String Quartet, Op. 76 No. 3 ("Emperor")
by Franz Josef Haydn
Tristan Lehnert, violin
Melissa Barrett, violin
Yvonne Johnson, viola
Angela Maleh, cello

If your computer's sound system is working you should be hearing a commercially recorded excerpt.
I.   Allegro    
II.  Poco adagio, cantabile  
III. Menuetto: Allegro
IV. Finale: Presto

Franz Joseph Haydn, back from an extended stay in placeCityLondon, had been impressed with the patriotism of the English and wanted to write for placecountry-regionAustria something comparable to “God Save the King.” To this end, he arranged a familiar folksong in the style of an anthem and had it played in placeCityVienna's theaters on the emperor's birthday in 1797. He also made it the second movement of his next work, String Quartet Op. 76 No. 3. Here the melody is played first as an anthem, then in a set of variations, each led by a different instrument in the ensemble. The surrounding movements are crisp and picture-perfect, but it is the “Emperor” anthem listeners will hum on the way home.