unusual and clearly designed with a humrus effect in mind: a dminant 7 th chrd left hanging in mid air in bar 28 befre the return f the main theme extended dminant pedals n p. 203, with chrds Ic and V regularly placed abve, yet a desired key-affirming cadence is never reached. The sf markings nly exaggerate the sense f exasperatin. Seemingly embarrassed by this lengthy indecisin, Haydn then, at bar 59, speeds up the harmnic rhythm frm ne chrd per bar t tw as if desperate t escape these unreslved pedals as quickly as pssible a mck-dramatic dminant 9 th chrd at the start f the Adagi. Haydn s delightful harmnic ingenuity des appear n varius levels. T appreciate the full subtlety f this mvement we must delve int the detail. The fllwing is ne example. Whilst the pening three tw-bar phrases are identical in rhythm, their harmnic treatment varies cnsiderably, particularly with regard t the harmnisatin f the first bar f each unit. Bars 1 and 3 bth cntain the afrementined échappée nte but the reslutin nte n beat tw f each bar is quite different in bar 1 Vilin 1 lands n an F, the cnsnant fifth nte f Chrd V, whereas in bar 3 Vilin 1 lands n an E flat, the far mre dissnant seventh f the prevailing harmny. This increase in harmnic tensin is taken much further in bar 5 when a B natural, meldically treated as a chrmatic retardatin, creates tremendus dissnance, reslves upwards fr the briefest mment n a C natural, and then lands n an A flat, dubling the seventh f a V7d chrd.

6 Thereafter, harmnic tensin dissipates and we are gently led back t a cmfrtable, diatnic, E flat majr by way f a cncluding and simple II-V-I prgressin in bars 7-8. Of curse, at the mvement s rapid pace all f these harmnic nuances are ver in a flash but their effect is bth carefully calculated and brilliant; they give the eight-bar statement a cmpelling sense f gradually increasing tensin fllwed by playful and carefree release in the cncluding bars. Tnality Haydn s functinal tnality is reinfrced by the afrementined perfect cadences and pedals (bth dminant and tnic versins can be fund). Each rnd sectin is firmly centred n the tnic key f E flat majr and elsewhere Haydn restricts himself t mdulatins t related keys. The fllwing are sme examples. Bars A flat majr subdminant Bars F minr supertnic minr Bars B flat majr dminant Interestingly, thrughut the mvement Haydn avids the bvius mve t C minr, the smbre relative minr, and fcuses mst attentin n numerus references t the bright dminant key, Bb majr. In this way his tnal scheme underpins the jyful md. Wrthy f cmment is the pedal which ccurs in bars At its cnclusin it is unequivcally a Dminant pedal preparing fr the return f the main theme. Its cmmencement is mre ambiguus; frm bars the harmny abve cnsists f alternatins f a Diminished Seventh chrd utline (with a rt f A natural) and a B flat majr arpeggi (with an added A natural). We culd therefre easily argue that these bars are centred n B flat, permitting it t be described as a tnic pedal at that pint; the cntrary argument is that the whle passage can be thught f as being in the key f E flat majr, with sme secndary dminant influences causing chrmaticism. Metre and rhythm It is very unusual fr a rnd mvement t incrprate any changes f metre but Haydn des s here. The prevailing cmpund duple metre is interrupted at the Adagi in bar 148 and a slw simple duple emerges fr fur bars befre resumptin f the previus metre. Rhythm is generally simple in style and dminated by crtchets (ften dtted) and quavers, with a tendency fr lnger ntes t appear in the lwer parts. The 1 st vilin has a number f passages cnsisting f endless and rather breathless streams f quavers, e.g. bars Sme rhythmic diminutin is apparent. Mtive X, quaver crtchet quaver, becmes three quavers when it recurs at bars Even rhythmically and metrically, Haydn is nt averse t thrwing in sme little surprises. The first episde, r B sectin, begins rather inncuusly at bar 37 with a tw-bar phrase which Haydn then repeats almst identically. Hwever, the last few ntes suddenly lead us

7 unexpectedly int the beginning f the series f Dminant Pedals previusly discussed. As listeners we shuld feel sme sense f metrical disrientatin here. We want bar 40 t sund like the end f a tw-bar unit and it nearly des, but it als becmes clear that it is equally the start f a new phrase and sectin. The crrect academic term fr this type f verlap is elisin. Deliberately and additinally unhelpful t ur aural stability is the subsequent sf marking in bar 41 and beynd which succeeds in accenting what seems like the wrng bars in the next series f phrases. By playing with ur rhythmic and metric sensibilities Haydn is, yet again, having ne f his little jkes. The Adagi begins with an anacrusis, smething which it has in cmmn with mst f the mvement. Bar 149 then fllws with n beat demisemiquavers creating a bld Lmbardic ( Sctch Snap ) rhythm. Finally, mentin has t be made f the astnishing use f silence in the cncluding Prest certainly this is where Haydn plays his mst daring and mischievus pranks. It is hard t imagine what the first audience must have made f the bizarre general pauses which fragment the tune, particularly the extended fur-bar silence just after the pint at bar 166 when ur musical instinct suggests that the mvement has finally run its curse. Further reading If fr yur wn interest and infrmatin yu wish t lk mre deeply int Haydn s string quartets, cnsult C. Rsen, The Classical Style (Lndn, rev. ed., 1976), pp Fr brader backgrund, plus bibligraphy, see Stanley Sadie (ed): The New Grve Dictinary f Music and Musicians (Oxfrd, 2001).