Our finale won’t be a sparkling rondo (though there will be one or two of those flitting around the place, as well). No, none of that flighty, flibberti- gibbet, half-tipsy, giggly stuff for us; we’re going to end with dignity and nobility; we’re going to end with Haydn’s variations on what was (and is), maybe, his most famous composition: Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser (aka The Emperor’s Hymn, aka Glorious things of thee are spoken, aka the German national anthem). Can’t get much more dignified than that, can you?
Op. 76 No. 3, C Emperor – 2. Poco adagio; cantabile (theme)
Haydn: String Quartets (complete) – Angeles String Quartet
Angeles String Quartet
Label:Philips
Catalogue No:4646502
Series: Collectors Edition
Discs: 21
Of the three quartets written after Op. 76, two (Op. 77) are dedicated to Prince Lobkowicz (who also commissioned Beethoven’s Op. 18 set) while the third, published as Op. 103, is unfinished; Haydn attached his most recent visiting card to this incomplete score, it read:
Gone is all my strength, old and weak am I.
The three final quartets:
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To view the score of Op. 76 No. 3 without downloading click below
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The Art of Listening 