In 1785, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote a set of six string quartets which he dedicated to his friend and mentor Joseph Haydn. Arguably the most popular of these six is this one in C major, also called the "Dissonant Quartet". It is arguably Mozart's finest quartet writing, and certainly one of the most beloved pieces in the entire chamber music repertoire.

The inspiration for the six "Haydn" quartets (the others being K.387, K.421, K.428, K.458, and K.464) came from Haydn's opus 33 set. The year that these Haydn quartets were published, there is evidence that Mozart and Haydn (along with fellow composers Karl Dittersdorf and Johann Vanhall) participated together in several quartet performances. It is during these episodes that Mozart was able to hear and grasp the style of Haydn's quartet writing: the musical discourse of four equal partners. It was again at one of these get-togethers that Mozart unveiled his set of quartets dedicated to Haydn. Upon hearing this music, Haydn remarked that Mozart "is the greatest composer known to me in person or by name. He has taste and, what is more, the most profound knowledge of composition."

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Analysis:

The analysis of this piece has been split up by movement:

• 1) Adagio. Allegro
• 2) Andante cantabile
• 3) Menuetto. Allegretto
• 4) Allegro molto

User Submissions:

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Name: Amelia
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Date: Sunday, April 20, 2003 at 13:36:40
Text: I'm very interested in this quartet, especially the first movement. I think it relates a lot to a similar first movement by Haydn in Op33,#3. Obviously, Mozart was heavily influenced by Haydn yet emerged with his own distinctive style. I'm a huge fan of both composers. If anyone would like to share ideas with me about this please feel free to email me, I'd love to discuss!! Amelia Kent, UK

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