Early String Quartets-The Weinzierl castle in Lower Austria which still stands today can be considered to be the birthplace of a chamber music genre which is firmly established in our present-day repertoire. The young Haydn was invited to spend sometime at this place by a wealthy musical friend and often met up with the steward at the castle the castle priest and the cellist Anton Albrechtsberger to make music. Although his first two works for '2 violins viola and bass'still have five movements their musical value establishes the success of the string quartet in its own right.Also available as part of a 12 part set including all Haydn's works for String Quartet Cat. No. HN9216

String Quartets Book XI op. 77 und 103-These are the last of the nearly seventy quartets in Haydn?s oeuvre. Originally he intended to write a set of six quartets as so often in the past but at the time they were written in 1803 Haydn?s healthwas so poor that he could not fully satisfy the commission from Prince Lobkowitz. Instead he published only two complete quartets as op. 77. Later he allowed an incomplete work consisting of two middle movements to appear as op.103 adding to the print the portentous words: ?Gone is all my strength old and weak am I?. Musically however these quartets are anything but weak: they represent the aged composer virtually at the zenith of his powers.Haydn even went so far as to call op. 77 no. 2 his ?most beautiful string quartet?.

The String Quartets in a Slipcase-All of Joseph Haydn's 69 string quartets in 12 paperback Urtext study editions collected together in a slipcase.All of the study scores minutely follow the musical text contained in the uncontested reference edition by theJoseph Haydn Institute in Cologne whose scholarly critical Haydn Complete Edition is also published by Henle Publishers. Each quartet opus reflects the latest in scholarly research and is introduced by an informative preface. Themusical text fulfils the highest aesthetic demands.A welcome present for every chamber music fan and the basis for every serious quartet player who wishes to play or study these works.

These are the last of the nearly seventy quartets in Haydn?s oeuvre. Originally he intended to write a set of six quartets as so often in the past but at the time they were written in 1803 Haydn?s healthwas so poor that he could not fully satisfy the commission from Prince Lobkowitz. Instead he published only two complete quartets as Op. 77. Later he allowed an incomplete work consisting of two middle movementsto appear as op. 103 adding to the print the portentous words: ?Gone is all my strength old and weak am I.? Musically however these quartets are anything but weak: they represent the aged composer virtually at the zenith ofhis powers. Haydn even went so far as to call Op. 77 no. 2 his ?most beautiful String quartet?.