First movement Sunrise String Quartet in B-flat major, Op. 76 No.

4 by Haydn
(1732-1809)
The Sunrise motif is seen in the exposition; the first four bars depict the slow
sunrise with a rising theme in the violins. The main motif used is in bar 3, with
the dotted crotchet followed by five quavers, but there is also a slightly modified
motif almost identical to the main motif, it is seen in bar 2; it is exactly the same
but has an added grace note before the second quaver. These two almost
identical motifs are used very often throughout the piece. The second motif is
seen in bar 13 to bar 15; and the last motif is seen in bar 22. There are many
instances where the motif recurs throughout the piece; the thematic material is
also emphasized frequently and sometimes altered (motifs on manuscript).

Haydn wrote this piece in the form of a Sonata. The Exposition starts from bars 1
until 68, with a transition starting from bar 28 in g minor; the codetta beings in
bar 60; the development section begins in bar 69 until bar 107, with a re-
transition from the third beat of bar 103; the recapitulation begins in bar 108; CL
(closing material) can be seen in bar 162; the coda begins in bar 175.

In the exposition, The FTA (first tonal area) begins in bar 1, where a sustained
tonic chord is held in the first four bars, and a dominant seventh being held in
the sequential motif in bar 7. The FTA ends in on the first beat of bar 36. The FTA
has alternating thematic ideas and is presented in the tonic key. There is a
statement in the bars 1 to 6, followed by a re-statement in bars 7 to 12. The STA
(second tonal area) begins in bar 36 and when relating it to the FTA, there is
parallelism in the thematic material; the STA has borrowed the same rhythm of
the sunrise motif but has instead modulated to f minor and has a change of role
in the parts; the cello now plays the sunrise motif. Notice the parallelism within
the two; the STA also has a sustained tonic transposed in the new key, f minor,
which is the dominant minor. The exposition concludes with a codetta in bar 60,
starting on a strong cadence from the previous bar and finishing on the
dominant of the home key, which is F-major. There is a lot of V I progressions
seen in the codetta, which is a main principle of one. The last two beats of bar 59
going into the first beat of bear 60 is a strong V I cadence and also in the last
beat of bar 64 to the first beat of 65; as well as the last beat of bar 65 into the
first beat of bar 66.

In the beginning of the development section, it is mirroring the sunrise motif
but in the key of d minor, which is the relative minor of the dominant (F major).
There is a diminished chord in bar 75, which creates quite an unstable effect. The
re-transition happens at bar 96, as it is very similar to the closing material,
gradually preparing a return to the home key in the recapitulation in bar 108. In
the recapitulation, the FTA begins as the main motif is introduced once again, the
transition to the STA begins in bar 135 where there is a dominant pedal and then
the STA finally begins in the last beat of bar 142, where there is the return of the
home key of B-flat. The motif has remained the same with marginal differences;
the cello takes the role in the motif while the other parts sustain the tonic chord.
The CL begins midway bar 157 and then the coda smack-bangs in bar 182 with
the frequent V I progressions which signify strong cadences.

Many elements in the piece help define the character of the piece. The
articulation and dynamics in bar 22; the dynamic marking reads forte and there
First movement Sunrise String Quartet in B-flat major, Op. 76 No. 4 by Haydn
(1732-1809)
is a use of staccato in motif three; with the violin part picking up the pace with
the constant sixteenth-notes; a diminution of the main motif; we are introduced
to the allegro con spirito of the piece. The violin in bar 22 is playing a
compound melody (with the notes circled on the score). From bar 28, there is
contrasting material that occurs quite frequently, with the use of diminution. The
violin begins with quavers preceded by a quaver rest and so forth, in bar 29, the
violin does uses the exact same notes but are instead play twice to thicken the
texture, the dynamic marking of ff also contributes to the contrasting texture
here. The same kind of idea is seen in the cello sections in the exact same bars,
except the cello jumps back and forth in octaves (bar 29), again, to create
contrast between the bars. There is the use of antiphony in bar 35; by changing
the register lower an octave in bar 36 and having all four parts playing in unison
produces a good contrasting technique; a thin texture against a thick texture in
bar 36. It also re-enforces the clear cadence.

In bar 44, the rhythmic motif returns and is then altered from bar 46 onwards.
There is diminution in the motif; the dotted crotchet in the motif becomes a
quaver and crotchet. In bar 54, the texture is thinned out by removal of the cello
and also having the strings in a high register and the harmonies played in first
inversion, this somehow fabricates quite an angelic feeling. From bar 59, there is
the use of antiphony between all four voices, with also the addition of staccatos.
The use of this call and response style results in a syncopated and lively effect.
The use of the rests in this phrase also creates a thin texture. Moving on to bar
64, antiphony is once again present in the V I cadences and onwards from bar
66, the texture becomes thick, virtuosic and heavy due to all four parts being in
unison and playing a ff in dynamics; this section has a brilliant effect to it with
the double-stops and as well as the addition of the other elements.

There is an applied chord that leads us to a g minor from bar 75. Parallel
intervals begin in bars 86 until 88; they are in intervals of thirds. Back in the
recapitulation, the main motif returns but is subtly emphasized in texture, notice
how in bar 112 the descending scale is thickened with more notes; for example,
in the violin part, a low F is added to the D and then the preceding E is thickened
by another E an octave lower as well as a low G. distinction in the melody is one
of the main principles of the recapitulation, Haydn has made the material more
noticeable in the recapitulation.

A lot of antiphony is seen from the CL in bar 162 where the same syncopated
staccato antiphony is presented in a different key. Nearing to the end in bar 171,
there is upwards scale movement and increase in texture. If we look ahead to bar
174, there is a fermata and also the violin plays the highest note in the whole
movement; this indicates a climax in the piece. The upwards scale movement is
gradually developed from bar 171; diminution in the melody begins here with
the rests gradually being replaced by the same notes to thicken texture and also
compound melody in bar 173; for example in the violin, the lower part of the
voice begins on a B, eventually rising to an F in scale-like passage, while the top
melody in the violin goes an octave higher leading to the high climax note. This
could also just be the use of diminution in addition to the use of octaves. The
fermata is an i6/5 chord. The fermata chord portrays images of the sun finally
First movement Sunrise String Quartet in B-flat major, Op. 76 No. 4 by Haydn
(1732-1809)
rising to its peak. Once again, thematic material has returned right after the
fermata, with juggling in the parts; you could say, return of the antiphony. As the
tonic is not sustained four bars anymore but instead spread across the parts.