57th Symphony (Haydn)

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The Symphony in D major Hoboken directory I: 57 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. 57 is dated from 1774.

Regarding a score of the symphony No. 57 published by the publisher Le Duc, in which the minuet was missing and the second movement of the symphony No. 60 was printed instead of the Adagio, Haydn commented disparagingly, “He could hardly understand how to get him that way He could send botched and falsified work, one would like to take it back, because he is ashamed to put such work under his music ” .

To the music

Instrumentation: two oboes , two horns , two violins , viola , cello , double bass . To reinforce the bass voice, the bassoon was also used without a separate notation . A harpsichord - Continuo in Haydn's symphonies are competing views. In some copies there is a timpani part (not included in the autograph) , the authenticity of which is unclear.

Performance time: approx. 25 minutes (depending on the tempo and adherence to the 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: Adagio - Allegro

Adario: D major, 3/4 time, bars 1 to 31

Beginning of the Adagio

The Adagio is the longest introduction that Haydn had composed for his symphonies up to then. It begins with a contrasting, four-bar phrase made up of three staccato eighth notes separated by pauses with a suggestion and forte presentation of the entire orchestra ( tutti ), followed by an eight-bar piano phrase of the strings with calm, bound movement. Phrase 1 is repeated, Phrase 2 begins as a variant, but then continues as a variant of Phrase 1 with dynamic contrasts of forte and piano. The operatic, rhetorical, sweeping unison figure in bars 25/26 leads to the dominant A major, in which the introduction ends as a fermata .

Compared with the introductions to Symphonies No. 50 and No. 54 , which were written during the same period, that of No. 57 is, on the one hand, significantly longer and, on the other hand, more reserved up to bar 25. It “is not limited to the role of a festive, pompous opening, as in those two symphonies, but gains its own dimension, a novel differentiation in harmonic terms, through the rich use of pauses and frequent dynamic contrasts.”

Allegro (in the autograph without a movement name): D major, 4/4 time, measures 32 to 231

Beginning of the Allegro

The Allegro is generally characterized by its almost continuously continuous eighth note movement, which is reminiscent of a perpetual motion machine, and its relatively clear structure through clearly separable, repeated motifs. The movement is also noticeable due to its length, especially that of the exposition (similar to Symphony No. 42 ).

The first theme (main theme) is made up of three motifs: Motif 1 with a sustained forte chord and a downbeat staccato figure separated by pauses (reminiscent of phrase 1 in the introduction). Motif 1 is two bars and forms a four bar unit through varied repetition. Motif 2 with triple tapping tone repetition in quarters and with a prelude (also reminiscent of phrase 1 in the introduction), on the other hand, is one bar, but is also assembled into a four bar unit through varied repetitions. This four-measure from Motif 2 is repeated, but after three bars it changes into “Motif” 3, in which the violins pick up the eighth note movement in staccato that had previously run through the bass. Haydn now has this 16-bar theme repeated completely piano (bars 48 to 62), but changes to forte when motif 2 is repeated.

This is immediately followed by the second theme for violins and oboes alone in the dominant A major (from bar 64), which is related to the first: violins and oboes vary motif 1 of the first theme, with the staccato movement interrupted by pauses now flowing and legato is designed. In bar 70, the tutti begins again forte with a chromatically ascending line in whole notes in the bass, while the eighth note movement continues in the violins. Shortly thereafter, the eighth movement jumps bar by bar between upper and lower parts, then dominates several bars and finally changes to another variant of motif 1 in the double dominant E major (ornament of the sustained chord tone with eighth phrase, detached staccato figure now in quarters). With two full bar notes of the strings, which have a calm pole-like effect in the eighth note movement that has been running through, Haydn cadences again to A major. From here the strings, in an ascending dialogue from an eighth note movement with a leading figure (motif 4), briefly move again in D, A and E major and then oscillate between A and E major in another eighth note with again triple tone repetition (motif 5). Major. The final group from bar 105 (A major) in the forte repeats its question-and-answer motif, with the “question” resolved into triplets. At the end, the continuous eighth note movement appears for the first time in energetic unison.

The development begins with motif 1 in F sharp and then processes the tone repetition figure of motif 5 and motif 1 as a further variant (staccato chain now as a separate eighth note movement with thirds and fourths) in dynamically contrasting alternation with unison passages from eighth staccato chains (as at the end the final group). The unison eighth note chains finally lead in measure 160 to motif 2, which gets stuck in repetitions and announces the recapitulation on the A major seventh chord.

The recapitulation (from bar 169) is shortened compared to the exposition: the repetition of the first theme is limited to eight bars, as is the passage between the two following appearances of motif 1 (the first in D major, the second in A major ) is greatly shortened. The rest of the process corresponds structurally to that of the exposure. The exposition, development and recapitulation are repeated.

Second movement: Adagio

G major, 6/8 time, 68 bars

The Adagio is structured as a set of variations with a theme and four variations. The theme and variations 1 to 2 consist of two repeated six-measures. Each variation ends with the theme's opening pizzicato figure.

  • The theme (bars 1 to 12) is introduced piano by the strings, who play the violins (as in the other slow movements of Haydn's symphonies of the period) with mutes. The first part of the theme alternates between three contrasting motifs: (1) a short three-note figure interrupted by pauses in pizzicato, (2) a short legato phrase and (3) a longer, vocal line from the 1st violin upwards to the “mumbling” thirty-second accompaniment of the 2nd violin (bass continues in pizzicato to the rhythm of motif 1). The second part repeats motifs 1 and 2 as a variant, then brings "a three-bar sequential development" from motif 2 and closes with motif 1.
  • Variation 1 (bars 13 to 24) with the participation of the wind instruments and dynamic contrasts, the second part predominantly legato.
  • Variation 2 (bars 25 to 36): theme resolved into triplets (played legato), strings dominate.
  • Variation 3 (bars 37 to 51): theme resolved into sweeping sixteenth and thirty-second movements (played legato), only strings.
  • Variation 4 (bars 52 to 68) with participation of the wind instruments, dynamic contrasts (forte-piano) and chromatics .

“Everything that is extracted from this material in a relatively small space in a variety of ways is breathtaking; Only the pizzicato refrain remains unchanged from the start, with the greatest effect. "

Third movement: Menuet. Allegretto

D major, 3/4 time, with trio 78 bars

Beginning of the minuet

The main theme of the lively minuet consists of a simple quarter movement interspersed with pauses with large interval jumps and characteristic suggested figures for the third quarter beat. By emphasizing the emphasis of the bar on the horn and bass and filling in the second and third quarter beats in the second violins, the minuet is reminiscent of a waltz in a rustic tone. The second part of the minuet is greatly elongated, in it the emphasis of the first measure is continued with accents (the suggested figure is now designed as a mordent ). From bar 42 onwards, Haydn added a coda to the extended final phrase, which begins with the suggested figure as usual on the third quarter beat of the bar. The tutti also emphasizes the first quarter beat as before - but only every second measure and surprisingly reinforced by the suggested figure also on the first quarter beat, which creates a special rhythmic effect. The minuet ends as an ascending triad.

The trio contrasts through the key of D minor and the restriction to strings, but initially repeats the ascending triad figure from the end of the minuet twice, so that the first bars of the trio initially seem like a transition and thus whether the "actual" trio is only in the begin fifth measure with reaching B flat major. The knocking triad figure in the upper and lower parts, alternating with a tied eighth note movement, also dominates the rest of the trio. - A similar motivic connection of minuet and trio can be found in Symphony No. 50, which was composed shortly before .

Fourth movement: Finale. Prestissimo

D major, 4/4 time, 135 bars

Beginning of Prestissimo

The first theme, with its rapid repetitions of notes in triplets and the “suggestive figures that wake up” shows similarities with the theme of the harpsichord piece “Kanzon and Capriccio over the Henner and Hannergeschrey” by the Viennese court organist Alessandro Poglietti . The rest of the “whirlwind” “high-spirited” Prestissimo, like the first movement, is determined by a continuous, perpetuum mobile-like impulse, here by eighth note triplets (similar to the final movement of Symphony No. 56, also composed in 1774 ). The triplets appear partly as continuous unison chains, partly in hammering tone repetition and with mostly abrupt dynamic changes (Haydn only writes on the two single “rest poles” that appear in quick succession with full-time notes in bars 117/118 and 122/123: mancando “(to become quieter). The beginning of the second theme (from bar 21, dominant A major) seems a bit more vocal, but here too the “cackling” shines through again and again.

The development leads the cackling triplet motif in strong dynamic changes through different keys including minor clouding and enrichment with dissonances. In the recapitulation from bar 84, the winds in the first theme play a part in the repetition of the cackling motif (especially the horns with their deep recumbent tone are conspicuous), and shortly before the second theme there is another short minor break. The rest of the course is structured similar to that of the exposure. The exposition, development and recapitulation are repeated.

“The technical demands that Haydn places on the strings here are considerable. They show once again what a high standard the Esterházy Chapel must have had back then. "

Individual references, comments

  1. ^ Anthony van Hoboken: Joseph Haydn. Thematic-bibliographical list of works, Volume I. Schott-Verlag, Mainz 1957, pp. 78–80.
  2. ^ Hermann von Hase: Joseph Haydn and Breitkopf & Härtel , p. 38, cited in Anthony van Hoboken (1957, p. 80).
  3. ↑ 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).
  4. ↑ Howard Chandler Robbins Landon (1955, p. 702) classifies them as "probably authentic" and prints them on pp. 789–790.
  5. ↑ a b c d e f g James Webster: Hob.I: 57 Symphony in D major. Information text on Symphony No. 57 by Joseph Haydn of the Haydn Festival Eisenstadt, see under web links.
  6. ^ A b Howard Chandler Robbins Landon: The Symphonies of Joseph Haydn. Universal Edition & Rocklife, London 1955, pp. 356 to 357.
  7. ^ Robbins Landon (1955, p. 356): “Now, in No. 57 / I, the opening slow introduction attempts to reduce the emotional tension, comparable with that prevailing in the rest of the symphony; and yet, towards the end (meas. 25ff.) some of the old spirit creeps in, especially with the angry downward scale in meas. 26. "
  8. ^ A b c d e Walter Lessing: The Symphonies by 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. 114 to 115.
  9. ↑ a b c The repetitions of the parts of the sentence are not kept in many recordings.
  10. ↑ a b c Ludwig Finscher: Joseph Haydn and his time . Laaber-Verlag, Laaber 2000, ISBN 3-921518-94-6 , pp. 286, 294.
  11. ^ A b Antony Hodgson: The Music of Joseph Haydn . The Symphonies. The Tantivy Press , London 1976, ISBN 0-8386-1684-4 , pp. 85 to 86.

Web links, notes

See also