by Charles Loraine Smith of Enderby, 1782
Now, as I approach six years of writing about the life of Haydn, I feel I am finally in a position to make a few assertions concerning which parts are the most interesting, and tie this together with those parts having a substantial body of work, both by and about Haydn. I'm not really sure of all the factors which create those circumstances, or whether it necessarily follows that being the most interesting causes being the most written about, or whether the opposite is actually true. But since this is actually an answer to a question which I have been asked, I have given some thought to it already: it is Haydn's two trips to England.
There are certainly many reasons for this choice, but a lot of it boils down to the fact that if you wish to satisfy your urge to learn something about the man and his music, the documentation for the England trips far surpasses what is available for any other period of his life, even the late years in Vienna. He was so popular there in real time that many of his contemporaries were writing about meeting him or hearing his music played. In addition, London had newspapers, a great source of information. He hung out with Royals, guaranteeing it would be jotted down. It was also a peak time for his music; the odds are the first Haydn music you ever heard was from his English period.
What, then, are some books you can find to help you in this look at 'Haydn in England'? There are lots of them, and their intended audiences vary in depth from researchers without access to primary sources to more-than-casual readers looking to fill in some blanks while listening to the London Symphonies. Here are a few of my own choices; I tried to hit on a variety of both Haydn-specific and contextual books that will have the broadest appeal. I know there are others, I have many of them, and I can't get some the remainder for love nor money. It seems pointless to recommend a book to you that I can't even find a copy of myself! If you have questions or suggestions for books I might have missed, an email would be appreciated.
It would be disingenuous of me to pretend that anything else would do. I know getting your hands on a copy of this volume can be problematic, but I guess it depends upon your dedication! It really is the book to have, the amount of information contained therein is unsurpassed. It has the added value of making every other book you buy that much more valuable.
Haydn: Chronicle & Works vol. III: Haydn in England
H.C. Robbins Landon
University of Indiana Press – 1976
ISBN 0-253-37003-5
647 pages
Landon's five volume biography of Haydn will astound you with the mass of collected data. Generally speaking, it is, indeed, chronological, although he occasionally jumps around a bit to avoid having to break a story into pieces. If you are a lover of minutiæ, it is here in abundance. It seems as though almost every day Haydn spent there is touched upon in some way, although sometimes the strings between events are not always tied up so neatly. It's alright though, it gives you a chance to be smug for a moment if you can put a couple of the pieces together yourself.
If you can't get this at the used book store (it is mostly out of print), or even find it in your library, all is not lost. There has been plenty of good, interesting research since this was written.
I don't know about you, but I like pictures to go with what I am reading. It brings life to the words. There are no picture books which are specifically on or about both Haydn AND England. However, there are two good picture books on Haydn in general, and one of them has a very nice section on the English journeys. It is Landon, again.
Haydn, a Documentary Study
H.C. Robbins Landon
Rizzoli International Publications – 1981
ISBN – 0-8478-0388-0
224 pages – 220 illustrations (44 in color)
and 1 map
The chapter on the visits to England is approximately 50 pages long, and there is an abundance of interesting pictures, of people, places, music scores, handbills, ledger entries etc.. This should be a fairly easy acquisition, I found a copy in 'like new' condition for less than $15.US! Certainly worth your while to try and acquire one.
Even though this is of the more casual variety, it is still among my favorite books. Probably because the author is among my favorite musicians, but also, I find his prose style quite appealing and easy to go along with. It is a lovely little book to have, the hardbound cover is fitted in blue silk fabric rather than buckram.
Haydn's Visits to England
Christopher Hogwood
First published in the UK by The Folio Society – 1980
Reprinted by Thames & Hudson – 2009
ISBN – 978-0-500-51460-3
116 pages
Certainly Hogwood won't be as comprehensive in 115 pages as Landon was in ~650, but that doesn't detract from ones enjoyment of this little book. He hits on many of the high spots, the ones which are relevant to the making of social contacts or music. Where I found it useful was in helping to pick out things which I wanted to research further. This is much easier to do in a small book of highlights than a large book of details. I expect the cost will continue to increase, as it has since Hogwood's passing. In any case, while it isn't a major reference book, it does have the virtue of being accurate, well-written and is a nice reminder of a musician who is still much missed.
Here is a bit more in depth volume, which would have fit nicely into my review of anthologies, except I didn't have it then. More's the pity, since it has some information for which I hunted in vain when I was writing about Haydn in England. But amassing more knowledge now can't hurt, especially when it is so well presented.
The Land of Opportunity – Joseph Haydn and Britain
Edited by Richard Chessner & David Wyn Jones
The British Library – 2013
ISBN – 978-0-7123-5848-4
240 pages
Contents:
|
David Wyn Jones |
Haydn, Austria and Britain: Music, Culture & Politics in the 1790's |
|
Thomas Tolley |
Caricatures by Henry William Bunbury in the Collection of Joseph Haydn |
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Alan Davison |
Thomas Hardy's Portrait of Joseph Haydn |
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Caroline Grigson |
A Matter of Words: Haydn, Holcroft & Anne Hunter |
|
David Rowland |
Haydn's Music & Clementi's Publishing Circle |
|
Balázs Mikusi |
Haydn's 'British Music Library' |
|
Otto Biba |
A Newly Discovered Libretto Edited by Haydn |
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Ingrid Fuchs |
The First Performers and Audiences of Haydn's Chamber Music |
|
Rupert Ridgewell |
Publishing Practice in Haydn's Vienna: Artaria and the Keyboard Trios of Op. 40 |
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Christopher Wiley |
Mythological Motifs in the Biographical Accounts of Haydn's Later Life |
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Arthur Searle |
'A Scarce Specimen of the Unrivalled Master's Handwriting': Haydn Manuscripts in the British Library |
Here is a book of essays. As we have seen, this is the more normal way of writing about Haydn, and it focuses, though not exclusively, on the England years. Since it is a relatively new book (2013) as such things go, it manages to nicely flesh out a lot of earlier work that you may already know about with some more recent research results. Even some of the non-England essays are very interesting, like Ridgewell's on Op. 40 (Hoboken 15:6-8) which are hardly ever mentioned elsewhere in the literature. Definitely the sort of book that a well-read amateur will benefit from.
Our last entry fits the broader category of providing context for the whole thing. Nor is it a collection of essays, rather, it's a look at an entire place and time, London in the second half of the 18th century. Clearly the product of extensive research and very good writing, this book is a fount of information even if it covers an area broader than your own interest.
Concert Life in London from Mozart to Haydn
Simon McVeigh
Cambridge University Press - 1993
ISBN – 0-521-02890-6
300 pages
Categories: (There are several chapters in each category section)
The Social Role of the Concert
Attracting an Audience
Concert Management & the Musician
If you felt a need to know how the London concert system operated, there is no better place to go than here. It postdates Landon by nearly 20 years, so some questions one would have from reading C&W3 are answered here quite neatly. London was the hub of modern concertizing, so any information you can get is huge.
I'm not implying that if you get these books you will suddenly become the all-knowing expert on either London in the 1790's or Haydn's visit and the music it produced. However, if you have a curious mind and an interest in one of the high points in music history, you can certainly begin to satisfy yourself right there!