The notes to this large collection state the case succinctly – to paraphrase the notes: Mozart is great, all Mozart’s quartets are by Mozart, so therefore…are all Mozart’s quartets great?
No. It’s not that difficult an answer, really. Mozart and Bach are about the only composers who live in the rarified air that they did even the simple things with a degree of genius that puts all the others to shame. My musical education went as far as taking enough musical theory and music appreciation classes to know that Mozart and Bach set the standards of where simple jobs are done with a simplicity that only a fully secure person would allow. It’s been written mostly about Mozart that his works often express ideas so simple that almost no one would dare to put their name on, but Mozart can follow through because he takes the simplicity and builds a Mona Lisa around it.
The string quartets are an “in-between” form for Mozart. His friend and teacher Haydn had such facility that you could imagine Joseph tossing a few off after lunch, in time to debut it that evening. And Haydn’s quartets are like sturdy machines. If they were clocks they would never lose time, and if they were buildings they would age but never look old or outdated, such is their timeless construction.
But Mozart’s touch never seemed to come easily, particularly when you take a long view, as if considering an entire body of work. In the realm of concerti, particularly for the piano, Mozart brushes off all competitors – with such grace and genius, it’s the seeming equivalent of dashing up Mount Everest in a day, on a few protein shakes and no oxygen. What’s the big fuss, you’d expect him to say, as the others huff and puff and write 90 minute concerti to say what Mozart accomplished in 17.
Again, in the area of string quartets we have to give the prize to Haydn, for the depth of his work, his development of the art form and his overall accomplishments. But what of Mozart – again, his string quartets fall well below his artistic achievements in opera, or for the piano and orchestra. They even seem to show a bit of struggle. Heresy possibly, but his quartets actually give off a hint of Schubert at times – stuffed with quality ideas, but uncertainty at times, with creativity a means without an end. Which is another way of saying…many of these quartets are too long!
Perhaps you can make too fine a point – if Mozart ONLY left string quartets as his entire artistic output, this entire writing would be silly and wrong. Mozart’s string quartets do pale in comparison to his piano concerti and his operas…but if it were a house, it would be like comparing homes in Paris, London, Rome, or New York. And Haydn – I kept this for the end – couldn’t hold a candle to Mozart’s imagination. As an architect, Haydn was beyond compare. He molded the string quartet into a means of personal expression on par with Bach’s cantatas. But Mozart flooded the page with brilliance, and you can’t help but let it wash over you as you listen to these quartets. Is Mozart great? Yes. Is ALL Mozart great? No…but is great Mozart better than great…YES.
