Hob 01:18 Symphony #3 in G for 2 Oboes, 2 Horns & Strings
Hob 01:2 Symphony #4 in C for 2 Oboes, 2 Horns & Strings
Hob 02:3 Divertimento a sei in G for Winds for 2 Oboes, 2 Bassoons & 2 Horns
Hob 02:7 Divertimento a sei in C for Winds for 2 Oboes, 2 Bassoons & 2 Horns
Hob 03:3 Divertimento in D for Strings Op 1 #3 for 2 Violins, Viola & Baßo
Hob 03:4 Divertimento in G for Strings Op 1 #4 for 2 Violins, Viola & Baßo
Hob 16:7 Sonata #2 in D for Keyboard
Hob 16:8 Sonata #1 in G for Keyboard
Hob 16:9 Sonata #3 in F for Keyboard
Hob 16:10 Sonata #6 in C for Keyboard
Hob 16:D1 Sonata #7 in D for Keyboard
What a nice, well-balanced variety of music presents for this year! If one was attempting to answer a question regarding Haydn's balance of talents, this list combined with the previous year’s would pretty much sum it all up. It is difficult to name another composer who has shown his hand in so many different genres in such a short time. We aren’t talking about a career’s summary of work here, but merely a few short years at best.
As you can see, I have begun to use a numbering system for the symphonies now, and it is the one based on the “New Chronology” that you will find on that little information page linked on the right. This is to help us to keep track of where we are at, not because I believe we are dealing with an unimpeachable source finally. Hoboken 18 in G is typical of this group of symphonies in having three movements, in medium, fast and menuet tempos, played by the 2 oboes, 2 horns, strings and basso combination. The opening Andante moderato is slow enough to lead one to believe the work itself might be in Sonata da chiesa (Church sonata) style. Which would make it the first in a long line. Of course, that sort of thing is one of those deceptive practices which musicologists love to toss at you, especially the old-timers. It has been definitively proven, in Haydn’s case at least, that the da chiesa style applied to symphonies makes it no more nor less likely the work was written to be played in a mass than any other of his symphonies. More on this later, since it is something of great interest to me, but I didn’t wish to become one of the group that leads you down the garden path! On the topic of tempos though, this same symphony presents an early example of ‘Tempo di menuet’ in the finale movement. What this really is, despite the name, is a movement in a rather quick ¾ time. It sounds nothing whatsoever like a minuet. I would suppose that one could dance to it, but the point here is that this is another deceptive practice, this time by the composer himself. And it also shows it pays to actually listen to the music than just read the tempo indications. Since I have actually read a few sweeping statements about how music from this time frequently ended with a minuet. Well, not so much. It is not like the minuets written for the dance hall. The next symphony, Hob 2 in C actually could be a church symphony. It is in the right key, and the music has a suitable attitude. And surprise! The opening movement is a brisk little Allegro in cut (2/2) time. The inner movement, very typically, is played by the strings only while the winds catch their breath. It also has an attractive perpetuum mobile effect created by the violins playing in semiquavers throughout. The finale is Haydn’s first rondo in a symphony, simple and straightforward and with a lively tempo. I can’t verify this without a score, but it is said to be Haydn’s only symphony without a single repeat sign.
I’m sure you don’t want to read my method for dividing up the string quartets yet again, so a brief reminder that I merely spread out the 10 extant works across the 5 years period they are attributed to, and thus this year’s pair turns out to be Op. 1 #3 in D & 4 in G. As we all are aware, I don’t do structural analysis, I leave that to the thousands who can do it well and the dozens who appreciate it from the non-professional ranks. But a few interesting items about these two works; #3 is one of only two of the ten (the other is Op 2 #6) which has an opening movement in a slow tempo. Adagio in this case. Op 2 #6 actually begins with a theme & variations. While the Adagio openers are unique in Haydn’s quartet output, the theme & variations would certainly be around again many times over. Both #3 & #4 have a first movement sonata form structure, for those who have been wondering when this was going to come along. While I don’t analyze form and structure personally, I realize many people do so, and if you are one of these, I commend to you this book. It combines a modicum of history (why I got it) with a healthy dose of well written analysis of the entire oeuvre of the quartets. It is still readily available, and if you shop diligently you can even find it for a fair price.
The remainder of this year’s music consists of five works (at least) for keyboard solo. Since we haven’t even begun to discuss this genre, I will put that off until next time. So much excellent music to discuss!
Thanks for reading!