71st Symphony (Haydn)

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The Symphony in B flat major Hoboken directory I: 71 wrote Joseph Haydn probably 1778/79.

General

Joseph Haydn (painting by Ludwig Guttenbrunn, around 1770)

Haydn probably composed Symphony No. 71 around 1778/79 while he was employed as Kapellmeister by Prince Nikolaus I Esterházy . The autograph of the symphony has been lost, but the work has survived in an inauthentic manuscript from 1780.

The symphony was published together with symphonies nos. 62, 63, 70, 74 and 75 by the Berlin publisher Hummel in 1781 as “Oeuvre XVIII”. It is possible that Haydn composed at least some of these symphonies at Hummel's insistence or out of his own marketing interests in order to achieve the usual number of six symphonies for such a series. As with some other works, the rather "light" character of Symphony No. 71 is partly associated (in addition to Haydn's high workload in the operatic field at the time) with the fact that Haydn tried to meet the audience's taste with "marketable" works, whose reactions, in contrast to Esterháza's, he could not assess.

The work is judged differently in the literature. Howard Chandler Robbins Landon particularly praises the first movement as "free of superficialities" and highlights it from the context of the symphonies that were written at that time. Michael Walter, on the other hand, writes about the first sentence:

“In No. 71, Haydn strings together linear musical impulses that are obtained by continuing the motif material. The linear-temporal course of the theme and the sequence of the motif material logically obtained from the beginning are completely congruent, nothing disturbs this one-dimensional course, which is easy to grasp, but also so poor in musical impulses that an activation of the listening behavior like them typical for Haydn's symphonies of the early and mid-seventies, cannot be said.

To the music

Instrumentation: flute , two oboes , bassoon , two horns , two violins , viola , cello , double bass . On the participation of a harpsichord - continuos are competing views in Haydn's symphonies.

Performance time: approx. 20 to 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 Symphony No. 71 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 con brio

Adagio : B flat major, 4/4 time, bars 1 to 7

The seven-bar introduction is played by strings and bassoon. It consists of a three-fold, contrasting sequence of a forte unison motif and a piano trill figure, both motifs with dotted rhythm. The short introduction ends as a fermata on the dominant F major.

“The short, slow introduction masterfully juxtaposes the contrasting subjects“ Majesty ”(dotted figures in harmony and forte) and“ Sensibility ”(trilled leads in the piano) - on the same melodic figure. Its musical content is subtly repeated in the course of the opening theme of the Allegro con brio. "

"[In the symphonies from around 1780] the introduction appears to be more differentiated and varied; dynamic and melodic contrasts are often placed side by side in a small space, as is particularly impressive in Symphony 71, whose slow introduction with a length of only seven bars is the shortest ever."

Allegro con brio : B flat major, 3/4 time, measures 8 to 232

Beginning of the Allegro con brio

The first theme (bars 8 to 20) is introduced by bassoon and strings (i.e. in the same instrumentation as the adagio). It consists of three phrases: Phrase 1 with vocal piano strings, Phrase 2 in unison with an upbeat double beat and a staccato figure upwards (the double beat can be derived from the trill figure in the introduction, depending on your point of view; Antony Hodgson points out the similarity of this motif at the beginning of Symphony No. 51 ), Phrase 3 as a piano ending with a variant of Phrase 2 and a closing cadence formula . The “broad main theme”, which “is characterized by the contrast between the graceful melody and the rhythmic power of a motif performed in unison (...)”, is repeated as a variant with phrase 2 and 3, with the pauses in phrase 2 with characteristic leads are filled.

The energetic forte block from bar 29 picks up the upbeat “double beat motif” from phrase 2 and changes to the dominant F major with syncope accompaniment . The second theme is preceded by an introductory, "mysterious" piano passage, in which the instruments are offset by bars with evenly knocking quarter movements (as a continuation of the previous F major - chord strokes, originally from the staccato figure of Phrase 2), a " Build a brooding “atmosphere. This "hesitant" gesture also determines the second theme (from bar 61), which takes up the knocking tone repeater with its imitations between the violins and at the end brings some surprisingly harmonic turns. The energetic forte block at the end of the exposition from bar 76 is characterized by its even eighth note movement of the strings with sometimes large interval jumps and the trill figure in dotted rhythm (reminiscent of the adagio).

The development begins in F minor with the “trill motif” from the final section of the exposition, alternating with the interjection of the solo oboes. This oboe motif is then briefly repeated as a staccato variant in the strings. Then the music runs in tone repetition on D until only the 1st violin is left in the piano. In bar 121, the first theme begins in the tonic in B flat major, the theme initially being veiled by slight variations in phrase 1 and the involvement of the winds. This is Haydn's last extended “false recapitulation” in a symphony in the tonic (later “false recapitulations” in the development are not in the tonic). Then the double stroke motif is processed (similar to the first Forte block of the exposition) with minor opacities, followed by the continuous eighth note movement corresponding to the second Forte block of the exposition, sometimes again with larger interval jumps and dynamic contrasts.

The recapitulation is much shorter than the exposition in the first half: from the first theme only phrase 1 is brought, then the music goes directly into the “brooding” passage. The second theme is broad and varied in instrumentation. The further course (energetic forte block with eighth note movement in sometimes large interval jumps and trills) is structured similar to the exposition. The exposition, development and recapitulation are repeated.

Second movement: Adagio

F major, 2/4 time, 137 bars

The theme of the set of variations consists of two repeated sections, each made up of two five-measure phrases (not the usual four-measure phrases). The strings introduce the theme with its dotted rhythm and the double-tapping tone repetition (the violins play with mutes), at the end of the second section the winds join it in expressive, chromatic timbres.

  • In variation 1 (bars 21 to 40) the theme is resolved into continuous figurations of the 1st violin.
  • In Variation 2 (bars 41 to 60) the solo flute and solo bassoon lead the part. The second violin accompanies as a continuous thirty-second movement, the other strings accompany in pizzicato.
  • In Variation 3 (bars 61 to 80) oboes and violins hint at the theme, while bassoon, viola and bass accompany in continuous triplets.
  • Then the theme is repeated as at the beginning of the sentence (bars 81 to 102) with a different final turn that breaks off on the sixth fourth chord of the dominant.
  • Haydn designed the ending as a detailed coda (bars 103 to 137), in which the winds initially take up the theme with a string accompaniment and then freely spin further theme elements (e.g. the accented motif of the 1st violin under the thirty-second movement that runs through again the 2nd violin (bars 109 to 116), the phrase repeated three times from the end of the topic (bars 129 to 131) or as a final turn the double tapping tone repetition with its prelude).

Third movement: Menuetto

B flat major, 3/4 time, with trio 59 bars

In the first part of the minuet, the striding forte turn with upbeat triplet, double tone repetition and double strike contrasts with the slightly chromatic piano answer, which is intensively processed in the second part.

The trio is also in B flat major and unusually has an odd, seven-bar section (similar to the Allegro con brio with five-bar phrases). Two solo violins in unison - accompanied by the strings in pizzicato - perform their rural melody, which is characterized by double tone repetitions (reminiscent of the Adagio and the main part of the minuet), loop-like propositional phrases and "a protruding rotating figure".

Fourth movement: Finale. Vivace

B flat major, 4/4 time, 163 bars

The first theme with its singing, ascending and descending movement is presented piano by the violins with the accompaniment of the bass. With its five measures it has an odd number of measures (contrary to the usual even number of measures, similar to the Allegro con brio and the trio). The theme is repeated forte by the whole orchestra with a slightly varied final twist. The subsequent question-and-answer figure consists of the alternation of a rhythmic motif of the entire orchestra and an oboe insert. The rhythmic figure of the “answer” is then taken up briefly in the bass, before Haydn changes to the dominant F major with tremolo. In F major, the first theme follows again as a variant performed by violins and viola. The following, energetic forte block contains rapid runs as well as a motif with an octave jump in staccato ("octave jump motif").

In the second theme (from measure 42, F major) the solo oboes and the bassoon lead the part. You play a memorable, folksy staccato theme with a prelude that consists of two four bars. The short final group repeats the second half of the theme throughout the orchestra and ends the exposition with ever softer chord strokes in F major.

The strings begin the development pianissimo in the harmonic, distant mediante D flat major (not, as is otherwise usual, in the dominant closing the exposition or in another key related to the tonic). In an early copy, the violins leading the voice are marked here with “per licentiam” (in a Viennese copy: “con permissione”, ie with permission). It is possible that Haydn was jokingly trying to apologize for the harmonic twist that was unusual at the time. During his visit on May 23, 1805, Albert Christoph Dies reported on Haydn's answer to the question whether Haydn followed a system of rules in order to get the applause of the audience:

“I never thought of that in the fire of composition; I wrote what I thought was good and afterwards corrected it according to the laws of harmony. I've never done any other tricks. A couple of times I took the liberty of insulting the usual rules of textbooks, not the ear, and signed the passages with: con licenza. "

The theme is then repeated again in E flat minor, after which Haydn switches to G minor in the mysterious piano with “hesitant forward groping movement”, from where a passage of intensive processing of the “octave jump motif” begins.

The recapitulation from bar 96 is partly varied compared to the exposition: The first theme is not repeated, the passage before the second appearance of the first theme is extended to F with a detailed organ point . From the second appearance of the first topic, the course largely corresponds to that of the exposure. The second theme is completely contested by the solo winds, which creates a special timbre. The exposition, development and recapitulation are repeated.

Individual references, comments

  1. ↑ Information page of the Haydn Festival Eisenstadt, see under web links.
  2. ↑ James Webster: The Symphony with Joseph Haydn. Episode 10: Hob.I: 62, 63, 70, 71, 73, 74 and 75. http://www.haydn107.com/index.php?id=21&lng=1&pages=symphonie , accessed April 22, 2013
  3. ^ Anthony van Hoboken: Joseph Haydn. Thematic-bibliographical catalog raisonné, Volume I. Schott-Verlag, Mainz 1957, p. 103
  4. ↑ a b c d Michael Walter: Haydn's symphonies. A musical factory guide. CH Beck-Verlag, Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3-406-44813-3 , pp. 67, 68, 74.
  5. ^ Howard Chandler Robbins Landon: The Symphonies of Joseph Haydn. Universal Edition & Rocklife, London 1955, p. 373: “Concise, free of the usual superficialities of the era, and having that forward surge so characteristic of the symphonies composed a decade before, it seems written entirely out of place amongst the other works about the year 1780. "
  6. ↑ 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).
  7. ↑ a b c d e f James Webster: Hob.I: 71 Symphony in B flat major. Information text on Symphony No. 71 by Joseph Haydn of the Haydn Festival Eisenstadt, see under web links.
  8. ^ A b Wolfgang Marggraf : The Symphonies of Joseph Haydn. The symphonies of the years 1773-1784. http://www.haydn-sinfonien.de/ , accessed June 24, 2013.
  9. ^ Antony Hodgson: The Music of Joseph Haydn. The Symphonies. The Tantivy Press, London 1976, ISBN 0-8386-1684-4 , pp. 100 to 101.
  10. ^ 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 2, Baden-Baden 1989, pp. 189 to 190.
  11. ↑ a b c The repetitions of the parts of the sentence are not kept in some recordings.
  12. ^ Albert Christoph Dies: Biographical news from Joseph Haydn. Based on oral accounts of the same, designed and edited by Albert Christoph Dies, landscape painter. Camesinaische Buchhandlung, Vienna 1810. Quoted by Alexander Kulosa: Tambourines - The Symphony No. 60 (The Scattered) by Joseph Haydn. Dissertation University of Dortmund. Shaker Verlag , Aachen 2004, p. 222.

Web links, notes

See also