Hob. # |
Genre |
Key |
Instrument(s) |
04:06 |
Divertimento á tre |
D |
Flute, Violin (or 2 Violins) & Cello |
04:07 |
Divertimento á tre |
G |
Flute, Violin (or 2 Violins) & Cello |
04:08 |
Divertimento á tre |
C |
Flute, Violin (or 2 Violins) & Cello |
04:09 |
Divertimento á tre |
G |
Flute, Violin (or 2 Violins) & Cello |
04:10 |
Divertimento á tre |
A |
Flute, Violin (or 2 Violins) & Cello |
04:11 |
Divertimento á tre |
D |
Flute, Violin (or 2 Violins) & Cello |
If you aren't including string quartets, a genre all their own, it has been a considerable time since we have seen any chamber music flow out of Haydn's quill. He seems to have given himself over completely to the concept of being a composer of 'big music'. Which is all well and good until you start trying to earn a living selling symphony scores to your average music lover to play at home. Plenty of music publishers went out of business proving this point, enough to make Haydn think twice about his reply when Artaria, Forster and Hummel et al, asked for take-home versions of his works. And this is what we see this year, and for years to come.
Even though the concept of 'art for art's sake' was not an Enlightenment principle, it being a nineteenth century Romantic concept, still, it must have grated to some extent on Haydn to see really good work, which he had slaved over in earlier times, get used once and tossed away like so many fish wrappers. So, when in early 1784 the London publisher William Forster asked Haydn yet again for a set of trios for flute, violin and cello, the overly busy composer, never one to turn away a lucrative offer, had just the thing. He took some music which would have been entirely new to England, highlights from his opera Il mondo della Luna, which had been sitting on the shelf since its last performance in 1777 and parts of a Baryton Trio from 1771 and fashioned it all, along with some brand new music, into a set of six flute trios.
It is unfortunate to have lost track of the correspondence between Haydn and Forster which led up to these works. We don't know much about Haydn's personal opinions concerning the flute. When he finally got one of his own, we can be sure he was delighted to have added orchestral colors for his band, but there is no record of any statements on his part, or of music especially built around, the transverse flute. So Mozartians have this great line in the letter to Leopold to build upon: You know I become quite powerless whenever I am obliged to write for an instrument which I cannot bear… while Haydnistos have to just make do with fine music.
Whether these were Mozart's true feelings or if he was just being a drama queen to put off his father, as has been argued, is not as important as the question of the lack of universal regard for the instrument. There is no doubt, however, outside of Austria, at least, the flute was achieving its first great wave of popularity by the late eighteenth century, this emanating from its epicenter, the World Flute Headquarters of Frederick the Great, Schloss Sanssouci, and into France and England. And Forster wished to take advantage of this popularity. The works which Haydn provided, even though rather hastily assembled, proved in the event to be very popular, so Forster had judged his composer and his audience very well indeed! Landon supposes, very reasonably, that these works provided the impetus for noble flautist Lord Abingdon to commission the 'London Trios' for two flutes and cello during Haydn's second London visit in 1795.
Here are the works, with a rundown of their origins:
Divertimento in D major, Hob 4:6
I |
Adagio cantabile |
arrangement of the Sinfonia (#12) from Act II of Il mondo della luna |
II |
Allegro |
arrangement of the Chorus Uomo felice (#15) from Act II |
III |
Tempo di menuetto |
|
Divertimento in G major, Hob 4:7
I |
Allegro |
arrangement of the aria Se la mia Stella (#24) from Act II of Il mondo della luna |
II |
Adagio |
|
III |
Allegro |
|
Divertimento in C major, Hob 4:8
I |
Allegro moderato |
|
II |
Poco adagio |
arrangement of the aria Quanta gente che sospira (#25) from Act II of Il mondo della luna |
III |
Finale: Presto |
|
Divertimento in G major, Hob 4:9
I |
Adagio |
arrangement of the 1st movement of the Baryton Trio #97 in D |
II |
Scherzo |
arrangement of the 6th movement " |
III |
Finale: Fuga: Presto |
arrangement of the 7th movement " |
Divertimento in A major, Hob 4:10
I |
Andante con espressione |
|
II |
Adagio |
|
III |
Tempo di Menuetto |
arrangement of the balletto (#23) from Act II of Il mondo della luna |
Divertimento in G major, Hob 4:11
I |
Allegro moderato |
|
II |
Adagio |
|
III |
Vivace |
arrangement of the balletto (#14) from Act II of Il mondo della luna |
So, we see Haydn basing fully half of the eighteen movements on earlier work; recycling at its finest! They could be played by two violins, but the tone color provided by the flute would be sorely missed if it was gone. We will be speaking about the entire topic of transcriptions for the purpose of making 'domestic music' fairly often in future. Right now in 1784, we are seeing the beginning of a major change in the musical establishment which had persisted for centuries in Europe. This is Haydn's contribution to the Music Revolution, his own first little ripple to add to the tidal wave which will wash over musical Europe within the next twenty years!
Hob. # |
Genre |
Key |
Landon |
Instrument(s) |
15:05 |
Accompanied Sonata |
G |
18 |
Keyboard, Violin & Cello |
15:06 |
Accompanied Sonata |
F |
19 |
Keyboard, Violin & Cello |
Another part, certainly the main one, of the wave we see above consisted of a passion which enveloped all of Europe, finally including Vienna itself, for the genre they called 'accompanied sonatas'. Today, due to nineteenth century influences, we call them 'piano trios' or 'violin sonatas', but make no mistake, they are keyboard sonatas to which an accompaniment, not always obbligato, was added for a violin and/or a cello.
Haydn had been being bombarded with requests for some of these types of work ever since he became established as an independent contractor. In a rush to comply, now that work on Armida was finally over, he sent off a trio which he probably, judging by its style, had on hand, though unused. He added two others to it, also sitting around doing nothing, and sent them off to London. The first of these works was our present Hob 15:5 in G. I say it was probably completed earlier because several commentators have said it before me, but I find it to be a perfectly charming work, especially the inner movement, a surprising Allegro, which gives the work the unusual tempo balance of slow-fast-fast. This nearly ten minute long Allegro is clearly set up to be the centerpiece of the work. The Adagio ma non tanto opening movement is less than four minutes, and the Allegro finale a mere two and a half. It is a very interesting work though, and a nice return to a genre he had left behind when it was still a Baroque relic.
The other two works sent to London, though, remain a low point in Haydn studies. Haydn didn't compose them, they were by Ignace Pleyel, his long-time student, now gone off to Paris. He had probably sent them to Haydn for review purposes and they remained sitting in the work room in a pile until Haydn needed something quick to send off to London and added them to Hob 5 to make a set of three. Ten years from now, when we get to London, you will hear the rest of the story. Moralists ever since have claimed the high ground on this, we have yet to see where I will end up.
Hob 15:6, on the other hand, is a gem of a work, in two movements (Vivace & Tempo di menuetto). It had become fashionable in the 1780's for these types of works to have two movements with no slow movement. And while Haydn conceded this point to fashion, he did not concede intricacy and art! As we will see next year when the remainder of this set of three is assembled, it is classic Haydn. The violinist, unlike in the usual run of Hausmusik violin parts, had better know his way around a fiddle!
There were two probable venues for this music. The first would be our old favorite, the salon. The music was easily good enough for this more 'public' venue, connoisseurs and music lovers alike would have been a fine audience for socially precocious young ladies and their accompanists. And for the less well connected stay at home types, a wonderful medium for family-and-friends music parties and a chance to attract young beaus. In short, they were music with a purpose, and they fulfilled it admirably!
Next time, some different varieties of Haus and salon music.
Thanks for reading!