Haydn is not covered in the text, but he is a pivotal figure in the history of music. Born on the border between Austria and Hungary, he ushered in the Classical Era and established Vienna as the musical mecca it would remain for nearly two centuries. He taught, and was revered by, both Mozart and Beethoven.
Renowned for his sense of humor, Haydn composed exceptionally genial and charming music. At the same time, he was a great innovator. He created, more or less from scratch, at least three major genres of music: the symphony, the sonata, and the string quartet.
In fact, the structure of all three is essentially the same; only the instrumentation differs. A symphony is for orchestra; a sonata is for piano (and perhaps one other instrument); while a string quartet is for two violins, a viola, and a cello. But the overall format of all three is quite similar. There are four movements. The first and last movements are bigger and more ambitious, the others less demanding for the listener.
PRINT the questionnaire and fill it out as you LISTEN to the four movements of Haydn's String Quartet in E-flat major, Opus 33, No. 2, known as "The Joke."
Also, please MAKE A TEST POST on the course blog (accessible from "Blogs" in the left-hand menu on Courseworks) to be sure you know how to do it on Sunday night at 11:59! Once you do, I will delete the test.
String Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 33, No. 2, "The
Joke" (16'45)
performed by the Kodály Quartet
I: Allegro moderato (4'48)
II: Scherzo (3'42)
III: Largo e sostenuto (4'38)
IV: Finale (3'37)