Although Haydn's String Quartet, Op. 1, No. 2, opens with an allegro, it is an ambling rather than a lively one, smooth and friendly rather than exciting and dangerous. However, Haydn's transition material throughout is somewhat callow. For the first time in his quartet writing, Haydn uses a false restatement before settling into the proper one. It is a bit awkward and, for some performers, a difficult bird to catch. Only in the minuet does Haydn's personality emerge, tempered by a flow of melodious invention. The adagio is yet another violin solo with ensemble accompaniment, peppered with dashes of pizzicati. With its flowing quavering style on the first violin, it seems like a serenade, were it not for two sudden dark tutti passages about halfway through. The second minuet modulates freely and engages in charming imitation. Its brief dips into the minor key offer tastes of pathos, but nothing to disturb the dancing ladies. The presto has shuddering thirty-second notes and exuberant finales, which don't wind down or prepare you in any way for their demise.

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