Papa Haydn wrote sixty-nine string quartets during his lifetime. Is it any wonder that he is considered to be the Father of the genre? Over the years (230), one of them has emerged as the most popular with audiences and considered by pundits to be his best: The Lark. He wrote it in 1790 at the height of his artistic powers but during one of the worst years of his life. For thirty years, he had been Prince Nicholas’s esteemed and feted music director at the Prince’s opulent palace east of Vienna. But both the Prince and his wife died that year, leaving everything to their clueless son, Prince Anton. No friend of the arts or music, Anton disbanded one of the best orchestras in Europe and sent Haydn packing, albeit with a handsome pension. What at first looked like a spate of bad luck turned into an invigorating chapter in his career. He went to London where he became an instant celebrity. Moreover, he composed 12 exquisite symphonies, his London Symphonies to go with his 92 others for a total of 104. By comparison, Mozart wrote 41, Beethoven 9, and Brahms just 4.
Haydn did not attach The Lark to this quartet. No one knows who did, but we know why. The violin melody that opens and dominates the first movement soars and sings like a bird on the wing. Why a lark? Because unlike most birds who sing only when perched, larks sing while in flight, and their cheerful song is extraordinarily melodious. Think of the second movement as a meditation with a momentary twinge of sadness. The third is a witty minuet, a dance full of unexpected rhythmic and harmonic tricks and turns. One observer called the finale a “hectic hubbub, a romp that races through the countryside at breakneck speed.” Hang on, he wasn’t kidding.
If you want to know where Beethoven came from, study Haydn, Beethoven’s teacher until teacher caught student cheating on his homework. Some call Beethoven “Haydn on steroids”, and with good reason. Others say that Beethoven is “Haydn gone mad”. I think they’re all right. Haydn is subtle, Ludwig in your face.