1788 – The Music part 1 - Under the Radar

Hob I:	NC	HRL	Key	Instruments
90	92	92	C	Flute, 2 Oboes, 2 Bassoons, 2 Horns, (2 Trumpets, Timpani) & Strings
91	93	93	Eb	Flute, 2 Oboes, 2 Bassoons, 2 Horns & Strings
(Hoboken catalog N°s.)	(New Chronology / Gerlach N°s.)	(Robbins-Landon N°s.)

The autograph title page of Symphony #91 'Dedicated to the Count d'Ogny'

One of the definitive qualities of being a fan is the ability to take any situation, no matter how sticky, and draw only the best conclusions from it, and damn the rest! Haydn has times, like the late 1780's, for example, when he really tests the degree of fandom possessed by his followers! Let's see what he's up to now.

Thinking back to late 1784 and 1785, we recall Haydn being approached, possibly by the Chevalier de Saint-Georges, on behalf of Claude François Marie Rigoley, Comte d'Ogny. The commission offered then was to compose six symphonies for Paris, a task which was duly completed over the next two years. One of the things we noted in passing since then, is how Haydn managed to sell those symphonies ten times over to every publisher and nobleman who came down the road. It is fair to say, he honed his salesmanship down to a keen edge with those deals!

Late in 1787 or early 1788, we can't be more precise since, as so often, the documents are long gone, Count d'Ogny again commissioned symphonies for Paris, three this time. Haydn was very busy at the time, preparing to send Tost off to Paris with Symphonies 88 and 89 (damn the poor timing!), but he probably agreed to take the commission under advisement. But then, we get this showing up in February:

[To FERDINAND MÜLLER VON MÜLLEGG, VIENNA. in German]

Estoras, 3rd February 1788.

Nobly born, Most highly respected Herr von Müller,

The appreciation which His Highness the Prince von Oettingen has shown for my modest compositions is of the greatest possible value to me, and I only regret that at present I cannot have the great pleasure of writing the 3 Symphonies that are demanded, because I now have to compose 6 Notturni for His Majesty the King of Naples and a new opera for my gracious Prince [probably a fabrication]. But when these works are finished, I shall make every effort to compose the 3 Symphonies, for which I do not presume to set a price, but beg to leave this entirely to the discretion of His Most Serene Highness the Prince. For the oratorio, which I recently improved by adding two new choruses, I beg to ask 16 ducats, five of which I must pay the copyist. Should I be fortunate enough to receive the gracious approval of some of these proposals, I shall then await further commands.

Meanwhile I am, Sir, in profound submission,
Your most obedient servant,

Joseph Haydn.

Müller was the Vienna agent of the Prince. We saw one of the results of this letter already when we were looking at Haydn's relationship with Artaria, which involved Haydn inquiring about the score copying of Il ritorno di Tobia. The other aspect, which Haydn certainly didn't share with Artaria (!), was the commission for three new symphonies. So now, with all the other cigar boxes being juggled at full speed, we have Haydn sitting at home with two separate commissions for three symphonies each, one from cosmopolitan Paris and one from remote Bavaria. Don't you wonder how this will turn out?

As with most of Haydn's works which we know anything at all about, there is very little discussion of what goes on between the time of a commission and the eventual production of the work. As I have been bemoaning since the first, Haydn didn't keep a diary, journal or ledger. Even his detective effort concerning the Tost affair offers us little more than misdirection concerning what Haydn was doing about these commissions. In the event, he composed the two present works in this year, and the third of them , #92, shows in the autograph to be from next year, 1789. As far as documentation goes, the next time we actually hear of them is upon their delivery to Müller, as shown here:

[To FERDINAND MÜLLER VON MÜLLEGG, VIENNA. in German]

Estoras, [c.17^th October 1789]

Nobly born, Most highly respected Herr von Müller !

At last I can deliver to you, Sir, the 3 Symphonies for His Serene Highness, the most gracious Prince Oettingen von Wallerstein. I beg you sincerely to forgive the delayed delivery, but you, Sir, must see for yourself how difficult it is (when one serves a master who even at an advanced age has an insatiable appetite for music) to keep one's word. I intended day after day to satisfy the most kind Prince von Wallerstein, but my many daily duties prevented me against my will from doing so.

A week from today, at the latest, I shall take the liberty of sending 12 brand new Dance Minuets with 12 Trios for this wonderful celebration [NB - the Prince was getting married for a second time].

Now I would humbly ask you to tell the Princely Kapellmeister there that these 3 Symphonies, because of their many particular effects, should be rehearsed at least once [bolded due to my astonishment!], carefully and with special concentration, before they are performed.

Meanwhile I am, Sir, most respectfully,
Your most obedient servant,

Josephus Haydn.

I want to leave the rest of the story of the set until next year, when we talk about #92. As for these two works in particular, I think it is safe to say that among Haydn's symphonies from the original 'Paris' set onwards, these first two, along with the second one from last year (#89), are the least well known of all of Haydn's late orchestral works. When discussions arise concerning these two sets of works, nearly all of it is concentrated on #'s 88 and 92. Which is not to say those worthy works don't also deserve discussion, playing, recording and/or listening! However, the other three are cumulatively on a par with any of Haydn's famous works. Let's take a look at the latter two.

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Hob. I:90 in C major

I	Adagio – Allegro assai	3/4	C
II	Andante	2/4	F
III	Menuet – Trio	3/4	C
IV	Finale: Allegro assai	2/4	C

Instrumentation - Flute, 2 Oboes, 2 Bassoons, 2 Horns (in C alto & F), 2 Trumpets (in C), Timpani, 2 Violins, Viola, Cello & Double Bass

While it is natural to believe in the idea of works being composed for a certain place (or places, as here) also being tailored for their particular suite of instruments, what we find in these symphonies is quite the opposite. While Bavaria, and especially Paris, had, for example, two flutes, and thus would use divided flutes, here we find only one. And while the entire concept of horns in C alto was missing from the idiom of Paris, and probably from Wallerstein too, here we find Haydn writing for Horn in C alto! Finally, both Paris and Wallerstein had clarinets, but Eszterháza had only had that one, unsuccessful trial with them in the late '770's. No clarinets here, either. This shows us, in a subtle way, that he was still composing, first and foremost, for his own orchestra whenever he could do so.

It didn't, of course, cause insurmountable difficulties for the eventual users; the local publishers merely dropped the word 'alto' from the horn parts, and in a bit of reverse snobbery, Haydn dropped the superfluous trumpet parts when the symphony was played in Eszterháza!

In most ways, #90 fits right in to the long line of festive 'Viennese C major' symphonies to which Haydn had been contributing since #2 back in 1758! Haydn begins this work with an Adagio introduction, which he resolves into the main body of the movement by the simplest of all expedients; he gets to the end and just speeds it up to the eventual tempo, and makes the theme of the introduction into the main theme of the Allegro assai movement. How simple can it get? The movement itself proceeds, then along this same theme, alternating solos for the various winds, then closing the phrases with tuttis for the entire orchestra. In his usual expert way, Haydn maneuvers this single theme through a variety of cadences, false cadences, reprises; in short, about everything you can do with a theme, into a very dynamic ear-catcher.

The second movement, Andante, is a set of double variations, beginning in F major and switching to f minor. A description of the structure of these variations is interesting even for a non-musician, but scarcely something I could copy out here. I can say though, and it is obvious in the listening, that Haydn was trying to do two things; first, he wanted to maintain a very regular structure rhythmically, so it has an almost metronomic quality to it. Second, though, he is trying to vary the two parts in such a way that the endings of each variation are ambiguous, more or less, and it is difficult to pick out when gears have switched and we are in the opposite mode. He also makes each variation just a bit shorter so by the time we reach the end, he uses a coda which is just the right length to tie all the pieces together and bring the movement to an abrupt, surprising halt. We now move directly into the minuet, which, as is no surprise, is the most adventurous tonally of the entire work, and yet maintains an aura of courtly minuet propriety. The trio is a vehicle for the solo oboe, who plays nearly the entire with only some very low continuo support from the strings.

The Finale: Allegro assai, is the site of one of Haydn's most famous jokes, and one which works today as well as it did in 1789 at the première! Against a backdrop of moto perpetuo in the strings, Haydn really works out the wind players, since the main part of the melodic work falls to them in splendid little solos. The bassoon and the horns carry the bulk of the labor here. Three times, the orchestra works up to a big finishing cadence, altogether now, and then continue on with more development. This has a tendency to dull your wits to the joke coming, at least it did mine. When they do this a fourth time, they finish the cadence and everyone stops. Done? On a count of 4, or just long enough for those who missed the idea that it was too soon to be over to begin applauding, bang! Off we go again! We now work our way up to the true ending. You may applaud now. Haydn actually worked his way to this ending from way back in the opening movement. His theme there incorporated a strong feeling of closure at the end of each section, so it always feels as though you are reaching the end of the movement even when you aren't at all. Analysts can tell you, at great length, exactly how this is done, but suffice to say he does it. And the finale, being very much part of Haydn's cyclic form, and thus composed in the same way as the opening movement, continues with this 'always at the end' feeling. So when we get to the false ending, it is really hard to think of anything being out of place. You are almost not even conscious of this happening, but it does though. It's what makes the joke work. Every time.

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Hob. I:91

I	Largo – Allegro assai	3/4	Eb
II	Andante	2/4	Bb
III	Menuet: Un poco Allegretto – Trio	3/4	Eb
IV	Finale: Vivace	2/2	Eb

Instrumentation - Flute, 2 Oboes, 2 Bassoons, 2 Horns (in Eb & Bb alto), 2 Violins, Viola, Cello & Double Bass
Dedication pour Mons. le Comte d'Ogny

The whole tone and feel of this opening is different from its mate, #90. Where #90 is built of speedy Allegros, #91 is dominated by the strings, which provide a solid matrix for the interweaving winds. The main texture is contrapuntal, ranging from 2 part to invertible (that is, the top and bottom lines mirror each other) to a coda in 4 part polyphony. In an unusual move, Haydn conjures the future by moving the entire structure into D flat before edging back to the 'true' key of B flat, an idea which we really don't see much of before Schubert, who made it into a 19^th century standard.

The second movement Andante, just like in #90, is a set of double variations, although they wouldn't be confused with each other. There is just one theme for both sets, and as in the first movement we have the strings providing the solid matrix for the winds to provide the variety. The coda itself is the King of the Trill, providing enough trilling to last a whole work long! Brown speculates it was a bit of sarcasm on Haydn's part over the French predilection for trills in their music. Whatever the truth, it is a bit funny to hear today!

The minuet proper seems like an old-fashioned, courtly style dance, possibly calculated to appeal to the Court. It is a bit on the slow side (Un poco Allegretto), but it is built on a rolling sort of theme which has plenty of forward motion to it, so quite satisfying. The Trio is one of Haydn's favored styles; an Austrian Ländler played by one of my favorite tonal combinations, violin and bassoon, with further interjections from the oboe and flute.

The Finale: Vivace, simply plays out a long sonata form on a lovely melody. It doesn't rollick, it is rather on the mellow side for a Haydn finale, but it is very attractive overall, and may be pointing to a change in philosophy yet again. Haydn knew his audience very well, and he undoubtedly felt this to be the way to their hearts.

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One can speculate many reasons why these two works have not gained the acclaim of their brethren. Perhaps they suffer from being surrounded by giants while not being giants themselves. They didn't get a name, after all, how good can they be? But the truth comes back to something we have discussed before: when there are 106 of anything, all very good, some great, it is impossible for all of them to get their just share of the limelight. But if you give these a try, I think you will find them to be worth your while.

Next time we will have a look to see how those quartets which that rascal Tost dragged off to Paris are doing today.

Thanks for reading!