String Quartets, Opp. 42, 50 and 54

Over a 50-year period, Haydn composed more than 80 string quartets featuring a range and variety of structural invention exceeded only by Beethoven's works. In this volume, the composer's mastery of the form is strikingly evident, particularly in the six popular and much-recorded "Prussian Quartets."
This volume contains the full scores of:
Op. 42, in D minor (composed in 1785)
Op. 50, Nos. 1–6 ("Prussian Quartets," composed in 1787 and dedicated to the Prussian King Friederich Wilhelm II)
Op. 54, Nos. 1–3 (First set of "Tost Quartets" composed c.1788 and dedicated to the merchant Johann Tost)
Large, readable noteheads, ample margins for notations, opaque paper and permanent binding make this a fundamental addition to music libraries and musicians' repertories.

Austrian composer Joseph Haydn (1732–1809), one of the most prolific and prominent musicians of the Classical era, wrote in every genre. Friend to Mozart and teacher of Beethoven, he standardized the four-movement structure of the quartet, the form for which he is best known.