The Hayden Quartet, formerly known as the Haydn 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, the classical composer; the spelling was later revised to Hayden, which reflects the way it was pronounced. The group disbanded in 1914.
Formation
The Haydn Quartet originally formed under the name "Edison Quartet" in 1896, with a membership of John Bieling (tenor), Jere Mahoney (tenor), Samuel Holland Rous (who performed under the name S. H. Dudley, baritone), and William F. Hooley (bass). Mahoney was soon replaced by John Scantlebury Macdonald, who used the pseudonym Harry Macdonough. They recorded as the Edison Quartet (or Edison Male Quartet), before taking the name Haydn Quartet around 1898 in order to record for companies other than Edison. 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.
Recordings credited to the Haydn Quartet began to be phased out in 1908.
In his book Pop Memories 1890-1954, music archivist and statistician Joel Whitburn assessed a variety of sources such as Talking Machine Worlds lists of top-selling recordings, and Billboards sheet music 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. this confirms that the group were one of the most popular of their era.
Discography
Hit singles
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
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! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:17em;"| Title
! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Year
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! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%"| Peak position
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| She Was Bred In Old Kentucky
| 1898
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| Cornfield Medley
| 1899
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| Because
| 1900
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| In the Good Old Summer Time
|
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| My Old Kentucky Home
|
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| Bedelia
| rowspan=7| 1904
|
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| Blue Bell
|
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| Dear Old Girl
|
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| I Am Longing For You, Sweetheart, Day By Day
|
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| Old Folks at Home
|
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| Sweet Adeline (You're the Flower of My Heart)
|
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| My Little Canoe
|
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| Silent Night Hallowed Night
|
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| Tell Me With Your Eyes
|
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| The Holy City
|
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| Where The Southern Roses Grow
|
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| How'd You Like To Spoon With Me?
| rowspan=6| 1906
|
|-
| In Dear Old Georgia
|
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| Just A Little Rocking Chair And You
|
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| Waltz Me Around Again, Willie
|
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| When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder
|
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| Will You Love Me In December As You Do In May?
|
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| Rainbow
|
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| Sunbonnet Sue
|
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| Take Me Out to the Ball Game