There are many constructs which have been created ex post facto to help those who came after to understand what history tells us. Apparently the need to give some context can only be realized by relating to now, totally disregarding the probability that 'now' will be 'then' someday!
One of my favorite examples is also one of my least favorite constructs and has been the subject of a rant or two in these pages in the past, although I certainly have no objection to taking another swipe at it now by way of illustration. This, of course, is Sturm und Drang, a legitimate literary movement, whose beginning 'officially' dates from the 1774 publication of Goethe's The Sorrows of Young Werther. Haydn's so-called Sturm und Drang period stretches from the symphonies of 1767-68 through the symphonies of 1772, including many aspects of the string quartets and other works written in that period. In other words, it was over for him by the time of Werther. Yet, even now one sees writing devoted to the culture of the late 18th century, such as Melton's Musical Cultures in Haydn's Vienna from 2004, which still try to make this connection despite the incontrovertible law of physics which demonstrates that time is like an arrow which travels solely in one direction. *sigh*
Of course, this is far from the only term from the past which is commonly used today, without even a second thought as to its meaning or propriety. Ones which leap to mind in this context are 'Baroque', 'Romantic' and most especially 'Classical'. If one were to look into the traits which determine these styles, and then go and apply them to the music itself, suddenly lines will blur to the point of disappearing. What will remain is the clear continuum of the evolution of music since the end of the Renaissance. Of course, this subject comes up just now because at the beginning of this year Haydn 'invented the Classical Era' with his publication of the Opus 33 string quartets. It's true, look it up!
Sarcasm aside, there IS a construct which was not only universally (that is to say pan-European) recognized then, but is still legitimate in today's view of history. This is what is called in English The Age of Enlightenment, or more properly in French, Le Siècle des Lumières. In terms of forming our modern world, this is perhaps one of the most important cultural phenomena of all times. Modern science and philosophy as well as literature and music all find their early flourishing here. What I, as a simple, linear realist, find compelling and acceptable about this construct is that it was recognized and named by the people who were carrying it on, not by some down-the-road armchair ponderer. This painting by Lemonnier is a typical example of thousands of paintings of the time, I use it in particular because of the subject matter, a French salon during a reading of Voltaire's tragedy The Orphan of China. But the imagery, the strong beam of sunlight coming in from above and shining over the head of the reader onto the listeners beyond is one of the strongest and most compelling symbols illustrating Enlightenment!
So how does this relate to Haydn? Enlightenment is so intricately twined with music that it would take a book to fully explore it. Both directly and indirectly, the images which fueled enlightened thought and created the processes which allowed it to spread throughout Europe affected music every bit as much as every other art. It is no mere coincidence that Haydn's first symphony composed for the Esterházy Prince, his Symphony #6, Le Matin, opened with an unmistakable musical portrayal of a rising sun, the symbolic totem of the Enlightenment. This year we will see a Mass, one of his finest, which will also be his last one for 14 years, due to the Reforms of Emperor Joseph II, a monarch who governed with so-called Enlightened Absolutism. But in addition, the entire concept of chamber music as Haydn saw it and developed it; i.e. – as a conversation among intelligent friends, came directly from the salon, which, by both cause and effect is a child and/or parent of the Enlightenment.
by Joseph Hickel
Of course, Haydn had his duties this year. There were ninety documented opera performances by a half dozen composers, not least including himself with an entirely new opera, Orlando Paladino. We also will have three entirely new symphonies, a keyboard sonata and a wonderful little song, composed gratis for a young lady. We will also see our newly-coined entrepreneur hard at work.
I hope this little bit of history will inspire you to look further into this fascinating period in our own cultural ancestry. All the clichés concerning not knowing the past come up here, and there is sadly little expectation that the course of human events will be changed by knowing or not knowing what mistakes have been made and corrected (or not!) in the last three-hundred years, but neither does it harm anything to have ones' thought processes tempered somewhat by actual knowledge!
So we now see very clearly what a fork in the road the Haydn journey came to in 1779. It is as though Haydn now lived two lives. He certainly did the work of two men! But with his finest yet to come, he is proving once again that the value of genius can never be overestimated!
Next time we will look at the first installment of the sextet of symphonies which comprise one of the great oversights of the modern period instrument repertoire, the first symphonies destined for foreign lands.
Thanks for reading!