The quartets of Opp. 54, 55, and 64 date from 1788-1790 and are generally referred to as the "Tost" quartets. Johann Tost was a violinist in the Esterházy orchestra who brought some of Haydn's works, including the quartets that became Opp. 54 and 55, to Paris. Haydn's six quartets from 1788 were split into two sets of three for publication; the first of these was printed in 1789 as Op. 54; the others in 1796 as Op. 55.

Haydn composed the quartets of Opp. 54 and 55 free from any obligations, making it possible for him to explore the art of composition for its own sake. The composer's isolation at the Esterházy palace in many ways prompted his unique development, and throughout the three quartets of Op. 54 Haydn becomes more experimental and adventurous. His use of the cello, for instance, breaks from tradition as he exploits the full range of the instrument. The slow movements take on a more dramatic character than those of his previous quartets, and the second of the Op. 54 set, in C major, actually contains two slow movements.

The unique nature of the Op. 54 quartets first becomes apparent in the Allegretto of No. 1, in G major. Its fleet movement, in part a result of the 6/8 meter, may stem from an earlier example by Haydn such as the "slow" movement of his Op. 33, No. 1. Also, Mozart's F major Concerto, K. 459 boasts such an Allegretto, featuring the same fluidity, simplicity and chromatic changes in harmony.

In C major, the second of the set contains an unusual second movement, marked Adagio. The movement consists of an eight-measure ground played four times. Over this foundation the violin performs plaintively, suggesting Hungarian Gypsy music played in a quasi-improvisatory manner, at one point creating dissonance with the accompanying voices. Haydn's sense of large-scale unification is at its best, as he uses the harmonic changes in this rubato segment as the basis of the harmonies of the Trio. The form of the Finale is enigmatic. Perhaps its most unusual trait is that it is a slow, not fast, close to the quartet, with a Presto central section that seems out of place, but whose subtle variations of the preceding material become clear after several hearings.

What is often referred to as the "conversational" characteristic of Haydn's quartet writing is prominent from the beginning of the Allegro of No. 3, in E major, where the theme is begun by the viola and second violin, only to be interrupted by the first violin; this trading continues throughout the movement. As in the slow movement of No. 2, in the second movement of No. 3 there is a passage in which the violin performs a kind of written-out rubato, creating some unusual, dissonant effects.

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The opening Allegro starts out singing elegantly and happily. A transition with triplets modulates between sections, and becomes very important in the rest of the movement. The subsequent Largo cantabile opens with pairs of instruments answering each other in two-part harmony, and proceeds with the same elegantly happy feeling, although at a somewhat more subdued and reflective pace. A transition on the cello takes us into a seriously contemplative central section with elaborately florid melodic writing that continues into the reprise of the opening section. The allegretto minuet moves vigorously and elegantly forward in unpredictable phrases in a generally jovial mood. The trio begins unisonally. The finale brings this securely happy quartet to a securely happy conclusion. The development takes the material down a few unexpected melodic and harmonic pathways.

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Franz Josef Haydn (1732-1809) composed his String Quartets (3)published as his Op. 54 sometime in the summer of 1788. These quartets, along with the Op. 55 quartets composed during the same year, are basically in the same elevated and elegant style of Haydn's Op. 33 quartets with one important difference: the extended solos for the first violinist. Supposedly written for Johann Tost, a violinist in Haydn's orchestra at Esterhazy turned music publishing entrepreneur, the first violinist to some extent dominates all six of the Op. 54-55 quartets, but none more so than the String Quartet in C major for two violins, viola and cello, H. 3/57. The opening Vivace in cut time is built on discreet rhythmic fragments separated by pauses that Haydn assembles into a cogent and effervescent whole. The central Adagio is in triple time and the tonic minor is built of lyrical eight-bar phrases with the first violinist performing an exquisitely expressive solo high on the neck of his instrument. The following Menuetto back in the tonic major with its gruff minore Trio is performed attacca and both contain short but sweet solos for the first violinist. The closing Adagio in the tonic major is unique in Haydn's quartet, indeed, unique in all Austrian quartets until this time: a long duet between the first violinist and the cellist, which sounds like a slow introduction to the long-awaited Presto, except that the Presto is simply an episode in the Adagio that returns in the coda.

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The opening Allegro starts out singing elegantly and happily. A transition with triplets modulates between sections, and becomes very important in the rest of the movement. The subsequent Largo cantabile opens with pairs of instruments answering each other in two-part harmony, and proceeds with the same elegantly happy feeling, although at a somewhat more subdued and reflective pace. A transition on the cello takes us into a seriously contemplative central section with elaborately florid melodic writing that continues into the reprise of the opening section. The allegretto minuet moves vigorously and elegantly forward in unpredictable phrases in a generally jovial mood. The trio begins unisonally. The finale brings this securely happy quartet to a securely happy conclusion. The development takes the material down a few unexpected melodic and harmonic pathways.

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