|
Hob. #
|
Genre
|
Key
|
Opus
|
No.
|
Instruments / Notes
|
|
11:81
|
Trio
|
D
|
Book 4
|
|
Baryton, Viola & Cello
|
|
11:82
|
Trio
|
C
|
Book 4
|
|
Baryton, Viola & Cello
|
|
11:83
|
Trio
|
F
|
Book 4
|
|
Baryton, Viola & Cello
|
|
11:84
|
Trio
|
G
|
Book 4
|
|
Baryton, Viola & Cello
|
|
11:85
|
Trio
|
D
|
Book 4
|
|
Baryton, Viola & Cello
|
|
11:86
|
Trio
|
A
|
Book 4
|
|
Baryton, Viola & Cello
|
|
11:87
|
Trio
|
a
|
Book 4
|
|
Baryton, Viola & Cello
|
|
11:88
|
Trio
|
A
|
Book 4
|
|
Baryton, Viola & Cello
|
|
14:8
|
Divertimento á Quattro
|
C
|
|
|
Cembalo, 2 Violins, Basso
|
|
16:44
|
Sonata
|
g
|
|
L. 32
|
Keyboard Solo
|
You would think with all of the other music composed this year, and the Vienna concert, party for the Empress and marriage feast for the 'darling niece', that the pace of consumption of baryton trios would have slowed somewhat. Indeed, if you consider only a third of a volume to be a slowdown, you would be correct. While it is true that the entire 'Era of the Baryton' lasted a mere ten years, and this would be too short a period of time to be able to note any stylistic evolution, it would be incorrect to assume there was no other mark of development on display. While you have to take into account the limitations of the instrument and of the intended player, there are no concessions which need to be made for the composer! The quality of these works, despite any potential for burnout, simply increases year over year! From the counterpointed Finale to #81 to the Presto of #84, to the peculiar charm of #85, and the sad/happy a minor beauty of #87. One senses the Prince was a serious musician, despite his limitations at the craft. This is no mere hobbyist grade music. If you have still been holding back, I strongly recommend you try a disk or two. You could well discover a new take on music which you hadn't been expecting or experiencing before now.
For this series of essays I have been relying on three different authors for chronological information; H.C. Robbins-Landon, A. Peter Brown and David Wyn Jones. Generally they are pretty much in agreement on things, and in case of a modest divergence I have named myself the ultimate arbiter, mainly because I control the keyboard input device! The next work which I have placed here has about the broadest range of putative dates I have yet seen. As we saw ten or so years ago, Haydn was occupied writing 'piano quartets', although he didn't know it. He wrote a series of charming divertimenti and concertini for both the Morzin family and then for the Esterházy's, mostly for harpsichord, 2 violins & basso, usually played on cello, but probably originally for violone. In 1764 he even included a pair of hardworking horns in one of them. But there were really no more composed much after the horn piece, which Hoboken of course calls #1. I think he just decided to go in descending order this time! In any case, Robbins-Landon is fuzzy about the time of the final one, leaving it at <>1765. Brown, on the other hand, has decided on the amazing date of 1787. I wish he was still alive so I could ask him about that! We'll pitch it right out just because there is no way this was written after The Seven Last Words! Which leaves Jones. He was the first one I consulted, merely because The Oxford Composer Companion for Haydn was on my desk right then. Jones says circa 1770, which I thought to be quite late until I consulted Brown! Brown's argument for an extended range on the keyboard, up to f "', led me to opt for Jones over Landon. Plus, I could see where Jones got his date by looking in The New Grove Haydn and finding that Georg Feder has written '1768-72', and realizing Jones had done exactly what I would do, take the middle road! And here we are. Of course, you are saying "Gurn, what's your point?". Well, I haven't one beyond wanting to share with you, dear reader, some of the vicissitudes of researching Haydn. Of the few composers at his level of accomplishment, I think there isn't another at his level of obscurity for some basic things, like 'when was that written?'.
There isn't as much to say about the music at hand as about its putative dating though. This is a fine little galant divertimento. The cembalo is the dominant instrument, making this strongly akin to an accompanied sonata, much like the early trios. The idea which has been put forward by Landon and others, that these were written either for family-time entertainment (having your own band is even better than a CD player!) or for teaching purposes, seems to be spot on. Certainly not concert hall material, this is non-serious chamber music as opposed to the baryton trios above. It's the sort of music we need more of, but unfortunately it was fairly ephemeral and even Haydn's ten extant (plus one fragmentary) specimens are probably only a small fraction of what he wrote. I like the well-rounded picture which they fill in of the composer of many parts.
Our final instrumental work of 1770 is the surviving keyboard sonata, Hob 16:44 in g minor. Like the Ab sonata we discussed in 1768, this is one of a group of 6 Progressive Sonatas, so-called because of their break with past practice and forward-looking harmonic scheme. Taken as a group, these six sonatas (18, 19, 20, 44, 45 & 46) share common traits in regards to their relaxed rhythmic flow, downward melodic direction and faster chord rhythm. Cumulatively they represent the most interesting group of solo sonatas before London, in my opinion. None of these six works was published until much later, Haydn was keeping them for himself to play. And when they were published, they didn't sell at all well. They are very difficult to play properly, and are really intended for Kenner, not Liebhaber. What instrument is this work properly played upon? In reviewing my own collection, I find about an equal mix of clavichord, harpsichord and fortepiano. If you have grown used to the clavichord in general, this work is especially nice sounding on one. Despite the fact it isn't really a fortepiano piece it certainly sounds more than acceptable on one, although the delicacy of the music suffers a bit. It simply isn't possible to assert primacy to any particular Klavier in 1770, my personal favorite in this piece is the harpsichord. Your taste may lean toward the Steinway, I don't know!
Our last look at 1770 will be at Haydn's second setting of a Goldoni libretto, the marriage gift to the 'Darling Niece', Le pescatrici.
Thanks for reading!