1. NAM 16: STRING QUARTET “THE JOKE”, MOVEMENT 4 (HAYDN)

2. LEARNING OBJECTIVE To understand the context and performing forces used in “The Joke” Begin to analyse musical features to understand “The Joke”

3. JOSEPH HAYDN 1732-1804 – Classical era “Father of the string quartet” Haydn’s contribution to the development of the string quartet saw him transform it from “background” music in his earlier compositions, to a high art form in his final works. This group of quartets were a comission for the Viennese publishing firm Artaria, who issued them in 1782. As chamber music, they were intended for small, private audiences Played by 4 accomplished players.

4. WHY HAS IT BEEN NICKNAMED “THE JOKE”? Listen to the composition without the score and imagine you are hearing it for the first time… What is happening in the music for it to be nicknamed “The Joke”?

5. WHY HAS IT BEEN NICKNAMED “THE JOKE”? The ‘joke’ here is played on the audience in this witty movement Surprising twists, disconcerting silences and a concluding ‘false start’, making applause a risky activity for a contemporary audience! Or is the ‘joke’ also on those amateur ‘beat driven’ performers who were a source of frustration to the composer and who would find the carefully planned ensemble challenges of the final page quite daunting? Naughty Haydn! There are also other musical reasons for why it has been nicknamed “The Joke” that will become more apparent as we go on…

6. PERFORMING FORCES AND THEIR HANDLING The Joke, like all string quartets, is for Violin I, Violin II, Viola and Cello. All blend well together and offers full 4 part harmony without the support of a continuo. The first violinist regularly plays higher than the second (although both players have instruments of the same specification and range). Only one player is required for each part. No doubling is expected as with string parts in symphonies, not even doubling of cello by double bass an octave lower.

7. PERFORMING FORCES AND THEIR HANDLING String-playing techniques ? Play with the bow (arco) throughout – no pizzicato, but frequent staccato = light playful effect. Double stopping (where an instrument plays two notes at once) is used in two passages – notably in the brief Adagio near the end for greater weight and mock solemnity. Dynamics ? The two episodes (bars 36 and 107) are forte (f). Sforzando (sf) emphasises some strong beats in the first. Each phrase of the Adagio starts imposingly at f. Many other passages are p, with some use of crescendo and diminuendo The ‘joke’ ending is at a very subtle pp

8. TEXTURE? Largely four-part Usually each instrument is independent – doubling at unison and octave is not a feature However, violins have some parallel 3rds, 6ths and 10ths (e.g. in the middle of the opening section or ‘refrain’, from bar 9) There are three parts in the second phrase of the refrain (first heard in bars 3-4) Homophonic Very occasional chordal or homorhythmic movement (all parts sharing the same rhythm, as at the two pause chords in bars 139-140) Usually Violin I melody dominates, other parts accompanying with the same rhythm (e.g. at the beginning) – this is melody- dominated homophony.

9. TEXTURE CONTINUED…. In bars 112-116 (from the second episode) other parts take up the melody just heard in Violin I. This is not strict imitation, however, because successive entries do not genuinely overlap. In the bars of three-part texture Viola functions as the bass instrument in lieu of Cello (e.g., bars 3-4). Double-stopping automatically creates a denser texture – e.g. five parts in bar 151 and six parts in bar 149. Pedals are common, either as a sustained note (bars 87-92) or as reiterated notes (bars 128-131). Unusually, in bars 128-131 the textural division seems to pair off inner (2nd Violin & Viola) and outer (1st Violin and Cello) parts. What then ensues in bars 132-135 is the three upper parts working in partnership whilst Cello is isolated.

10. STRUCTURE Rondo form – a main section in the tonic, called the refrain, alternates with contrasting sections, usually in related keys, called episodes. Unusual as the refrain gets shorter each time it appears… Bars 0-36ARefrain (with repeats 36-70BEpisode 71-107ARefrain 107-140CEpisode 140-172A1Refrain (altered)

11. STRUCTURE The refrain (A) has a structure called rounded binary form because the material from the first section comes round again near the end. Final A1 section includes unsettling fragmentation of the main theme B and C sections start with almost identical melodic phrases in violins B sections – harmonic instability as there is no resolution during the pedal note passages C remains in Eb major, with the end bars 139-140 sounding similar to bars 27-28 Each episode ends with an inconclusive dominant 7 th chord = doesn’t feel like it finishes. Adds dramatic impact of the bizarre, fragmented final refrain. Bars 0-36ARefrain (with repeats 36-70BEpisode 71-107ARefrain 107-140CEpisode 140-172A1Refrain (altered)

12. MELODY Haydn’s melodic style is typical of the Classical style. Features worthy of comment are: ● Periodic phrasing – look no further than the opening 8 bars to find a perfect (2 + 2 + 4) Classical phrase structure. ● Use of scale and arpeggio patterns – e.g. bars 17-21 are a good example of alternation between them ● Some chromaticism within a mainly diatonic melody – e.g. the phrase at bars 9-12 ● Melodic dissonance – for example, what would have been a rather bland arpeggio in bars 18 and 20 is transformed by the inclusion of a surprising strong beat A natural ● Passing notes – these vary from diatonic, unaccented (e.g. the D in bar 3) to chromatic, accented (e.g., the B natural in bar 13) ● Auxiliary notes – the A natural in bar 4 is a chromatic lower auxiliary note ● échappée – the G in bar 3 is an example of one of these unusual notes ● Ornamentation – quite limited in this movement although acciaccaturas do make a number of appearances, the first one being in bar 7 ● Articulation – the crisp and buoyant nature of Haydn’s melody is brought alive by short slurs and much use of staccato.

13. MELODY Haydn is known for his monothematic approach to writing melodies Music based on one theme

14. MELODY This is how Haydn further uses this opening theme:

15. AND FURTHER STILL

16. SUMMARISE Flash cards Mind maps Bullet points

17. HARMONY Stylistic harmony used by Haydn: ● functional harmony ● tonic and dominant chords used very frequently – e.g. the opening phrase consists of a straightforward I-V-I ● frequent perfect cadences ● pedals ● limited use of chromatic harmony – e.g. a diminished triad in bar 69 ● harmonic sequences – e.g. bars 59-61 ● suspensions – quite rare in this movement, but one can be found in bar 14 (the Bb).

18. HARMONY Some unusual harmony used with the purpose of creating a humorous effect (A JOKE!): ● a dominant 7th chord left ‘hanging in mid air’ in bar 28 before the return of the main theme ● extended dominant pedals on p. 203, with chords Ic and V regularly placed above, yet a desired key-affirming cadence is never reached. The sf markings only exaggerate the sense of exasperation. Haydn then seems embarrassed that he was unable to make up his mind, and then decides to speed up the harmonic rhythms at bar 59 (1 chord per bar turns in to 2 chords per bar). ● a mock-dramatic dominant 9th chord at the start of the Adagio.

19. HARMONY Harmonic tension (such as dissonance or chromatic notes) are heard and over in a flash 8 bar statement has a sense of gradually increasing tension followed by carefree release in concluding bars. Analyse the opening 8 bars and work out any non-melodic notes. Do they last very long? Adds to the nickname “The Joke” further

20. TONALITY Haydn’s functional tonality is reinforced by the use of perfect cadences and pedals (both dominant and tonic versions can be found). Each rondo section is centred on the tonic key of E flat major and elsewhere Haydn restricts himself to modulations to related keys. The following are some examples.

21. TONALITY Avoids a move to C minor (which would be an obvious choice) Focuses mainly on the dominant – Bb major – underpins a joyful mood. Pedal – bars 16-28 – could be seen to be centred around Bb (the dominant). However, could also be described as being in Eb major, with secondary dominant influences, causing chromaticism. Again…..the banter that Haydn is throwing at you is unreal!

22. METRE AND RHYTHM Unusual for a rondo movement to have changes in metre, but of course, Haydn has done this. Metre gets interrupted at the Adagio in bar 148. Rhythm – simple and dominated by crotchets (often dotted) and quavers. Longer notes appear in the lower parts. 1 st violin has a number of passages with endless and “breathless” streams of quavers, e.g. bars 54-67. Little surprises here and there…..

23. METRE AND RHYTHM B section (first episode) = starts with a 2 bar phrase which is then repeated identically. The surprise = last few notes lead into the beginning of the dominant pedals (discussed before). THE JOKE: it makes us feel disorientated. We want it to sound like the end of a phrase, but it is also the start of a new phrase and section. This kind of overlapping is known as “elision”. Thanks. Haydn. Bar 41 = accenting what seems like the “wrong” bars. THE JOKE: playing with our rhythmic and metric senses. STOP IT HAYDN!

24. METRE AND RHYTHM The Adagio begins with an……. Anacrusis! – common throughout the movement. Bar 149 follows with on beat demisemiquavers = bold Lombardic (Scotch Snap) rhythm. The use of silence in the concluding Presto. His most daring prank of the movement.

25. HOW IS THIS PIECE TYPICAL OF THE CLASSICAL STYLE? Periodic phrasing – pairs of equal length phrases – Q&A Clear harmonic progressions, centred around I and V7, with regular cadences to define the key Other progressions such as II-V7-I in bars 35-36 are also a feature Appogiaturas Texture – Melody dominated homophony

26. QUESTIONS In harmony, what is a pedal? In which bars does a pedal occur (a) in the viola part, and (b) in the violin 1 part? How do these differ? What is double stopping? Where is it used on page 206 of NAM? What is meant by harmonic rhythm? In what way is the harmonic rhythm in bars 9-28 different from that in the first 8 bars? Which note in the first-violin part of bar 5 is chromatic? In a rondo, what is the difference between the refrain and an episode? Explain the precise meaning of the letters G.P. and the figure 3 in bars 167-169. What term describes the way in which Haydn’s use of harmony is similar to that of Corelli? In NAM 15, Corelli depended on a continuo instrument to fill out the harmony. Why did Haydn not need to use a continuo instrument in this work?