|
Hob. # |
Genre |
Key |
No. |
Instrument(s) |
|
7h:1 |
Concerto |
C |
1 |
2 Lire, 2 Horns, 2 Violins, 2 Violas & Cello |
|
7h:2 |
Concerto |
G |
2 |
2 Lire, 2 Horns, 2 Violins, 2 Violas & Cello |
|
7h:3 |
Concerto |
G |
3 |
2 Lire, 2 Horns, 2 Violins, 2 Violas & Cello |
|
7h:4 |
Concerto |
F |
4 |
2 Lire, 2 Horns, 2 Violins, 2 Violas & Cello |
|
7h:5 |
Concerto |
F |
5 |
2 Lire, 2 Horns, 2 Violins, 2 Violas & Cello |
Louis Charles August Couder (1820)
Love Mount Vesuvius in the background!
Haydn's commission to write these five (probably six) concertos arrived sometime in 1785 or 1786. We don't have the letter he got from Norbert Hadrava, but a similar letter shows what was wanted. This is one of those cases where the composition period of a set was not circumscribed by the calendar, and so we now will look at the entire set together. As we saw in the introductory essay to these works (which I highly recommend you read, if you haven't done already), we saw the letter from Hadrava to composer Franz Sterkel in Germany, in which Hadrava describes the capabilities of the lira organizzate and what the expectations are from these works. This is where we learn the fact it will only play one of three possible keys, C major (no sharps or flats), F major (1 flat), or G major (1 sharp). Also, it has the same range as an oboe, more or less. I wonder, though, if, unlike the Prince's Baryton, it will still only play 1 sharp or flat if someone other than the King is playing. I don't suppose it matters at this point, but it does make me curious.
We believe Haydn received essentially the same letter as Sterkel, with the exception of asking for six concertos instead of three. Six is such a standard number in every way, we can only assume one work was lost. In which case it would, no doubt, have been in C major, thus making two each in the three possible keys. The sort of symmetry which would have pleased Haydn, no doubt!
Since the intended performers (except Hadrava) were Neapolitan, they would certainly have known what a concerto grosso sounded like. In fact, the form itself hadn't entirely disappeared in Italy like it had in the rest of Europe. And this was a commission in which Haydn could have leaned on that tired old standby. Perhaps the King (or Hadrava, really) didn't really expect much more than this. It must have done him proud, then, when he received these works from Haydn. Instead of an actual concerto form, with the string quintet plus horns playing the ripenio or tutti, and the two liras playing the concertino, what we get instead is a very modern cooperative effort as the various parts work together as in a divertimento. This is the form which Haydn perfected in 1775 when he wrote the Divertimento-octets for Baryton, 2 Horns, 2 Violins, Viola, Cello & Violone. In 1781, he rescored those works for Flute, 2 Horns, 2 Violins, Viola, Cello and Contrabass, selling them to Artaria who called them Opus 31. Stylistically, the lira concerti and these divertimenti are of a kind. One hallmark of a concerto which Haydn retained was the cadenza, some of which he wrote out. So, while they may not formally fit the concerto mold, in all three cases they were perfect for the purpose at hand.
Another thing which Haydn did especially to please the King was to use Neapolitan style music in various forms throughout. Thus, we see things like serenade-style writing, and aria-like interludes. The slow movement of #2 actually is an aria; it is the insertion aria Sono Alcina, the lovely cavatina he wrote last year for Gazzaniga's L'Isola d'Alcina. Haydn also reused other themes of his own, such as the original finale theme from Symphony #13 as the first movement theme of #5. Next year, Mozart would also use this theme and make it famous, as the finale theme to his last symphony, K 551 (Jupiter).
These works not only incorporated previous ideas and forms, they gave rise to a few also. We saw, earlier this same year, the first example of reusing, not just themes, but entire movements with some additions, when we looked at Symphony #89. The second movement of Concerto #5 and the second movement of Symphony #89, as well as the third movement of the concerto and the fourth movement of the symphony, are much more than kindred. But the big surprise, the one which will certainly catch your ear, is the beautiful inside movement of Concerto #3 in G; this Romance: Allegro, became the hit of, not just the season, but of the entire English Adventure when Haydn used it, with the addition of Turkish Music, as the Allegretto of the Military Symphony! What bit of inspiration led Haydn down that path is unknown, but it became one of his signature pieces. By way of personal observation, the very first work of Haydn which I ever heard, and which fascinated me into becoming a ten-year old Haydn fan was an LP of my father's containing exactly that work (along with #94, no 'Surprise' there!). So there is always that special place for the little Romance of Concerto #3 in my heart!
On a personal note
It is hard to believe it has been two years this week since this review of the life and works of Joseph Haydn first came to be. What I envisioned as a nice little blog which I would use to keep track of the various things I learned about Haydn had its fifteen-thousandth view last week, and now has nearly a hundred-sixty essays, with a way left to go before we even get to England. It's okay though, I probably have a way to go before I get to England as well!
This time last year, I expressed a few ideas with which to expand the web page to include more data. Despite appearances, I haven't totally failed at it, as I have added a new feature which lists all the music composed by the decade. I have gotten some positive feedback on the first entry, the 1750's, and so I am preparing the 1760's now, and am nearly ready to publish. As we move ahead in time, dates become much more certain and so it will be simpler and likely more accurate as we approach the 1790's. I like to think the overall quality of the essays themselves has improved, and I have added a greater number of high quality images to each essay, and am now at the point where I will probably go back and rework some of the earlier essays. It is amazing how much you learn from doing!
Another feature which I am well into preparing now is a timeline of events, including known happenings in Haydn's life, his compositions, other events in Vienna which would have been known to him and influenced him, and finally, events in the world at large to help give the reader some context. This a bit more complicated, but I think it will become a nice reference tool for the interested reader.
One of the difficulties in keeping a journal of this type is matching the content to the audience. My stated objective when I began was to avoid sounding like an academic textbook. This isn't as difficult as it may seem, since I am not an academic, and couldn't sound like one if I tried! But I would very much like to get feedback from you, the reader, into how this series fulfills my mission of giving you all the context I can offer on Haydn's works, everything short of any sort of analysis of the music itself. Are there things you would like to see? Find out more about? By all means, make use of the feedback section to ask questions or make comments. Or send me an email straight on at the link in the upper right corner. Many have, I answer every one. I am always delighted to converse with fellow Haydnistos. Thanks to all you readers for faithfully sticking with me, even if I may have published a stinker one time or another!
Next time we will look at how Haydn and Artaria made it possible to enjoy the 7 Last Words in the comfort of your own Schloss!
Thanks for reading, and I am looking forward to year three!