String Quartet in F major, K.168

Mozart’s six “Vienna”quartets (K.168-173) are the direct result of the revelatory impact made on the young composer by Haydn’s recently published “Sun” Quartets, Op.20, on a visit to Vienna in 1773. Although they were written only a few months later than the “Milan” Quartets (K.155-160) of 1772 they are quite different from them - structurally, texturally and stylistically.

All the Vienna quartets are in four movements rather three and in some examples, like K.168 in F major, the middle section of the opening Allegro develops material from the exposition in a way that was to become fundamental to the Viennese classical style. In this case, short though it is, the development is contrapuntal in texture - which was nothing new in Mozart’s scoring for strings but which, challenged by Haydn, he presents here as a specially prominent feature. The Andante is particularly interesting in this respect: a largely canonic invention based on a slowed-down theme from the Fuga a due sogetti of Haydn’s Op.20, No.5, it seems at times to anticipate a sound Beethoven was to introduce to the string quartet fifty years or so later. In the Milan quartets where there is a Menuetto it appears as the last of the three movements. This one, however, is followed by a brilliant fugal finale.