The String Quartets of Joseph Haydn

""With this latest book, they have produced yet another comprehensive and thoroughly documented addition to the Haydn literature.... Signs of the Graves' bibliographic acument are manifest. The text is meticulously referenced, directing the reader towards much of the relevant recent literature on the subject.... The main contribution in the Graves' study is their discussion of large-scale integrative elements in Haydn's quartets.... It should be noted that the analyses, which make up the main bulk of the book, are astute, inspiring, and nicely integrated into the contextual material. In addition, they are generally very well written.""--Nancy November, Notes ""The String Quartets of Joseph Haydn, by Floyd and Margaret Grave, is the first to combine the fruits of modern musicological research with a broad study of the entire repertory, underpinned by modern textual scholarship and secondary literature. It can serve as a reference work for the entire corpus, and students interested in individual works or sets can dip into the relevant sections. As the previewers of this book imply on the dust jacket, the authors' comprehensive--almost encyclopedic--knowledge of the repertory and its background is evident on almost every page.... I warmly welcome the publiction of this book for its authority, accuracy, and completeness.""--William Drabkin, Music and Letters ""Inevitably this new book by the Graves will be a standard from some time. It represents a new generation of expertise; it offers an excellent survey and a reasonably detailed discussion of the sixty-eight scores from several aspects, well informed in the scholarly literature, sensitive and inventive in the argumentation, richly documented, carefully illustrated.... This can serve as a splendid textbook in teaching Haydn's stlye, his string quartest oeuvre, the sonata fro mand other structures of the classical period.... The merits of the book can best be discovered when you read it or select subchapters, exceprts, diagrams, music examples for use in your class--this way it is indeed a goldmine.""--Lázloó Somfai, Ad Parnassum ""A comprehensive, eclectic introduction to historical, stylistic, and analytical perspectives on Haydn's string quartets--a repertoire central to the classical style. Readers new to this music will find much to think about, scholars will encounter provocative thoughts on longstanding issues, performers will be inspired to rethink their approaches, and experienced listeners will enjoy the encyclopedic resources.""--Joel Lester, Dean, Mannes College ""The book's central purpose is to share with us the authors' understanding of the music, and in many ways this aim is brilliantly achieved. I can't imagine anyone reading the book, even with a previous extensive knowledge of the quartets, and not feeling a new surge of astonishment at Hayden's extraordinary resourcefulness. The String Quartets of Joseph Haydn can be thoroughly recommended to players and listeners-anyone with a degree of musical knowledge and an interest in this wonderful repertoire, one of the greatest contributions to one of the most illustrious genres.""--Journal of the Haydn Society of Great Britain ""Both of them eminent scholars, Floyd and Margaret Grave bring to this undertaking not only a comprehensive knowledge to the existing literature but also an admirable ability to present their material coherently and to supplement it with their own analytical insights The scholarly value of this book is enhanced by the high quality of its presentation. Numerous carefully prepared musical examples, analytical graphs and tables illustrate the argumentThe volume supplies a comprehensive and attractive guide to Haydn's string quartets, presenting an image of this repertory that emerges from the most recent scholarship.""--Danuta Mirka, Early Music ""In depth, insightful, and wonderfully readable, this book will satisfy the needs and concerns of Haydn scholars and specialists as well as of music lovers who love the string quartet genre. The Graves have richly illustrated their discussion with musical examples, and their well-chosen words will at once explain, fascinate, and entertain all readers. This is a magnificent accomplishment, and it will assume a lasting place in the literature on Haydn.""--Paul R. Bryan, Professor Emeritus of Music, Duke University ""A comprehensive, eclectic introduction to historical, stylistic, and analytical perspectives on Haydn's string quartets--a repertoire central to the classical style. Readers new to this music will find much to think about, scholars will encounter provocative thoughts on longstanding issues, performers will be inspired to rethink their approaches, and experienced listeners will enjoy the encyclopedic resources.""--Joel Lester, Dean, Mannes College ""The book's central purpose is to share with us the authors' understanding of the music, and in many ways this aim is brilliantly achieved. I can't imagine anyone reading the book, even with a previous extensive knowledge of the quartets, and not feeling a new surge of astonishment at Hayden's extraordinary resourcefulness. The String Quartets of Joseph Haydn can be thoroughly recommended to players and listeners-anyone with a degree of musical knowledge and an interest in this wonderful repertoire, one of the greatest contributions to one of the most illustrious genres.""--Journal of the Haydn Society of Great Britain ""Both of them eminent scholars, Floyd and Margaret Grave bring to this undertaking not only a comprehensive knowledge to the existing literature but also an admirable ability to present their material coherently and to supplement it with their own analytical insights The scholarly value of this book is enhanced by the high quality of its presentation. Numerous carefully prepared musical examples, analytical graphs and tables illustrate the argumentThe volume supplies a comprehensive and attractive guide to Haydn's string quartets, presenting an image of this repertory that emerges from the most recent scholarship.""--Danuta Mirka, Early Music ""In depth, insightful, and wonderfully readable, this book will satisfy the needs and concerns of Haydn scholars and specialists as well as of music lovers who love the string quartet genre. The Graves have richly illustrated their discussion with musical examples, and their well-chosen words will at once explain, fascinate, and entertain all readers. This is a magnificent accomplishment, and it will assume a lasting place in the literature on Haydn.""--Paul R. Bryan, Professor Emeritus of Music, Duke University