Thirty Celebrated String Quartets, Volume II: String Quartet Book

A single volume containing nearly forty quartets gives you unmatched flexibility for contest preparation, thematic programming, and sequential study of Haydn's stylistic evolution. The Kalmus Edition provides clean, readable texts that let the music speak without editorial interference, making it ideal for groups working through the quartets chronologically or selecting pieces that match their technical level and interpretive maturity.

Haydn's string quartets speak in conversational tones, with voices entering and withdrawing like people talking in a room. The music is witty without being lightweight, elegant without pretension, and emotionally direct even when the harmony grows complex. You hear the pleasure of pure instrumental writing unadorned by orchestral color.

Quartet programs preparing for ASTA or state-level competitions will find multiple options matched to their abilities across volumes. Advanced high school and college ensembles studying the development of the quartet genre benefit from having this many works in a single print edition, allowing them to trace Haydn's refinement of texture, form, and harmonic language over two decades.

• Approach the Op. 20 quartets with attention to the weight of harmonic movement; Haydn shifts between major and minor and explores remote tonal areas in ways that feel exploratory rather than settled.
• Balance transparency in the Op. 33 set by resisting the urge to oversing the folk-like themes; let the accompaniment figures breathe and maintain rhythmic lift.
• In the Op. 76 quartets, shape the longer phrases with subtle dynamic shaping rather than obvious crescendos, since Haydn's late writing depends on harmonic color and voice leading to create momentum.
• Use first violin and cello dialogue as a structural anchor in slow movements; these conversations often carry the narrative weight that sustains longer forms.

Pair Op. 76 quartets as anchor works for a chamber concert centered on late Classical string writing, or use selections from across the volume to create a lecture-demonstration on how the quartet evolved from Haydn's early innovations through his mature mastery. Contest programs benefit from having multiple options; coaches can select pieces that suit the ensemble's strengths while building technical range.

• Reading in multiple clefs across four parts simultaneously
• Maintaining rhythmic independence while tracking harmonic progression
• Identifying and executing fugal entries and stretto passages
• Balancing sustained lines against active accompaniment figures
• Responding to harmonic modulation and remote key areas
• Shaping longer phrases through voice leading rather than dynamic extremes
• Executing rapid passagework cleanly across register changes