1772 – The Music part 3 - Chambers: Private and Public

Hob. #	Genre	Key	Opus	No.	Instruments / Notes
11:097	Trio	D	Book 5		Baryton, Viola & Cello – Late 1771
11:098	Trio	D	Book 5		Baryton, Viola & Cello
11:099	Trio	G	Book 5		Baryton, Viola & Cello
11:100	Trio	F	Book 5		Baryton, Viola & Cello
11:101	Trio	C	Book 5		Baryton, Viola & Cello
11:102	Trio	G	Book 5		Baryton, Viola & Cello
11:103	Trio	A	Book 5		Baryton, Viola & Cello
11:104	Trio	D	Book 5		Baryton, Viola & Cello
11:105	Trio	G	Book 5		Baryton, Viola & Cello
11:106	Trio	D	Book 5		Baryton, Viola & Cello
15:02	Trio	F		L 17	Keyboard, Violin & Cello
17:03	Arietta w/Variations	Eb			Solo Keyboard

The Music Party by Philippe Mercier (cir. 1740)

And then there is the quietly ongoing side of 1772. In all the hubbub which surrounds the symphonies and string quartets, which are especially major accomplishments in their respective genres, it is easy to overlook the 'minor' works. We have a predilection for spectacle, after all, which shoulders out the lesser aspects. Part of Haydn's genius lies in his ability to carry the makings for a Farewell symphony, and the fugue with which he wanted to end that new quartet, in his head and at the same time be composing a first rate piece of private chamber music for the after-dinner hour tonight.

And on top of everything else, he was still working the ongoing project of Baryton trios. Earlier I mentioned that since the whole group was composed in a short ten years, it was hard to see stylistic changes in that span of time. And while this is true, there are other changes which can be seen. If you go past the first forty or so, you can see he got comfortable with the limitations and potential of the instrument and he exploited these more fully. In addition, while they aren't stylistic changes as such, you can also see Haydn inevitably becoming a better composer, and the results being transmitted through this music just as they are through his symphonies.

The Prince's own Baryton

Another advantage of having the trios at hand is the possibility of having a 'proving ground' available for new ideas, and working out how to incorporate them usefully. As an example, the fugal finales of the Opus 20 quartets were anticipated and worked out in Trios # 33, 40, 53, 56, 67, 71, 75, 81 (double fugato!) and fully worked out fugues in 97, 101 & 114.Private and personal, these are suitable adjectives one can use to describe the baryton works. They are not typical chamber music in that sense, since there is no provision made for any audience save the players. Perhaps the main feature that joins the set together is the featuring of the Baryton in the lead role. Nicholas was not interested in the concept of a 'conversation among friends and equals' in his music. He played lead. Period. His accompaniment consisted of two of the finest professional musicians of the era in Haydn and, first, Weigl, and then probably Lidl or else Weigl's replacement. No matter; they were hired hands, he was The Prince. Haydn maximized this situation though. His use of viola and cello as accompaniment was brilliant from the point of view of enabling the texture of the music to both bolster the playing of the lead instrument and yet also to fill in the textural gaps which might be left by it. The viola can fill above the baryton part, but also can play below it. So can the cello, an octave lower. So no matter what 'adventures' the baryton embarks upon, the ensemble remains constant.

The mention of #97 above reminds me it is time to cop to a mistake, for those of you keeping score. Last year I mentioned Book 4 being published in time for a Nameday or birthday gift. I didn't think it through and realize #97, which is in Book 5, was also composed in 1771. It was a birthday gift on December 18, 1771, thus its name, the Birthday Trio. My bad! The trios of this year will all appear in Book 5, but it won't be published until 1778, while all of its contents will have been completed by 1775. Within a few short years, the fad will have died out completely, to be replaced by opera, a fad which would outlive its holder!

Then, there is the other sort of chamber music. The one for people to, share, whether on small scale or large. 1772 sees (for unknown reasons) the appearance of the first keyboard trio in many years, Hob 15:2 in F. I like the painting above by Philippe Mercier. Even though it was painted circa 1740, it represents a scene which thrived for over 150 years subsequently. It was deeply interwoven into the social culture of Viennese society; a young lady, ready for marriage, displaying her mastery of the accoutrements of maturity, playing the keyboard with a couple of young men for the entertainment of others. In the salon, this was a daily occurrence, while in the parlor at home, with attentive chaperones at hand, it was a lifestyle. Haydn's early keyboard trios, that is, his sonatas for keyboard with the additional accompaniment of violin and cello, were composed for this atmosphere. The circumstances surrounding 15:2 are unknown, it appears to be the remainder of a divertimento of Hoboken 14, the type which we looked at earlier. This would not be the only trio which started life as a quartet, with the second violin part set aside at some point in the distant past and the remaining three parts now constituting the entire. The date is given as a circa and you can tell it sounds a bit dated, although given its raison d'être it probably doesn't require cutting edge musical ideas anyway, familiar sounding music is more to the point in some situations. The finale of this work is a nice set of four variations and a da capo return of the theme, one of Haydn's favorite forms of all, a constant from the beginning to the end of his oeuvre.

A nice companion piece to this one, and a chance for the more advanced keyboardist to show off her talents is at hand this year, a lovely little Arietta with twelve variations in Eb. The Arietta itself is actually the theme of the second movement of string quartet Opus 9 #2, also in Eb. As I mentioned, Haydn was fascinated throughout his career with variations, and his constant experimentation is what brought the form out from the relative rigidity of the Baroque and made it into a staple of the Classical style. As you will notice in this work, there is no easy way to anticipate just what the next variation will bring your way. It is yet another step on the road which leads to variation masterpieces like Un Piccolo Divertimento in the early 1790's.

So, along with the Opus 20 quartets, this finishes up the chamber music portion of our programme. We would love to invite you back next time when we will be looking at a Mass for Saint Nicholas.

Thanks for reading!