String Quartets Book III op. 17-The autograph score of the Quartets op. 17 was in the possession of the imperial police chief Johann Nepomuk Neuwirth whose widow gave it to the Wiener Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in 1875. It is said thatHaydn ?used to play the viola in quartet rehearsals? at the Neuwirth?s house. Whether the Quartets op. 17 were composed for these gatherings can no longer be ascertained. However even today they stillhave a fixed place amongst the music of all chamber music friends and in particular nos. 4 5 and 6 which are very different to the divertimento style of the early quartets are played again and again.

Joseph Haydn's String Quartets Op.20 were composed in 1772 according to the date of the autographs. They are the last group in the series of string quartets with the opus numbers 9 17 20 composed a long time after the earlystring quartets in the years around 1770. Following these compositions several years were to pass before once again before Haydn wrote his next string quartets for a long while following completion of Op.20 does not necessarilyimply that he was having a 'crisis'; it might have had to do with the increasing load on Haydn occasioned by the regular performances at the Eszterhaza opera house leaving him with little time for other activities.

Joseph Haydn's Die Sieben Letze Worte Unseres Erlösers Am Kreuze. The Seven Last Words of Our Savior on the Cross' Op.51 In 1785 or '86 Haydn received a commission from the Canon of Cadiz for what would serve essentially as 'incidental' music for a Good Friday service (akin to the one centering upon The Stations of the Cross although there are twelve of those) in which the celebrant recites in turn each of Christ's utterances on the way to Calvary then gives a 'reflection' thereupon followed by music to accompany a brief interval of silent congregational prayer. To this Haydn added an introductory movement and a conclusiondepicting the earthquake that followed the passing of Jesus. The structure of the work then is: Introduction -- 'Father forgive them for they know not what they do.' -- Sonata 1 -- 'Verily I say unto thee today shalt thou be with me in Paradise.' -- Sonata 2 -- 'Woman behold thy son.' -- Sonata 3 -- 'My God my God why hast thou forsaken me?' -- Sonata 4 -- 'I thirst.' -- Sonata 5 -- 'It is finished.' -- Sonata 6 -- 'Father into thy hands I commend my spirit.' -- Sonata 7 -- Conclusion (Earthquake)