16th Symphony (Haydn)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Symphony in B flat major Hoboken directory I: 16 wrote Joseph Haydn in the year 1763rd

General

Joseph Haydn (painting by Ludwig Guttenbrunn, around 1770)

The Symphony Hoboken Directory I: 16 was composed by Joseph Haydn in 1763.

To the music

Instrumentation: two oboes , two horns , two violins , viola , cello , cello solo, double bass . At that time, a bassoon was used to reinforce the bass voice, even without separate notation . On the participation of a harpsichord - continuos are competing views in Haydn's symphonies.

Performance time: approx. 15 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 a work composed in 1763 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: Allegro

B flat major, 3/4 time, 114 bars

Beginning of the Allegro

Haydn begins the symphony unusually in the two-part string piano: viola and bass lead the voice with an eight-bar theme (each two-bar building blocks) of descending seconds of sighs , the second violin plays a counterpart made up of staccato eighth notes (other instruments are silent). In bar 9 the theme is repeated a fifth higher in the violins, now the 2nd violin is the voice leading and the 1st violin plays the opposing voice. This beginning of the movement with the theme in double counterpoint is reminiscent of the beginning of a fugue ; the opening bars also get a “baroque move” through the chromatically descending chain of sighs. From bar 17, the theme is played a third time with the entire orchestra, with voice leading in 1st oboe and 1st violin (eighth counterpart in viola and bass). From bar 23, the theme appears briefly in the bass, while the eighth counterpart voices become independent in the violins. As a repeated unison turn with trills ("trill motif"), the eighth note chains herald the second theme in the dominant F major.

This consists of a measure of the eighth countervoice and the Seufer second motif in the staggered use of the violins. Haydn continues the eighth movement as a downward sequenced figure and develops the final group from it. The final group consists of a repeated six-measure motif, including the trill motif.

The short development (bars 55 to 77) brings the theme, as at the beginning of the movement, from F major with a further, ascending counter-vocal turn of the 1st violin. Then the second theme appears in D major with syncope accompaniment . Extensive, ascending and descending eighth note chains lead harmoniously from D major to F major and announce the recapitulation with the trill motif.

The recapitulation from bar 77 begins, as at the beginning of the sentence, piano with the sigh theme in viola and bass. The 1st violin now plays the eighth counterpart, the 2nd violin accompanies with a line falling in full-bar notes. The rest of the process is shortened compared to the exposition: the theme is immediately repeated throughout the orchestral forte, and the transition to the second theme is kept more brief. The course from the second topic largely corresponds to that of the exposure. Both parts of the sentence (exposition as well as development and recapitulation) are repeated.

Second movement: Andante

E flat major, 2/4 time, 73 bars

The movement is only for strings with a two-part structure (violins / solo cello as well as viola and bass) and is consistently piano. The violins run in parallel and play muffled. Her voice is an octave deeper doubled from Solo Cello, "which on the one hand gives a Aparter sound effect, otherwise the solo instrument appears as a variant of the orchestral sound." . The special sound effect is also emphasized by other authors. For more details, see Symphony No. 14 , in the second movement of which the melody played in unison by the violins (unmuffled there) is also doubled an octave lower by the cello. Howard Chandler Robbins Landon describes the andante as one of the first slow movements to show typical characteristics of Haydn's individual style.

The main theme consists of its relatively even, four-bar vocal turn of the voice-leading violins and the solo cello, which, however, is interrupted in the second bar by a noticeable pause. In addition to the sweeping gesture of the opening bar, the sixteenth phrase with thirds ("third phrase", bars 2 and 3) is characteristic. The theme is repeated as a five-measure variant. A trill passage in bar 14/15 leads to a motif derived from the third phrase with a lead ("lead motif", including imitation in the bass). Haydn then sequences another phrase in a descending line. In bar 20, the dominant B flat major is reached, in which the final group follows with a staccato run in viola / bass and triplets of violins / solo cello.

The middle section (“development”) begins as usual with the main theme in B flat major, after which Haydn swings to a minor key with a falling chain of sighing seconds. The lead motif (again with imitation in the bass) is followed by triplet chains, which lead to the temporary conclusion in C minor. With the downward sequencing of the suspense motif (upper voices) or the phrase third (lower voices), Haydn switches back to the tonic, which is reached in bar 52 with the recapitulation. The recapitulation is structured like the exposition except for a shortening of the main theme (without repetition). Both parts of the sentence (exposition as well as development and recapitulation) are repeated.

“The Andante for string instruments alone is one of the most beautiful from this period; Here is something more than a mere graceful, measured play of forms; rather, we breathe the purest peace of mind from this piece of music, which is so completely permeated with clarity, sound and noble simplicity that we cannot follow its natural and unconstrained development other than with the utmost satisfaction. "

Third movement: Presto

B flat major, 6/8 time, 71 bars

The lively movement begins with its memorable unison theme. Its head motif and distinctive rhythm of eighths and sixteenths are characteristic of the whole movement. A variant of the theme extended to five bars (as in the Andante) leads to the dominant F major, from where from bar 10 rapid runs alternating with octave jump tone repetitions lead to the extended tremolo passage with the head motif in the bass. After a variant of the motifs from bar 10, further rapid runs end the exposition.

The development first spins the theme of F major in violins and viola (without bass). With the energetic forte use of the entire orchestra in bar 41, D major is reached, where the head motif is processed in combination with the octave jump in the bass, alternating with the interjections of the violins. Through further key changes, Haydn finally reached F major, with the throw-in figure of the violins expanding into a tremolo. As a dominant, F major prepares the entry into the reprise.

Haydn designed the beginning of the reprise with a surprisingly joking structure, which from now on will become more and more typical of his style (see also the quotations below): The theme initially appears for three bars only on the violins, before the whole orchestra continues . The theme goes straight into the tremolo passage, from then on the course is like that of the exposition. Both parts of the sentence (exposition as well as development and recapitulation) are repeated.

“The finale is a boisterous fight in 6/8 time; The beginning of the development is also humorous when the main theme finally pretends to be “regular” - but only up to the sixth bar. The recapitulation begins with one of Haydn's earliest apparently "joking" phrases; it is by no means his worst. "

“In the finale, a research Presto in 6/8 time, we encounter a trait that will from now on become more and more pronounced as a specific feature of Haydn closing sentences: the joke. Haydn surprises with a nice punchline at the beginning of the recapitulation. At the end of the development, which is highlighted by a short pause, he does not let the theme begin as usual in the forte of the whole orchestra, but rather first, distributed over the two violins, performed in the piano, only then does the theme sound in powerful unison. Tutti (...). "

Individual references, comments

  1. ↑ Information page of the Haydn Festival Eisenstadt, see under web links.
  2. ↑ 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).
  3. ^ A b c Howard Chandler Robbins Landon: The Symphonies of Joseph Haydn. Universal Edition & Rocklife, London 1955, pp. 202, 213.
  4. ↑ a b James Webster: Hob.I: 16 Symphony in B flat major. Information text on Symphony No. 16 of the Haydn Festival Eisenstadt, see under web links.
  5. ^ A b c Walter Lessing: The symphonies of Joseph Haydn, in addition: all masses. A series of broadcasts on Südwestfunk Baden-Baden 1987-89, published by Südwestfunk Baden-Baden in 3 volumes. Volume 1, Baden-Baden 1989, pp. 67 to 68.
  6. ↑ According to Lessing, the chain of sighs is reminiscent of the musical figure of the " Passus duriusculus " from the Baroque era.
  7. ↑ Wolfgang Marggraf ( Haydn's earliest symphonies (1759-1761). The symphonies of the three-movement Italian type. Http://www.haydn-sinfonien.de/text/chapter2.1.html , accessed March 24, 2013) denotes the derivation from the material of the first theme by confronting the eighth figure "in the smallest of spaces with the sigh motif" as "absolutely unique in Haydn's symphonic oeuvre (...)."
  8. ↑ a b c The repetitions of the parts of the sentence are not kept in some recordings.
  9. ^ Michael Walter: Haydn's symphonies. A musical factory guide. CH Beck-Verlag, Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3-406-44813-3 , pp. 37 to 38.
  10. ^ Carl Ferdinand Pohl: Joseph Haydn. First volume. First division. Publishing house by A. Sacco successor. Berlin 1875, page 304.

Web links, notes

See also