String Quartet in D Major

Haydn was in his 40th year, and on the threshold of international fame, when he completed his Op. 20 string quartets in 1772. When they were published in 1779, the title page was emblazoned with an engraving of the midday sun—hence their nickname “Sun” quartets. They left an indelible impression on Mozart, Beethoven, and even Brahms, who owned the autograph manuscripts. The D Major quartet looks forward to Haydn’s later music in its popular tunefulness, though witty twists and drama are never far away, like the little “drum” motif in the first movement. The second movement surprises by starting in the key of the first, but moving to the expressive minor mode—Haydn’s only set of variations wholly in a minor key. The last two movements return respectively to folky then impish good humour, with offbeat accents designed to wrong-foot the listener followed by some unexpected, grown-up contrapuntal conversation.