Exploring Haydn’s ‘The Lark’: A Deep Dive into the Iconic String Quartet of 1790

The skylark, famed for its high, soaring song in spring, is widely regarded as a herald of the season.

The word “skylark” brings to mind a sijo by the Joseon-era scholar-official Nam Gu-man: “Has the eastern window brightened? Nogojiri sings.” In that poem, “nogojiri” denotes the skylark.

It also calls to mind Haydn’s String Quartet in A major, nicknamed “The Lark.”

Composed in 1790, The Lark is a 4-movement work. A string quartet is performed by two violins, a viola, and a cello. The nickname “The Lark” was not given by Haydn himself but emerged from audiences and publishers.

If you listen with that nickname in mind, the music can seem to bring a skylark to life: for the first 10 seconds it seems to hop along the ground; at 11 seconds it begins to prepare for flight; and at 14 seconds a high F# rings out like a bird stretching its wings and calling across the sky. What image comes to mind for you?

The piece’s overall clarity and brightness evoke the fresh air of spring. The title fits so well that it’s easy to imagine Haydn himself choosing it.

Haydn reshaped the course of Western music. If you’ve ever wondered who lengthened instrumental forms by fixing a four-movement plan, the answer is Haydn.

He settled on a four-movement pattern—fast, slow, dance, fast—that became the standard for symphonies and string quartets. Haydn wrote more than 100 symphonies and a large number of string quartets, repeatedly working within this structure. Typically, he placed sonata form in the first movement and a minuet in the third.

Over time he refined and stabilized that format. Because his influence endured for decades, younger composers adopted the model. Without Haydn’s reputation and craft, it’s unlikely even a prolific composer would have shaped the field so decisively.

We’ve looked at Haydn’s String Quartet in A major, The Lark — music that suggests a skylark taking flight. I focused on the first and third movements to highlight the sonata form and the minuet.

I hope this brings Haydn’s music a little closer to you.

By Yoo Shin-ae — classical music writer

Publications: Romance in Classical Music; Classical Music Without Beethoven

A trained pianist, she worked as a classical music reporter and served as music coordinator for KBS’s classical programming. She now concentrates on lectures and book talks.