Quartets Old and New

PROGRAM NOTES

Born into a musical family of modest means (his father was a wheelwright), Joseph Haydn was recruited to the choir of St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna at the age of 8. Once his voice broke, he spent a few years (miserable, in his own words) eking out a living through teaching, as well as with freelance work as a singer, violinist, and keyboard player, while developing his skill as a composer. It was during these lean years, however, that he made the social connections which eventually, as he gained reputation for his musicianship and compositional skill, secured him the positions that allowed him to become the Haydn we know: the increcibly prolific and inventive composer that has been named both the father of the symphony, and the father of the string quartet. His output in both forms was extensive and groundbreaking, and his quartets range from beginning to end of his long career. The Op. 50 quartets were written in 1787, towards the end of his tenure at the Esterházy court, and were Haydn's first set of quartets since his Op. 33 appeared in 1781. In the intervening years his fame had increased greatly, and he sought to capitalize on this by selling the Op. 50 quartets to publishers in both Vienna and London. In a world without copyright or royalties, Haydn was not above selling the "exclusive rights" to his symphonies or quartets to multiple publishers; in this way he could gain a greater share of the revenue generated by their sale. Op. 50 No. 6 is almost symphonic in scale, with a sublime and dramatic slow movement in D Minor and a witty Menuetto. The nickname "The Frog" refers to the bariolage technique (bowing in quick alternation between adjacent strings) that is ubiquitous in the last movement; we'll leave it to you to decide how appropriate the nickname is!

Joseph Martin Kraus was born in Germany, and received musical education as a teenager in Mannheim from members of the famous Mannheim Kapelle at the height of its glory. He went on to study law, during which time he published poetry and composed music. A fellow student who was a native of Sweden convinced him to try his luck as a musician in Stockholm, at the artistically flourishing court of Gustav III. After a couple of lean years in Stockholm he succeeded in gaining the favor of the king, who sent him on a grand four-year tour through Europe to study the latest trends in music and theater. He spent time in Germany, Austria, Italy, France, and England, meeting luminaries such as Haydn and Gluck, who both spoke very favorably of him (Haydn referred to Kraus as "one of the greatest geniuses I have ever known"). Soon after his return to Sweden he was appointed to the court as hovkapellmästare (music director at the Royal Chapel) and gained recognition for the discipline he achieved directing the musicians in the royal orchestra. He also found success composing for public concerts and theaters in Stockholm. Sadly his life was cut short when he died from tuberculosis at the age of 36. Among the chamber music that has survived, the string quartets, published in 1784 as his Op. 1, although clearly indebted to Haydn, are imbued with Kraus' own original character and wit. The G minor quartet on our program has been nicknamed the "fugue quartet" thanks to the somewhat baroque-sounding fugue in the opening movement.

To complement these two works from the 1780s on our program, we are thrilled to present the world premiere of a newly written string quartet by Erik Aren Schroeder, commissioned by Publick Musick for these concerts. The composer has kindly provided the following note on his quartet.

"In previous centuries, composition was as essential a part of musical training as performance and improvisation. While the Historical Performance movement of today has been primarily concerned with exploring the performing styles of the past, some contemporary musicians are, increasingly, also reviving this other aspect of historical music-making by composing new music in historical styles. In my view, these compositions move beyond mere “style studies” or antiquarian reconstruction when a historical idiom is adopted not simply for the sake of imitation, but as a vehicle for individual expression. The style is not merely replicated, but appropriated and inhabited. In my own compositions, I consider historical idioms as living languages suitable for contemporary expression: they represent merely another facet of the wonderfully diverse creative possibilities available to us today.

"I am grateful to Publick Musick for commissioning a new string quartet for the opening concert of their 2026–27 season. In this piece, I have attempted to explore a personal voice within the musical language of the late eighteenth century. Along the way, however, traces emerge of the diverse styles and composers to whom I am indebted. The first movement, for instance, has something of a Romantic vein, at times approaching Mendelssohn (himself deeply indebted to the traditions that preceded him). The second movement begins unassumingly in the Classical idiom of Mozart and Haydn, but meanders through unexpected keys and harmonies as it unfolds. The third movement is a synthesis of the usual Minuet movement and a concluding Rondeau: almost Baroque in gesture, it makes reference to an earlier style that, as an Early Music performer, has been my bread and butter. At the movement’s center is a contrasting Ländler, a small postcard from Austria, the country I have called home for the past seven years. The result is a stylistic mix, reflective of the diverse musical languages which have not only influenced me, but have also been embraced into the world of Historical Performance."