56th Symphony (Haydn)

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The Symphony in C major Hoboken directory I: 56 wrote Joseph Haydn in 1774 during his tenure as Kapellmeister to Prince I. Nikolaus Esterházy .

General

Joseph Haydn (painting by Ludwig Guttenbrunn, around 1770)

The autograph of the Symphony No. 56 is dated from 1774. In contrast to Haydn's earlier, festive C major symphonies, serious, thoughtful traits are mixed in here, for example the passages with “sober, bittersweet beauty” in the first and second movements. Howard Chandler Robbins Landon emphasizes Symphony No. 56 as Haydn's best symphony of the C major type to date.

“Dynamically, the entire symphony is based on the often short-step contrast of forte and piano, which particularly marks the transition from festive to simple character. Haydn is not concerned with motivic relationships between the movements, but with a clearly audible musical expressive relationship between the movements, evoked by allusions to the two characters of the festive and the simple rural. "

The work was particularly popular in Paris: after it became known there in 1777, it was published by three French publishers within a year.

"Works like this established Haydn's popularity with the Parisian audience and ultimately earned him the honorable commission to which we owe the creation of the Paris symphonies ."

To the music

Instrumentation: two oboes , two horns , two trumpets , timpani , two violins , viola , cello , double bass . To reinforce the bass voice, the bassoon was also used without a separate notation . An obbligato bassoon part is only notated in the second movement. Possibly also one was Harpsichord - Continuo used, for which purpose are differing views.

Performance time: approx. 25 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 1774 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 di molto

C major, 3/4 time, 272 bars

Beginning of the Allegro di molto

The movement begins with a contrasting theme (first theme) that is made up of three different components: (1) C major triad falling over two octaves in forte and unison of the whole orchestra (in measure 1 with horns, in measure 2 with trumpets ), (2) eight-bar, singing-melancholy piano phrase for strings, (3) fanfare-like triad movement again in forte and played in unison by the whole orchestra ( tutti ). The theme (bars 1 to 14) is repeated as a variant (part 1 with tremolo, part 2 with small changes in the second half, part 3 unchanged).

In measure 28, the tutti begins with a long, energetic, dramatic block from forte to fortissimo, which is characterized by its melody line in tremolo and partly by chromatics . At the end he surprisingly switches to piano and comes to rest on the D major seventh chord (as the announcement of the second theme in G major). The second theme in the string piano again has a restrained, vocal character and is of “rural simplicity”. An ascending staccato scale of the violins leads to the second tutti block in fortissimo, again with a melody line in a tremolo, interrupted only by the piano insert (bar 79 to 81). The exposition ends with G major chord figures in staccato and unison, reminiscent of the movement's opening triad.

The development begins with a contrasting alternation of fragments of the first two phrases of the first theme, with Haydn changing through numerous keys. In bar 133, after imitating an eighth pendulum figure (from phrase 2 of the first theme) in B major, the music comes to a halt briefly, followed by further key changes with the tremolo forte block. Haydn designed the return to the recapitulation (from bar 155) in such a way that bars 3 and 4 are cut out of the second theme with their tone repetition and the octave jump downwards and are repeated four times by the 1st violin, while the 2nd violin simultaneously shows the figure from measure 2 of the second theme with added triad ascent plays, "a probably absolutely unprecedented procedure."

The recapitulation from bar 165 is changed in some details compared to the exposition. For example, in phrase 2 of the first theme, the oboes participate in the voice guidance, as does the repetition of phrase 2, which has now been extended. The 1st oboe also leads the part on the second theme, which is prepared by “a mysterious drum roll in pianissimo”. The fanfare-like final part of the sentence is somewhat elongated and increased again as "apotheosis". The development and recapitulation are also repeated.

Second movement: Adagio

F major, 2/4 time, 141 bars

The six-bar, solemn main theme is first introduced piano by the strings (violins play muted), then repeated with wind participation in the solo oboes. It is upbeat, contains accents and, in addition to its calm, even movement, also has a sweeping thirty - second figure. From bar 12 onwards, the solo bassoon takes over the part leading with sparing string accompaniment and takes up the thirty-second figure again. It is the first more extensive solo passage for the bassoon in Haydn's symphonies. Then the solo oboe leads with an ascending line to the first short forte passage of the entire orchestra, which cadences to the dominant C major .

Pianissimo now starts the vocal-leading oboe as the rising figure in dotted rhythm, which is abruptly interrupted by another cadence figure in the forte. This surprisingly leads to a mysterious-romantic passage in C minor with “ Bruckner ” intensity. In the final group from bar 43, the “mumbling” thirty-second movement of the 1st violin dominates, which is now pronounced as a continuous movement.

The development begins with the main theme in C major, but after just five bars swings to work through the “romantic” passage in alternation of elements of the main theme. A crescendo with the theme head increases to the forte, but in measure 74 with the “mumbling” movement from the final group it changes back to the piano. Another processing section follows with the "romantic" passage. Finally, the first violin announces the recapitulation in a sweeping thirty-second figure.

The recapitulation from bar 92 is structured in a similar way to the exposition, but the winds are part of the vocal lead on the theme from the beginning. The exposition, development and recapitulation are repeated.

“The Adagio is again a long, deeply felt utterance by Haydn, which is characteristic of this period. It is, however, far more concertante than No. 54 ; the oboes and the obbligato bassoon are consistently in the foreground, and the horns are also often independent (in this respect it is more like Symphony No. 51 (...). Several minor passages anticipate Schumann in an almost eerie way , especially the slow movement of his symphony No. 2. "

Third movement: Menuet

C major, 3/4 time, with trio 94 bars

Similar to the first movement, the 72-bar, unusually detailed minuet begins as a contrasting theme with a fanfare-like triad figure in the forte, which after four bars turns into a piano string passage, which here has the character of a German dance. The remainder of the first part contains virtuoso scale runs upwards and triplet figures.

The second part initially varies a figure from the piano string passage from the beginning of the movement, then the triplets appear dominant in unison. The triplets lead to the unexpected use of the contrasting theme in D minor. In the “wrong” key, however, Haydn breaks off with a general pause after a few bars in order to begin the recapitulation of the first part - shifted to the “correct” key of C major.

In the trio (in F major), the parallel 1st oboe and 1st violin play a melody similar to a Landler, accompanied by the other strings (similar to Symphony No. 50 ).

“The trio, for oboe and strings in the subdominant , is a short study in elegance; one is tempted to imagine that Haydn wanted to compose a "normal" version of the unconventional trio from Symphony No. 50. "

Fourth movement: Finale. Prestissimo

C major, 4/4 time, 125 bars

Prestissimo is characterized by its almost continuous triplet movement, which gives the movement the character of a perpetual motion machine, similar to, for example, the final movement of Haydn's Symphony No. 41 or Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Symphony in C major KV 338 .

Similar to movements 1 and 3, the first theme of Prestissimo begins as a fanfare-like tutti phrase in the forte, followed by a piano turn by the strings after four bars. Dynamic contrasts also occur in the further course of the sentence, e.g. B. following the first theme, the alternation of forte and piano (from bar 11) or the second theme, which is kept piano throughout between two forte blocks, from bar 25 with its sustained recumbent tones in oboe and viola. The forte block before the second theme contains, in addition to the continuous triplets in the 1st violin, alternating chord beats of the oboes / strings on the unstressed quarter-beats 2 and 4 of the measure, while the trumpets start on the quarter-beats 1 and 3. This creates a rhythmically loose, rocking effect. Accents on the light second quarter can also be found in the Forteblock following the second topic.

In the development, Haydn switches to A minor for a longer passage, the first theme being worked up with a fanfare-like marching rhythm of the winds, followed by the chains of triplets in the dialog between the strings. In measure 81 the continuous flow of music breaks off abruptly to A minor, and a thoughtful figure on the 1st violin leads to the unexpected diminished seventh chord, which dissolves with the head from the first theme to D minor. As in the minuet, Haydn then abruptly shifts the action into the “correct” key of C major as the beginning of the reprise.

The recapitulation is structured in a similar way to the exposition, but the winds are now involved in the first theme: the oboes double the violins, the brass take up their fanfare-like marching rhythm. The exposition, development and recapitulation are repeated.

Individual references, comments

  1. ^ Anthony van Hoboken: Joseph Haydn. Thematic-bibliographical catalog raisonné, Volume I. Schott-Verlag, Mainz 1957, p. 76
  2. ^ A b Howard Chandler Robbins Landon: The Symphonies of Joseph Haydn. Universal Edition & Rocklife, London 1955, pp. 340, 341, 379.
  3. ^ A b c d e f g h 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 2, Baden-Baden 1989, pp. 107 to 108.
  4. ↑ Howard Chandler Robbins Landon (1955, p. 340): “No. 56 also gains through the introduction of serious elements: both the first and second movements contain passages of that sober, bitter-sweet beauty which is the hallmark of Haydn's style at this stage. "
  5. ^ Robbins Landon (1955, p. 341): “Considering the work as a whole, no. 56 represents the C major type at its highest and most inspired, a miraculous fusion of various elements within the realm of festive pomp and splendor. "
  6. ↑ in addition to enrichment with unexpected moments of expression
  7. ↑ a b c Michael Walter: Haydn's symphonies. A musical factory guide. CH Beck-Verlag, Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3-406-44813-3 , pp. 62 to 63.
  8. ↑ 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).
  9. ↑ a b Wolfgang Marggraf : The symphonies of the years 1773 - 1784. http://www.haydn-sinfonien.de/ , accessed June 16, 2013.
  10. ↑ a b c The repetitions of the parts of the sentence are not kept in many recordings.
  11. ↑ Howard Chandler Robbins Landon (1955, p. 340): "A near-tragic passage of mysterious, Bruckner-like intensity (meas. 37 ff.) Creeps into the slow movement."
  12. ↑ Walter Lessing (1989 p. 108): "Notes of dark urgency, which seem almost romantic, are suggested by Haydn in the following bars (...)."
  13. ↑ a b c James Webster: Hob.I: 56 Symphony in C major . Information text on Symphony No. 56 by Joseph Haydn of the Haydn Festival Eisenstadt, see under web links.
  14. ↑ Michael Walter (2007 p. 63): "Its rhythm is different from the minuet, but similar to that in the waltz by a regular rhythmic accentuation of the first quarter with two rhythmically recurring quarters."

Web links, notes

See also