Henry Beyle, later known as the writer Stendhal, was an officer in Napoleon’s armies when he met with Joseph Haydn in Vienna. He wrote in 1808-1809 many detailed letters of his encounters with the master and those who knew him. These letters were published in 1854 under the title “Life of Haydn”.

Below is a description of a string quartet from a 1808 letter.

We know that string quartets are played by four instruments: a first violin, a second violin, a viola, and a cello. A witty woman once said that when she heard Haydn’s quartets, she felt as if she were listening to the conversation of four charming people. She thought the first violin sounded like a very clever, middle-aged man, a smooth talker who kept the conversation flowing by introducing the topic. In the second violin, she recognized a friend of the first, who tried by every means possible to make him shine, rarely concerned himself with his own interests, and kept the conversation going by agreeing with what others said rather than putting forward his own ideas. The viola was a solid, learned, and sententious man. He supported the first violin’s pronouncements with laconic but strikingly true maxims. As for the cello, she was a good-natured, somewhat talkative woman who didn’t say much, yet always wanted to join in the conversation.  But she brought grace to it, and while she spoke, the other listeners had time to breathe. It was clear, however, that she had a secret fondness for the viola, which she preferred to other instruments.