And now, a tune by Joe Haydn

Here is our fledgling student string quartet during its first get-together this afternoon. I have only participated in one other quartet and loved it. For me, it's the perfect-sized ensemble. I absolutely love the back and forth interplay between the different instruments and their different voices. When Jane (left, back) let me know she was putting together a student quartet, and needed a cello, I jumped at the opportunity.

Today, we sight-read through various movements from a few different quartets by both Mozart and Haydn and finally decided to go with Haydn's Quartet in C major, opus 76, often called the "Kaiser Quartet" or "Emperor Quartet" because the melody of its second movement became the foundation for the national anthem of both Austria and German.

I definitely have my work cut out for me to keep up with the two talented young men (Jane's students) playing first violin and viola. I'm looking forward to hearing the piece take shape over the next few weeks!