Haydn String Quartets Op 20

Haydn String Quartets Op 20 - Tatrai Quartet

The six string quartets opus 20 by Joseph Haydn are among the works that earned Haydn the sobriquet "the father of the string quartet."
The quartets are considered a milestone in the history of composition; in them, Haydn develops compositional techniques that were to define the medium for the next 200 years.
The quartets, written in 1772, were composed at a time of tensions in Haydn's life, and also at a time when Haydn was influenced by new philosophical and political ideas that were sweeping Europe. Some analysts see the impact of these emotions and ideas in the quartets.

The set of quartets includes the following (in order of their composition; the numbers assigned by the publisher are not the order of composition):

Number 5, in F minor
Allegro moderato Minuetto Adagio Finale: Fuga a due Soggetti
Number 6, in A Major
Allegro di Molto e Scherzando Adagio, Cantabile Minuetto. Allegretto Fuga a 3 Soggetti. Allegro
Number 2, in C major
Moderato Adagio Minuetto. Allegretto Fuga a 4 Soggetti
Number 3, in G minor
Allegro con Spirito Minuetto. Allegretto Poco Adagio Finale. Allegro Molto
Number 4, in D major
Allegro di Molto Un poco Adagio Affettuoso Allegretto alla zingarese Presto scherzando
Number 1, in E flat major
Allegro Moderato Minuetto. Allegretto Affettuoso e sustenuto Finale. Presto