1st symphony (Haydn)

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The Symphony in D major Hoboken directory I: 1 composed Joseph Haydn in 1757, during his employment with the Count Morzin.

General

Joseph Haydn (painting by Ludwig Guttenbrunn, around 1770)

The Symphony Hoboken Directory I: 1 is probably Haydn's first symphony. According to the Haydn biographer Griesinger, the composer himself is said to have described the work as his first symphony and to have associated it with his service with Count Morzin. Since there is evidence of a copy of Symphony No. 37 from 1758, No. 1 was probably created as an older work in 1757.

In general, various types can be observed in Haydn's early symphonies:

  • Most of the works are in three movements, but not z. B. Nos. 11, 20, 27, 32 and 33.
  • The typical sequence of sentences fast - slow - (minuet) - fast is not found in z. B. Nos. 5, 11, 15, 18 and 25 starting with a slow movement; Nos. 32, 37 and “B” put the minuet in second place.
  • The orchestra is mostly “small” with strings, oboes and horns; symphonies 20, 32, 33 and 37 have trumpet and timpani parts that have been added later.
  • There are “gallant” works with chord melodies, runs and tremolo (“ Rococo type”, e.g. symphonies No. 1 and 10), but also some vocal themes (e.g. second movement of No. 32), Multi-part movements (e.g. in Symphony No. 3 ) as well as chorale-like, solemn types of movements that are reminiscent of the late Baroque (e.g. the opening movements of Symphonies No. 5, 11 and 25).
  • Only the horns and sometimes the oboes appear as solo instruments ( bassoon in Symphony B ), mostly in the first movements of the symphonies, which begin with a slow movement, and in the trios of the minuets.

While Michael Walter says about the first symphony as a whole that it is “not a stroke of genius, but the work of a somewhat accomplished, but not yet technically experienced, symphony composer”, Ludwig Finscher praises the “masterful, completely” in the first movement The detailed and economic structure of the movement, which transfers the purposefulness of the Mannheim crescendo to the purposeful increase in the large-scale parts ”, on the other hand speaks of a“ relatively conventional ”Andante, while James Webster speaks of“ inimitably lively profundity in the slow movement “Highlights.

To the music

Instrumentation: two oboes , two horns , two violins , viola , cello , double bass . At that time, a bassoon was used to reinforce the bass voice, even without separate notation. There are different opinions about the involvement of a harpsichord continuo in Haydn's symphonies.

Performance time: approx. 12 minutes (depending on compliance with the prescribed repetitions).

With the terms of the sonata form used here, it should be noted that this scheme was designed in the first half of the 19th century (see there) and can therefore only be transferred to Symphony No. 1 with restrictions. The description and structure of the sentences given here is to be understood as a suggestion. Depending on the point of view, other delimitations and interpretations are also possible.

First movement: Presto

D major, 4/4 time, 86 bars

As was customary at the time, the movement (similar to the other two) is more characterized by the loose sequence of motifs and figures than by thematic work in the sense of the (later established) sonata form. The Presto has an entertaining, carefree character of the Rococo type and lives from the change of its motifs and the contrasts in the dynamics (piano to fortissimo). Against the background of Haydn's childhood as the son of a wagon builder, Heinrich Eduard Jacob sees a connection with the tone repeater on D at the beginning of a sentence with a rapidly rotating wagon wheel. Howard Chandler Robbins Landon emphasizes the "swing" of the sentence.

Beginning of Prestos

The exposition stands out due to its wealth of themes and motifs. Depending on the point of view, five different "topics" can be defined, in the following based on Howard Chandler Robbins Landon (1980):

  • “First theme” (bars 1 to 9): The movement opens as a rising crescendo over tone repetition D in the bass (similar to the Mannheim crescendo ), which ends in a horn fanfare with tremolo. After a motif shaped by fourths , the movement reaches the dominant A major with chord strokes and further small horn fanfare .
  • “Second theme” (bars 10 to 14), D major: 1st violin with a figure derived from bars 1 and 2, 2nd violin like opposing voices, then in both violins a virtuoso run upwards and closing cadence with trills.
  • Transition material (bars 14 to 22): The violins alternate with virtuoso running figures and syncopated accompaniment, tremolo with horn fanfare, and again as a cadence phrase with trills.
  • “Third theme” (bars 23 to 28) with a change from piano to forte. Piano passage with a stepped figure interrupted by pauses, forte passage with tremolo, again ending with a trill phrase.
  • "Fourth theme" (bars 29 to 31): Contrast by changing to piano in A minor, eighth figure with staccato.
  • “Fifth Theme” (bars 32 to 39): final group with change to forte with virtuoso runs, tremolo; The final turn as a cadence figure with trills, but "enriched" by an appendix with piano-forte contrast.

The implementation begins with further dynamic contrasts, running figures and tremolo. After four bars, Haydn switches to forte and begins a processing section with the motif of the piano passage from the “third theme”: First the violins pick up the motif, then viola and bass take over it in a downward sequence while the violins play moving figures. Further dynamic contrasts lead to the fortissimo with three-act horn fanfare and syncopated violin accompaniment over a bass motif, before further virtuoso ascending runs of the violins announce the end of the development.

The recapitulation is structured in a similar way to the first part of the sentence, but the “second theme” is extended by two bars. The two main sections of the movement (exposition as well as development and recapitulation) are repeated.

Second movement: Andante

G major, 2/4 time, 78 bars, strings only

The andante is characterized by the triplet prelude, the meaning of which changes “in the course of the movement between a mere rhythmic prelude function and a motivic-melodic task”. First, the four-bar main theme is presented with a striding character and characteristic tone repetition, and then it is continued as a variant with suspensory dissonances. After a passage with syncopation and a seventh chord on A, the dominant D major establishes itself with its short triplet dialogue of the violins. Then, up to the end of the first part in bar 28, two more small motifs appear, both also with triplets.

The second part of the movement begins as a continuation of the main theme, which in turn turns into a triplet dialogue with downward sequencing. In measure 50, the variant of the main theme begins analogously in measure 6 in G minor, followed by a syncope passage. In bar 61 follows the section corresponding to bar 11 of the first part. Depending on your point of view, you can start the (shortened) “recapitulation” here. Both parts of the sentence are repeated.

Third movement: Presto

D major, 3/8 time, 81 bars

As is typical for a symphony of that time, the last movement is designed as a lightweight “sweep”. Beginning with the rocket-like ascending D major triad and chord melody (motif 1), a further motif (motif 2) follows without transition, with dotted rhythm and a suggestive figure based on the E major seventh chord. After six bars with sixteenths running figures of the 1st violin (motif 3), motif 4 begins in bar 21 with its noticeable jump over a decimal point and ends the first part of the movement in bar 32 with chord hits on A.

Motif 1 and motif 2 appear briefly in the mini “development” (bars 33–47). The recapitulation (bars 48 ff.) Is structured similarly to the exposition. Both parts of the sentence are repeated.

Individual references, comments

  1. ↑ a b c Michael Walter : Haydn's symphonies. A musical factory guide. CH Beck, Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3-406-44813-3 .
  2. ↑ a b c Ludwig Finscher: Joseph Haydn and his time. Laaber-Verlag, Laaber 2000, ISBN 3-921518-94-6 .
  3. ↑ James Webster: Hob.I: 1 Symphony in D major. Review of Joseph Haydn's Symphony No. 1 as part of the “Haydn 100 & 7” project at the Haydn Festival in Eisenstadt: haydn107.com as of March 29, 2009
  4. ↑ Examples: a) James Webster: On the Absence of Keyboard Continuo in Haydn's Symphonies. In: Early Music Volume 18 No. 4, 1990, pp. 599-608); b) Hartmut Haenchen : Haydn, Joseph: Haydn's orchestra and the harpsichord question in the early symphonies. Booklet text for the recordings of the early Haydn symphonies. , online (accessed June 26, 2019), to: H. Haenchen: Early Haydn Symphonies , Berlin Classics, 1988–1990, cassette with 18 symphonies; c) Jamie James: He'd Rather Fight Than Use Keyboard In His Haydn Series . In: New York Times , October 2, 1994 (accessed June 25, 2019; showing various positions by Roy Goodman , Christopher Hogwood , HC Robbins Landon and James Webster). Most orchestras with modern instruments currently (as of 2019) do not use a harpsichord continuo. Recordings with harpsichord continuo exist. a. by: Trevor Pinnock ( Sturm und Drang symphonies , archive, 1989/90); Nikolaus Harnoncourt (No. 6-8, Das Alte Werk, 1990); Sigiswald Kuijken (including Paris and London symphonies ; Virgin, 1988-1995); Roy Goodman (e.g. Nos. 1-25, 70-78; Hyperion, 2002).
  5. ^ Heinrich Eduard Jacob: Joseph Haydn. His art, his time, his fame. Christian Wegner Verlag, Hamburg 1952
  6. ^ Howard Chandler Robbins Landon: The Symphonies of Joseph Haydn. Universal Edition & Rocklife, London 1955, p. 209
  7. ^ "Lt is surprising that, despite its great formal deficiencies, the movement makes an effect by virtue of its extraordinary vigor" (p. 209).
  8. ^ A b Howard Chandler Robbins Landon: Haydn: Chronicle and works. The early years 1732-1765. Thames and Hudson, London 1980, p. 284.
  9. ↑ According to Robbins Landon (1955, p. 209) the beginning of the sentence shows similarities to a symphony in D major by Johann Stamitz
  10. ↑ a b c The repetitions of the parts of the sentence are not kept in some recordings.

Web links, notes

See also