Sep 4, 2015
Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809).
Haydn was 40 years old when he composed the Op.20 quartets, and was already well-established as one of the leading composers of Europe.
The six string quartets Op.20 are among the works that earned him 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 were composed in 1772 at a time of tensions in Haydn's life, and also when Haydn was influenced by new philosophical and political ideas sweeping Europe. Some analysts see in them the impact of the emotions and ideas of Sturm und Drang.