In 1784, the Viennese publisher Artaria offered 300 florins to Europe's most famous composer Joseph Haydn for a set of six quartets. However, this one had his hands full with the Paris symphonies and the Sieben Worte. It was only after Haydn received a reward from King Frederick William II of Prussia for his Paris symphonies that he decided to complete the quartets and dedicate them to the generous
… monarch. These Prussian quartets are often considered Haydn's response to the quartets Mozart had previously dedicated to Haydn. After Haydn's death, the manuscripts of four quartets (Nos. 3-6) were lost. It was not until 1982 that they turned up in Melbourne at the hands of an émigré from England. In their interpretation of this music, The Lindsays have taken into account the autographs, who in various points (phrasing, dynamics, articulation and even notes) differ from the printed scores. (HJ)more
