Duo in F major for violin and viola Hob VI:1 (c 1766–68)

Tempo di minuetto

Though rarely performed in public today – we seem to prefer Mozart’s two little masterpieces in the same form – Haydn’s six Duos for violin and viola were popular throughout Europe in the composer’s lifetime. They would have been ideal for domestic consumption or as teaching pieces.    Though limited in textural ambition, they are by means perfunctory in structure and they clearly deserve the “sonata” description sometimes attached to them. The well developed Allegro moderato, the poignantly expressive Adagio and the colourfully scored minuet    of the present work are sufficient demonstration of that.