1763 – The Music - part 3 – Diversity and tradition to go with the new

HOB	GENRE	KEY	Instruments
5:16	Divertimento (Trio)	C	2 Violins & Cello
5:17	Divertimento (Trio)	Eb	2 Violins & Cello
5:18	Divertimento (Trio)	Bb	2 Violins & Cello
5:19	Divertimento (Trio)	E	2 Violins & Cello
5:20	Divertimento (Trio)	G	2 Violins & Cello
7a:1	Concerto	C	Solo Violin & Strings (2 Violins, Viola, Cello & Violone)
7a:3	Concerto	A	Solo Violin & Strings (2 Violins, Viola, Cello & Violone)
7b:1	Concerto	C	Solo Cello, 2 Oboes, 2 Horns & Strings
23a:G9	Motet	G	"O coelitum beati"
23c:1	'Te Deum' Hymn	C	S-A-T-B, Chorus, 2 Trumpets, Timpani & Strings
24a:2	Cantata	G	"Destatevi, o miei fidi"

One of the things that we rarely read about, or possibly even think about, is the presence of chamber music at Eisenstadt and, later, at Esterházy. As we move into the Baryton Era that will become the obvious main event, but there is scarcely a mention of quintets, trios or even the famous string quartets ever being played. As I have pondered this a few scenarios have presented themselves, but the most likely is that non-orchestral music was in that odd position; too insignificant to document but too important to not have. And so we find these five late string trios.

I don't know about your feelings on this subject, but I really hate it when people make assumptions without evidence and then the product of that becomes 'The Holy Writ' forever and ever, Amen! So back in the 19^th century, someone (not a composer) decided that Haydn must have started with string trios as a primer for his string quartets, probably because he couldn't handle four instruments yet. And I read this canard even today in books of the 1970's and '80's, and liner notes even in the current millennium. The fact is that Haydn wrote his first quartets in 1757, and they demonstrated an amazing ability to write for four instruments. However, if we look at this audience/clientele for the first trios, we find amateurs and music students who would have been probably hard-pressed to

Wonderful performance on period instruments

round up a viola player for their practice sessions and impromptu performances in someone's salon. Added to the fact that string trios were one of the mainstays of the late Baroque, thus familiar, and we come up with a natural chamber music genre for Haydn to have concentrated on.

These are the final five string trios. Within a year he would begin composing Baryton music which would occupy 95% of his chamber music output time for the next decade. Although these works are still considered to be lesser works than the quartets (aren't ALL earlier works considered 'lesser'?), these five make for a very commendable hour or two of listening. Despite the fact that the recording industry hasn't served these works up for us overmuch, there are still at least a couple of recordings that let us share this interesting music.

Now we move on to some works that are just a little bit more well-known; that is, the concertos that Haydn wrote for his great soloists, Tomasini and Weigl.

One of my favorite violin concertos of this era is the first of the works that Haydn wrote to show off his lead violin and good friend Luigi Tomasini. 'Fatto per il Luigi' as it says on the manuscript, 'Made for Louis (Tomasini)'. And truly it is custom made to show off the strengths that he was known for, technical virtuosity in the outer movements (spiccato

One of many great choices

bowing, double-stopping, rapid jumps of a 10^th) and one of Haydn's trademark Adagio's for an inner movement, calculated to demonstrate Tomasini's widely reputed warm, rich, Italianate tone.

The second violin concerto of the year, Hob 3 in A major, doesn't jump right out on you like Hob 1, but its strengths lie in different areas. It is as technically demanding as the first, and also has an attractive inner Adagio, but it shines in the finale. One of the features that stands out is the fact that there is actual interplay between the soloist and the orchestra, and it would be hard to point out another concerto in this time frame that bears this feature. The orchestral accompaniment is composed in the manner that Haydn was using in his symphonies at the time too, and so it is more interesting than is usual. As a pair, these two concertos give ample opportunity to hear how capable a fiddler Tomasini was, and also to appreciate the distance that Haydn has traveled since his organ concertos of the mid'50's!

Now comes one of Haydn's most famous and favorite works, his first cello concerto, composed for his first chair cellist, Joseph Franz Weigl. I have recounted in this series

Of the many options, this one most pleases

the tenuous grip on existence that some of Haydn's works have had. The fact that many of these were concertos (Horn, Keyed Trumpet, Cello) does not seem like a coincidence to me; many solo performers held their 'signature works' very closely, and so few copies were ever made of them. The only extant set of parts for this one were discovered in Prague in 1962! Before that, it was known to exist from an entry in the Entwurf Katalog, but only as a 'lost cello concerto'. There are several reasons why this work rocketed to stardom. There aren't a lot of cello concertos, especially from this period. This may well be the finest concerto for any instrument composed in the 1760's. The finale contains many technical difficulties which, when performed well, demonstrate that the player is truly a master. Which Weigl was. He was a close friend of Haydn, and held Haydn's deep respect as a musician. So when it came time to give him a vehicle to strut his stuff, Haydn' did his very best, which was very good indeed!

Did you ever hear of a contrafactum? Well, I hadn't either, but apparently they were not

This has been also released by Sony

uncommon in 18^th century Austria (and elsewhere?). If you take the tune from an aria, lose the words and write new ones that are suitable sacred music, then add whatever else is needed to make a motet, or an Offertorium, or other small sacred work, that is a contrafactum. Hob 23a:G9, the Motet in G Major "O coelitum beati", is just such a work. The aria that is opens with has not been specifically identified, but it is believed to come from one of the early operas, possibly even one of the missing ones from Acide. The second part is a C Major "Alleluia" which has been definitely tied to Haydn in a very early edition. This is a very attractive piece of sacred music, deserving of far more than the single recording that I have been able to find so far.

As we saw in the discussion of the first performance of Acide at the marriage festival, there was a stop by the church for a celebration of a Te Deum. It is generally believed now that this was the work in question. This was a sacred poem dating from the early church, it has been set thousands of times, twice by Haydn. It is used in festive times to give praise and thanks. Like most of its kind, this Te Deum is in the 'Viennese Festive C Major' with trumpets and timpani along with soloists and a chorus. With this work Haydn demonstrated to the Prince that he was ready to fully take over for Werner when he passed on, which he would do 2-3 years later.

The secular cantata (Hob 24a:2), "Destatevi, o miei fidi" ("Awake, my faithful ones") is an Italian style tribute to Prince Nicholas on his nameday. True to the Italian tradition, it alternates arias and duets with bits of recitative, all being accompanied by the orchestra. The second main part, the duet for soprano and tenor is considered to be the most demanding vocal work that Haydn ever penned. Cantatas went out of fashion shortly after the 1760's, the name going on to describe all manner of vocal works. But this one (and the one he wrote for next year's nameday) are true to tradition, being constructed much like an opera or Scena, and must have pleased the Prince greatly.

So we say 'so long' to 1763. It was certainly a great year, not only for music, but also for Haydn's advancement in his career. Next time we will talk about something only a bit off the path.

Thanks for reading!