The Haydn Quartet, later known as the Hayden Quartet, was one of the most popular recording close harmony quartets in the early twentieth century. It was originally formed in 1896 as the Edison Quartet to record for Edison Records; it took its new name when recording for other companies. The name was a homage to

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions to musical form have le ...

, the classical composer; the spelling was later revised to Hayden, which reflects the way it was pronounced. Library of Congress: Haydn Quartet
Retrieved 24 May 2013 The group disbanded in 1914.

Formation and membership

The Edison Quartet formed in 1896, with a membership of

John Bieling John H. Bieling (March 15, 1869 – March 30, 1948) was an American tenor singer who was a pioneer recording artist in the early years of the twentieth century. He featured on thousands of recordings, especially as a member of The Haydn Quart ...

(

tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is wide ...

), Jere Mahoney (tenor), Samuel Holland Rous (who performed under the name S. H. Dudley,

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the ...

), and William F. Hooley (

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

). Mahoney was soon replaced by John Scantlebury Macdonald, who used the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individu ...

Harry Macdonough John Scantlebury Macdonald (May 30, 1871 – September 26, 1931) was a Canadian-born singer of Irish and Scottish descent, and recording executive. Under the pseudonym Harry Macdonough, he was one of the most prolific and popular tenors during ...

.Vocal Hall of Fame: The American Quartet
. Retrieved 22 May 2013 They recorded as the Edison Quartet (or Edison Male Quartet), before taking the name Haydn Quartet in order to record for companies other than Edison. Edison Quartet, 1896

In 1901 they signed a contract with the

Victor Talking Machine Company The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American recording company and phonograph manufacturer that operated independently from 1901 until 1929, when it was acquired by the Radio Corporation of America and subsequently operated as a subsidi ...

, and in 1902 also traveled to the UK to record for the Gramophone Company, which was Victor's affiliate. Gage Averill, ''Four Parts, No Waiting : A Social History of American Barbershop Quartet'', Oxford University Press, 2003, pp.72-75
/ref> The group had great success over the next decade as one of the premier recording groups of the time, on a par with the Peerless Quartet. The Haydn Quartet often sang material at a slower tempo and in a statelier fashion than other groups. The Haydn Quartet's biggest commercial successes for Victor included " In the Good Old Summer Time" (1903), "Bedelia" (1904), " Sweet Adeline (You're the Flower of My Heart)" (1904), "How'd You Like To Spoon With Me" (with

Corinne Morgan Corinne Morgan (16 February 1876 Take Me Out to the Ball Game "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" is a 1908 Tin Pan Alley song by Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer which has become the unofficial anthem of North American baseball, although neither of its authors had attended a game prior to writing the song ...

" (with Billy Murray, 1908), "Sunbonnet Sue" (1908), "Put On Your Old Gray Bonnet" (1909), and " By the Light of the Silv'ry Moon" (with Murray, 1910). Other influential recordings include their 1901 version of " My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean", "Way Down Yonder in the Cornfield" (1903), "Will You Love Me In December As You Do In May?" (1906), and "My Wild Irish Rose" (1907). The ensemble also performed

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

and

minstrel show The minstrel show, also called minstrelsy, was an American form of racist theatrical entertainment developed in the early 19th century. Each show consisted of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music performances that depicted people spec ...

songs, one of which, "The Camp Meeting Jubilee", released in 1904 as Victor no. 4003, includes a very early recorded use of the phrase "rockin' and rollin'", albeit used with a spiritual rather than secular connotation. Recordings credited to the Haydn Quartet began to be phased out in 1908. After that time, Billy Murray frequently sang lead with the group, and S. H. Dudley was often replaced by Reinald Werrenrath. Following the successful collaborations between Murray and the Haydn Quartet, Victor organized a new group, the American Quartet, in 1910, with Murray, Bieling and Hooley from the Haydn Quartet, and baritone Steve Porter. The group's name was spelled Hayden after 1910. The quartet disbanded in 1914. As well as members participating in the American Quartet, Macdonough and Hooley, together with Reinald Werranrath and tenor Lambert Murphy, also formed the Orpheus Quartet, who recorded successfully until 1919. In his book ''Pop Memories 1890-1954'', music archivist and statistician

Joel Whitburn Joel Carver Whitburn (November 29, 1939 – June 14, 2022) was an American author and music historian, responsible for setting up the Record Research, Inc. series of books on record chart placings. Early life Joel Carver Whitburn was born in W ...

assessed a variety of sources such as '' Talking Machine World''s lists of top-selling recordings, and ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

''s

sheet music Sheet music is a handwritten or printed form of musical notation that uses musical symbols to indicate the pitches, rhythms, or chords of a song or instrumental musical piece. Like its analogs – printed books or pamphlets in English, ...

and vaudeville charts, to estimate the most successful recordings of the period. He concluded that the Haydn Quartet had 62 " top ten" hits in all between 1898 and 1914, and in the decade 1900-1909 had more successful recordings than any other group, behind only Macdonough and Murray, who recorded as solo artists in addition to their group performances. Although Whitburn's methods of assessment have been criticized, Tim Brooks, ''A Discographic Deception: Joel Whitburn’s Pop Memories, 1890‑1954'', review for ''Antique Phonograph Monthly'', 1987
Retrieved 20 May 2013 this confirms that the group were one of the most popular of their era.

References

External links

The Haydn Quartet at AllmusicThe Edison Quartette (1902?) "Annie Laurie" No. 2201 ''Edison Gold Moulded Record''
*The Haydn Quartet (1902

''Bethany'' (Mason)
Songwriters Hall of Fame

Haydn Quartet recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The DAHR provides some of these original recordings, free of charge, via audio streaming, along with ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Haydn Quartet, The Barbershop music Victor Records artists Pioneer recording artists