1794 – The Year part 3 - Reality, the sublime intruder

Hob I:	NC	HRL	Key	Name	Instruments
100	103	102	G	Military	2 Flutes, 2 Oboes, 2 Clarinets in C, 2 Bassoons, 2 Horns in G & C basso, 2 Trumpets in C, Timpani, 'Turkish' Percussion & Strings
(Hoboken catalog N°s.)	(New Chronology / Gerlach N°s.)	(Robbins-Landon N°s.)

June 1794 - Battle of Fleurus by Anon
The first use of an observation balloon in warfare

Longtime readers have probably noticed a trend in this space lately for me to lean more heavily on history than I did previously. It isn't just because I like history, or even because there was more critical history being made at this point in time (although both of those things are true), but it just seems like history is being more and more intertwined with Haydn's own narrative. This time, history IS the narrative.

    The Oracle – 29 March, 1794

Hanover-Square. Mr. Salomon's Concert

The Subscribers are respectfully acquainted, that the Eighth Performance will be on Monday next, the 31^st inst.

                  Part I

Overture. Pleyel ;

Aria. Mr. Fischer ;

(By desire) The new Quartetto (M.S.) Haydn ;

which was performed last Monday.

Two Violins, Viola, Violoncello, Messrs. Salomon Damer [sic]

Fiorillo and Damer [sic], jun.

Scena. Madame Mara ;

Concerto. Pedal Harp, Madame Delavel [sic]

Part II

New Grand Overture, M.S. Haydn ;

Aria. Mr. Fischer ;

Concerto, Violin. Signor Viotti ;

Rondo. Madame Mara.

Finale

As usual, we don't know which of the Six London Quartets was so popular the week before as to be repeated this week; it could have been any of them. Haydn had, as always, found the right recipe for pleasing the crowd with these. What we DO know is this was the world première of the 'symphony with the military movement', as it was called forever after. Landon doesn't give us a newspaper review of this concert, but the following week, on 7 April, the symphony was repeated, and the reviewers had now had time to digest what they heard and saw at Hanover Square.

    The Morning Chronicle – 9 April, 1794

….another new symphony by Haydn was performed for the second time ; and the middle movement was again received with absolute shouts of applause. 'Encore! Encore! Encore!' resounded from every seat ; the Ladies themselves could not forbear. It is the advancing to battle ; and the march of men, the sounding of the charge, the thundering of the onset, the clash of arms, the groans of the wounded, and what may well be called the hellish roar of war increased to a climax of horrid sublimity! Which, if others can conceive, he alone can execute ; at least, he alone has hitherto effected these wonders.

"The Ladies themselves could not forbear". Well, and why not? Who is more affected by war than the mothers, wives and sisters left behind? We have been speaking quite a lot here about Haydn's intense desire to discover the emotional aspect of his audience and speak directly to it. As we know, he has been quite successful at this, it is the root of all he does. But of all the works he wrote in his career, never before or after was his aim so true as it was with this piece. Why was that?

While many of us don't really pay attention to European history much before WW I, beyond the usual "who was King/Queen/Emperor/Pope?" sort of questions, and the Big Events, like the American and French Revolutions, I'm rather sure that the people living through those times were well aware, as nearly as possible, of things like the French Revolutionary Wars. I confess that my smattering of knowledge didn't quite encompass the full extent of the death and destruction occurring in and out of France as a result of the Revolution.

The 1st Kings Dragoon Guards at Le Cateau 
29th March 1794 by Harry Payne

When we were looking at the end of 1792, I mentioned, in passing, one of the pivotal battles for power in Europe, which took place in Valmy, France, in September. This one small battle, won decisively by the French over the Prussian army, catalyzed the political events of the next two centuries. More immediately, it served to expand a small regional outbreak between French Revolutionaries and Royalists into a united effort by outside forces to put an end to the Revolution, possibly in time to save Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Thus, the War of the First Coalition. Arrayed against the French Revolutionary Army now were the combined forces of Austria and the Holy Roman Empire, Prussia, Naples & Sicily, Spain, Portugal, Sardinia, Holland, various Italian states and Great Britain. So from 1792 to 1795, England was at war.

The Execution of Robespierre July, 1794
The Revolution was feeding on itself!

There seems to be a general impression that by this point in history, the Revolution was a done deal. In reality though, there was a great Resistance movement generically called Royalists, although they had many other names in many places. Once Louis XVI lost his head in January of 1793, the Royalists joined forces with the First Coalition, and from that point forward, it was on! This was the peak of the Reign of Terror, heads rolled daily, en masse. Robespierre and company, now known as the Committee of Public Safety, were the de facto ruling body of the country. In addition to rounding up and executing Royalists, they passed a military conscription levée en masse, drafting 300,000 men between 18 and 25 years old. This set the strategic pattern by which France staved off defeat all the way through to the end of the Napoleonic Wars, in 1815. They achieved their greatest successes by the simple expedient of outnumbering their opponents.

Destruction of the French Fleet at Toulon 18 Dec 1793	The Evacuation of Toulon 19 Dec 1793

It can be no wonder, really, that Prince Anton was set against allowing Haydn to travel to England in January, 1794. The Siege of Toulon, the decisive battle which cemented the Revolution firmly and finally into place, had occurred just one month before. Since the English were so heavily involved in it, and it was so fresh in all minds, I can't help but believe that this was the source, not only of Haydn's inspiration for the symphony, but also of the underlying hysteria which accounted for its reception. "The Ladies themselves" who "could not forbear" were mentally reliving the mixed emotions of the pride and horror of their husbands, sons and brothers, all caught up in the incredible brutality which war always is.

Hob. I:100 in G major

Mvmt.	Tempo	Meter	Key
I	Adagio – Allegro	2/2 - 3/4	G
II	Allegretto	2/2	C
III	Menuet: Moderato – Trio	3/4	G
IV	Finale: Presto	6/8	G
Instrumentation – 2 Flutes, 2 Oboes, 2 Bassoons, 2 Clarinets (in C), 2 Horns (in G & C), 2 Trumpets (in C), Timpani (in G & D), 2 Violins, Viola, Cello & Double Bass + Turkish Percussion: Triangle, Cymbals, Tambourine and Bass Drum

In reviewing this symphony, the reviewer for the Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung, in Vienna, noted some things which differentiated it from its contemporaries of the London era.

… it is therefore unnecessary to say anything further about this symphony, composed in London by the great master, except that it is one of the finest he has written. It is somewhat less learned, and easier to take in, than some of the other newest works by him, but it is still just as rich in new ideas. The effect of surprise cannot perhaps be pushed further than it is here, when in the second movement we are utterly surprised by the full Janissary music in the minore – up to the point that we had no idea that these Turkish instruments were part of the symphony's scoring. But here, too, we see not only the inventive but also the prudent artist. The Andante [recte: Allegretto] is conceived as a whole: for despite all the pleasantness and lightness with which the composer in the first part attempts to distract attention from the coming coup, it is laid out and worked out like a march…

Despite the many attractions of the first, third and final movements of this symphony, it is justifiably the Andante… um… Allegretto which captures the ear every time. It just seems like we have heard it somewhere before. And in fact, we have done, but only if we have got off Musical Main Street and heard some little gems from further afield.

The Original Romanze, as written c. 1786

Back in 1785, on 11 February to be precise, Haydn's induction ceremony into the Freemasons was the same night on which Mozart premièred his legendary d minor piano concerto (K 466) at the Burgtheater. Since they were in a period when it was possible for them to be quite close, it is likely Haydn went to this performance. One of the many unusual things about this concerto is its inner movement, a Romance. Something about the simple, folksong-like style of the Romance must have caught his ear, because within weeks, when he was composing the first set of Paris Symphonies, he incorporated the first of only two 'Romanze' movements into his music. This was the slow movement of Symphony #85, La Reine, which is a set of four variations on a folk tune called Le gentile et jeune Lisette (Dear little Lisette). Shortly afterwards, he composed the one which interests us. We don't really know exactly when he got commissioned by the King of Naples to compose 5 (probably 6, actually) concertos for 2 Lire organizzate, 2 Horns, 2 Violins, 2 Violas & 2 Cellos, the actual composition spanned the years 1786-87. The one we call #3, in G major (Hob 7h:3), is one of the finest of the set, and its inner movement is, once again, a beautiful little Romance, with a theme which also sounds rather like it could be a folk tune. No one knows, really, what brilliant bit of inspiration happened in 1794. Maybe he had the score with him, since it was previously unheard in London and he wanted it on hand for emergencies? In any case, the idea of matriculating a Romanza: Allegretto into what was effectively a Marcia: Allegretto with Turkish Janissary instruments added, was one of the most popularly successful of his entire career.

One shouldn't underrate Haydn's accomplishment here though. "Popularly successful" has an air of light entertainment which is nothing more than a mask for the true sublime import this music had. The feeling of dread evoked by the drum roll, followed by a discordant chord (Ab in the key of C) and then the trumpet fanfare (believed to be the Prussian Army's call "Parade Post") which we saw above in the Morning Chronicle review was "a climax of horrid sublimity…". And indeed it was, then and now. But in modern times, 'sublime' has acquired a connotation of "extremely good, beautiful, or enjoyable", while in Haydn's time, the philosophical and literary meaning of sublime was very different. To Haydn, as to his audience, sublime meant "something that could provoke terror in the audience, for terror and pain were the strongest of emotions". This is yet another pitfall of listening to 18^th century music with 21^st century ears. If what the audience of 1794 perceived in this expert intertwining of light, march style with the unmistakable sounds of conflict was "horridly sublime", then the degree of mastery exhibited by Haydn here is at an impossibly high level.

I mentioned above that this was the most popular work of Haydn's combined two trips to London. It was documented to have been played eight times, even though it was the last symphony of Year 3, and was likely played even more often at benefits and private gatherings. On a personal level, in the distant past my Father gifted me with an LP, my first Classical record, which had Symphony #94 on one side, and this same #100 on the reverse. In time, as LP's are wont to do in the hands of a 10-year-old, this one wore smooth and was replaced with subsequent copies. But I credit it with singlehandedly making me a Haydn fan for life. I am going to leave the remainder of this work for you to enjoy and appreciate for yourself. If you aren't familiar with it, you are in for a treat. If you know the music, then I hope this little bit of context helps you to appreciate it even more.

Thanks for reading!