Hob |
Key |
NC |
HRL |
Name |
Instruments |
55 |
Eb |
60 |
61 |
The Schoolmaster |
2 Oboes, Bassoon, 2 Horns & Strings |
56 |
C |
63 |
62 |
2 Oboes, Bassoon, 2 Horns (C alto & F), 2 Trumpets, Timpani & Strings |
|
57 |
D |
64 |
63 |
2 Oboes, 2 Horns & Strings |
So after you have committed to paper something like Il distratto, where do you go from there? If you're Haydn, apparently you go right back to what you were doing already, writing a trio of very fine symphonies that don't have theatrical connotations.
Our previous symphony, #54, is (fairly) accused of being uneven in quality, although I am scarcely judgmental enough to say it on my own. It's true to some extent that the Adagio assai overshadows much of the balance though. If one concedes this, then looking at #55 can only be like taking refreshment: four movements, all excellent, interesting and well matched with each other. One of the wonders of Haydn is this ability to test some ideas, look a bit off-balance, then recover the top spot with apparent ease.
One of the long line of musical historians who have pre-digested Haydn for us is a Viennese named Aloys Fuchs. Sometime in the 1840's, he was making a list of Haydn's works, and somehow mixed up entries in the Entwurf Katalog. There was a Divertimento ( sadly lost) listed there called Der verliebte Schulmeister (The Schoolmaster in Love). Perhaps being temporarily overcome with good Viennese beer, Fuchs somehow managed to apply the name to Symphony #55. You can read any number of other explanations (I have), but they are all stretches of the fervid Romantic imaginations which persist even today. It had absolutely nothing to do with resembling the "metrical ticking of the schoolmaster's stick' or anything else remotely to do with a bloody schoolmaster! Now you know the rest of the story, and why I tend to sneer at names, too.
Some highlights to listen for in this work are the wonderfully skillful manipulation of the orchestra during the second movement theme and variations. The tonal coloration is set by the steady playing of the strings, con sordino (using a mute), coupled with the very sparing use of the winds, which only appear in two variations. By this point in his career, Haydn was already well on the way to transforming the variation form from the self-limiting style of the Baroque to the Classical which was fully integrated into sonata form. This is a nice example of it. Another interesting area is the trio of the minuet, which actually is a trio. Then, something unusual, the Finale: Presto, is mainly made of a second variation set. Pondering this, it is hard to think of another example of a work in which fully half of the movements are sets of variations. This second set has another interesting feature also. It is a rondo in which the return ( the B & C etc. which you see in analyses) is a variation of the first theme rather than a new theme each time. This is a symphony which needs repeated listening to extract all the pith, and stands up to it quite well.
Our symphony #56 is another in that great series of Viennese C major works which we have been enjoying from Haydn since way back at Symphony #2! But this standout work shows what a long way we've come since then. #56 is a brilliant work in a year of brilliant works. As we saw in #54 & 55, new things are coming out of Haydn's workshop, developed from ideas which are still arising from the complete musical review of 1769-72. Just to mention a few things of note in this work; there are trumpets in C (alto, of course) and one of the horns is in C alto, ordinarily the horns would have been C basso. Right from the beginning, Haydn exploits these instruments to create a brilliant sound. As we saw also in #54, this work has bassoon obbligato, although only in the slow movement. Slow steps…
As we looked at a few years ago, there are now basically two kinds of symphonies, since the third type, the Church Symphony, has finally been left behind. And the last time it came up, the examples of Grand Symphonies at the time typically included our 'festive' C major genre. Yet this work, trumpets, timpani and all, is not apparently a grand symphony, it is an archetypical example of a Austrian Chamber Symphony. As we discussed earlier, Johann Georg Sulzer's General Theory of Fine Arts (1771-74), states:
"It (a chamber symphony) should contain grand ideas expressed in a full-toned, brilliant and fiery manner. The best of them contain bold ideas, free handling of compositional techniques, apparent irregularity in the melody and harmony, strongly marked rhythms of various sorts…"
And this work does just that. It is not Maestoso, nor otherwise florid. Since it was not intended for any known occasion, it had no requirement to be grand. It is just as defined here, much like earlier works such as #42. Also, beyond the exercising of the orchestra, once again we discover the true beauty of the work in the slow movements. This Adagio is nearly as long as that in #54, timing out at over 14 minutes! Where it differs though is instead of the dreamy, abstract quality of #54, what we find here is very lyrical and melodic. It even has an extended solo for the bassoon! The oboes are also very up front here, accompanied by the muted violins. Haydn's reputation for being a master of the slow movement is totally built on movements like this one!
The final thing to note in this work that we haven't seen before is the 4th movement Italian dance, a saltarello. Defined as a fast triple-meter rhythm, we don't see it in Classical music until the 19th century when it shows several times, most prominently in Felix Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony. But here is Haydn, using it in 1774. I have to say, this is the quickest tempo movement I can recall hearing so far! One thing we see Haydn doing is taking it easy on his horns and trumpets by alternating them so they get a bit of rest for the lip. Not a whole lot of rest for the fiddles though, they are busy from start to stop. This is a splendid movement to finish this piece with, it provides a great contrast to the beautiful Adagio and the traditional Minuet.
Right away we hear a difference in #57; it opens with a long, Adagio introduction! We haven't seen this before, introductions, if present at all, were a few bars long, at most. It acts as nice preparation to get ready for the distinctly NOT Adagio material which follows. This quick-time Allegro is unmistakably Haydnish, similar in many ways to his normal sonata-Allegro first movements. Which is not in any way saying something negative, since this is a fine thing to be! A couple of things of note to listen for: the violins are used in a sort of perpetuum mobile fashion, giving a tremendous sense of forward motion. Also there are several instances of canonic entries of the strings particularly during the wrap-up where they lead into the final phrase by the horns. If you, like I, were a great admirer of symphonies such as #42, you will love this opening movement!
The third of this trio of symphonies again provides a masterful Adagio. It is a theme and variations, one of Haydn's favorite forms, but this time it isn't the variations which capture the listener so much as the brilliant theme they are based upon. The theme has three parts, one of which has a notable little pizzicato figure which completely sticks in your mind. As the theme unwinds, it marks its place with the return of this pizzicato figure. Each of the four variations then expresses its variety not so much as a change of ornamentation or tempo, as is the norm, but with changes in orchestration. The melodic part of the theme becomes richer and fuller sounding, and the filigree notes in the violins fill more and more, but the underlying simplicity of the original theme is never buried away, and the pizzicato figure always returns, even if played by the horns! The movement is also closed out with the original pizzicato, gently plucked into silence.
The minuet is almost classic, but it wouldn't be Haydn without some little oddity: when we wind down to the end of the repeat of the minuet, the last two chords have switched over to the minor key, audibly different from where we were. And suddenly we realize that instead of being the last two bars of the minuet, they were the first two bars of the trio! It is an interesting way to take us through this splendid little dance, worthy of a master. The finale is yet another rocking Prestissimo. Brown calls it another saltarello, and indeed it is one in all but name. Landon and Webster actually identify it back to a 17th century Austrian tune called Canzona & Capriccio on the Racket of Hens & Roosters by Poglietti. Either way it is a real workout for the violins, who are again working a perpetuum mobile to the hilt.
So, whether these three masterpieces were ever intended to be a trilogy or just happened to be three separate pieces composed the same year really makes no difference. In terms of showing us the state-of-the-art of the New Haydn of the mid-1770's, there could be no better audio aid for the interested listener than to dedicate a couple of hours to listening to some superior entertainment!
Next time we will have a look at the more intimate works of this year. I hope you have some time to give these symphonies a try!
Thanks for reading!