Haydn dedicated the series of Quartets op. 71 and 74 to the Hungarian Count Apponyi, a Viennese patron of music and a freemason friend. Haydn composed them when he was enjoying a great deal of success with his ''London Symphonies'' in England. With their weighty slow introductions and dense movements focusing on sound, they also have symphonic characteristics. In particular the Quartet in g minor op. 74,3 is striking on account of its expressiveness and originality. Due to the rhythmic drive of