Between the years 1782 and 1785, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote six string quartets which were dedicated to his friend and fellow composer, Joseph Haydn. These quartets, known as the "Haydn Quartets," were among Mozart's "first six masterpieces in the medium" (Keller, 64). In composing these works, Mozart was inspired by Haydn's recently published Opus 33, which is also a set of six string quartets. When Haydn wrote his Opus 33 in 1781, it was the first time he had written for the string quartet in a period of ten years. With the six pieces of Opus 33, Haydn established a style of chamber music that he described as being in "an entirely new, very special manner" (Pauly, 45). At the same time, it had also been nearly 10 years since Mozart had written for the string quartet. Mozart met Haydn in Vienna, and heard the quartets of Opus 33. He "regarded these quartets of Haydn with special reverence...