Vanhal: String Quartet in A Major, Op. 33, No. 2

Johann Baptist Vanhal (1739–1813) was one of the most prolific composers of the string quartet during the last third of the eighteenth century, with David Wyn Jones authenticating over fifty of the quartets that appeared under Vanhal’s name. The six quartets of opus 33, published in 1785, were among his late works in the genre.

String Quartet No. 2 in A Major, in four movements, opens with a sonata-form movement, Allegro moderato, in a lilting 6/8. The binary dance movement that follows presents a minuet and trio that are titled “Arietta I” and “Arietta II,” respectively. After the Adagio sostenuto slow movement, the work closes with a rondo, Allegro molto, with four episodes, the second, third, and fourth of which present variations on the main theme; the movement is thus, according to Jones, a “combination of variation and rondo.”

The present edition includes a short preface, statement of editorial methods, and critical notes and offers the quartet in a study score along with performance parts. It is based on the copy of the original Artaria parts held by The British Library, London.