78th Symphony (Haydn)

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The Symphony in C minor, Hoboken directory I: 78 wrote Joseph Haydn probably in 1782 during his tenure as Kapellmeister to Prince Nikolaus I. Esterhazy .

General

Joseph Haydn (painting by Ludwig Guttenbrunn, around 1770)

Haydn's Symphony No. 78 belongs together with Symphonies No. 76 and 77 to a group of three. For the history of its creation, see Symphony No. 76 .

According to Howard Chandler Robbins Landon, the listener of Symphony No. 78 is disappointed to the extent that he expects something “special” from Haydn's minor symphonies, which is not achieved with No. 78. At that time, Haydn made no difference in the treatment of major and minor. The symphony is also so strongly “interspersed” with a major that you almost forget the minor. Robbins Landon further points out that the tonal sequence of Symphony No. 78 is similar to Symphony No. 45 ("Farewell Symphony ") composed in 1772 : first movement in minor, second and third movements in major, fourth movement begins in minor, but ends in major. However, the effect of Symphony No. 45 is different. In No. 78 the serious tone of the first movement seems "almost unreal" after the work is finished. The earlier "emotional" function of alternating major and minor as light and shadow has changed in favor of a function of different timbres.

“It is hardly surprising that under the conditions of the new tone of voice, Symphony No. 78 in C minor is much more moderate in character than the earlier minor symphonies. The minor key in the first movement (...) serves more to add a harmonic color that allows the new symphonic tone of the theme to be turned from the uncomplicated to the more serious and (...) to the conflictual. "

To the music

Instrumentation: flute , two oboes , two bassoons , 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 used here for the sonata form, 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. 78 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: Vivace

C minor, 3/4 measures, 192 measures

Beginning of Vivace

The first, eight-bar theme consists of two contrasting halves: In the first, the whole orchestra plays a four-tone motif in unison and staccato, consisting of a third and a sixth upwards. Interrupted by pauses, the sixth is led downward in bars, in the fourth bar it is taken back into the piano. The second half in the pianissimo of the strings leads legato from the harmonically surprising D flat major back to the tonic in C minor. In his two other C minor symphonies No. 52 and No. 95 , Haydn used similarly distinctive unison motifs at the beginning of the first movements, as well as at the beginning of the String Quartet opus 20 No. 2. Variants of this four-tone motif were also used several times by other composers used, partly by baroque composers in connection with the affect of grief and pain. From bar 9 onwards, the strings play piano the theme, offset between 1st violin and bass, accompanied by a throbbing eighth note repetition. In the following forte block with the participation of the whole orchestra, motifs are also used in staggered action: At the beginning a four-bar motif consisting of a full-bar note, chromatically falling pendulum figure and trill turn ("pendulum motif"), then - after inserting the staccato intervals from the top of the theme - a two-bar motif Motif from chord ascending in staccato and octave jump downwards ("chord motif"). In bar 47 the subdominant A flat major is reached, where after a short caesura the strings lead pianissimo and again offset with a chromatically searching figure to the tonic parallel E flat major.

The second theme (from bar 55, E flat major) is characterized by its motif consisting of a triple, upbeat tone repetition followed by a trill phrase. The sixteenth notes of the accompanying 2nd violin, which appear for the first time in the movement, provide a forward-moving impulse. The theme is first presented forte, then repeated piano. The final group from bar 67 changes back to the forte with its motif, which begins again with a full bar note, and keeps the sixteenth-note accompaniment of the 2nd violin.

The development begins with the staccato intervals from the head of the first subject. Haydn then brings the second theme from D flat major. From bar 88 onwards, the head of the first theme is processed with several voices in bars (also in its inversion), while the viola continues to play the opening motif from the second theme. The other motifs of the exposition also appear briefly (chord motif with octave jump up instead of down from bar 101, pendulum motif from bar 109). The piano passage with the opening motif from the second theme (from bar 115) then leads again to a polyphonic passage in which the opening motif now dominates, while the counterpart with its staccato quarters is reminiscent of the first theme. The recapitulation is heralded by the pianissimo opening motif "stretched" to two bars.

In the recapitulation (from bar 134) the first theme is kept as a variant with a polyphonic entry and sixteenth notes from the 2nd violin, the second half of the theme is missing. The polyphonic work from the development continues in the following as well up to the “chord motif” in measure 156. From here the sequence corresponds structurally to that of the exposition (chromatic piano passage of the strings, second theme, final section). The exposition, development and recapitulation are repeated.

Second movement: Adagio

E flat major, 2/4 time, 101 bars

Beginning of the Adagio

The main theme begins as a sequence of three building blocks: gestural, accentuated fifths downwards (whole orchestra), triplets downwards (piano), staccato movement of the 1st violin interspersed with pauses (bars 1 to 4). The “gesture” is repeated as a third (bars 3 and 4) and the staccato movement is enriched with suggestions and accompaniment from the 2nd violin, before a cadenced phrase closes the main theme in bar 8. The theme then starts again, but the triplets become independent and lead in bars 14 and 16 to two tone repetitive sound surfaces in sextoles (E flat major and B flat major). In the section from bar 21, these sound surfaces become the defining element of the movement: first of all, oboes, viola and bass play descending scales (also sextoles) with repeating sextoles on the violins, which close as a dramatic fortissimo outburst in dominant B. The tone repetition continues in the bass piano, and on this "carpet" the violins in turn begin with an ascending scale motif. This scale motif leads to a second fortissimo breakout, which is even more intense than the previous one due to its clouding of the minor, and comes to rest as a seventh chord on F with fermata. The final group picks up on the ascending scale motif and ends the exposition with pauses in the movement of thirds alternating between upper and lower voices with sustained B of the bass (horns: as recumbent tone, viola and cello: as throbbing sextoles).

The middle section (“development”) changes with the head of the main theme to F minor. Surprisingly, the whole orchestra then interjects fortissimo with the tone repetition sound surface in the harmoniously distant D flat major, which serves as the starting point for a longer piano passage for solo bassoon (with a parallel viola) in steadily striding staccato eighth notes with violins that continue to repetition . With the change to fortissimo in bar 55, the violins take up the descending scale motif as a variant, while all other instruments accompany in tone repetition, so that a massive sound surface is created. When the dominant B flat major is reached in bar 60, this is first emphasized with energetic chord strikes and hammering tone repetition on B flat, the return to the piano then heralds the recapitulation.

The recapitulation from bar 66 initially brings the main theme as at the beginning of the movement, the following passage is varied with follow-up triplets. The passage from the scale motifs corresponds structurally to the exposition, but the scale motifs are also gradually varied. The exposition, the middle section and the recapitulation are repeated.

Through its gestures, the sextole sound surfaces as well as the changes in dynamics, harmony and timbre, the movement takes on an operatic character.

Third movement: Menuetto. Allegretto

C major, 3/4 time, with trio 58 bars

In the first part of the minuet, which is held forte, the flute, 1st oboe and 1st violin lead the part with an upbeat melody, which is initially divided into two bars by pauses. 2. Violin and viola accompany the bass in striding quarters in continuous staccato eighth notes, which are also characteristic in the further course of the movement. Overall, the minuet has a dance-like tone. The first part ends in the dominant G major.

The relatively extended middle section (bars 9 to 24) initially continues the material piano from G major in trio (leading: 1st violin, bassoons and 2nd violin with staccato accompaniment). After four bars, the whole orchestra starts in E flat major forte and changes back to the dominant G major with turbidity after C minor, where the music comes to a halt, interrupted by pauses. In returning to the first part, the theme is somewhat varied. Haydn closes the minuet with the theme in the solo woodwinds.

In the trio (also in C major), the parallel 1st oboe and 1st violin lead the voice. Their melody, consisting of detached, rocking movement in seconds with an accentuated prelude above the staccato (bassoon) or pizzicato (strings) accompaniment is somewhat reminiscent of the tone of an organ organ. In the closing bars of the first and second parts, the whole orchestra surprisingly takes up the rocking movement in unison in the contrasting forte.

Fourth movement: Finale. Presto

C minor / major, 2/4 time, 241 bars

The sentence is structured as a rondo :

  • Presentation of the refrain (bars 1 to 40), which is structured according to the ABA pattern (A and BA are repeated). The refrain is characterized by the two-bar alternation between piano (strings) and forte (whole orchestra) with upbeat motif modules (start with typical two-tone repetition). The B part initially continues the action from E flat major, then expands into a four-bar phrase, before a longer, uninterrupted forte block begins in bar 16. After the end of the dominant G, the A part is taken up again.
  • The first couplet (bars 41 to 64), “a counter-dance of the purest water” , is in the contrasting C major. It is also structured according to the pattern aba (with repetition of a and ba), with all sections here being eight bars. In the A section, the 1st oboe and 1st violin lead the part via string accompaniment, the prelude with its double tone repetition is reminiscent of the refrain. In the b-part, the oboe is replaced by the flute, the melody here is more heavily decorated than before with suggestions and trill flakes.
  • From bar 65 the chorus in C minor starts again (without repeating the two individual sections). After the A-part and the B-part, the A-part starts again in measure 96, but expands - starting from the theme headed three times - to a polyphonic, development-like passage, only in measure 151 does the A-part become his Repeated original shape.
  • The second couplet is the written repetition of the first couplet (C major, bars 159 to 206).
  • C major is retained in the coda. After a hesitant piano passage with the final turn of the theme of the couplet, the whole orchestra ends the movement with a fanfare-like C major chord melody.

“Influences from folk music can also be felt in the finale, for which Haydn chose the form of the rondo. Two sections in C minor and C major alternate, until finally the major has the upper hand and the symphony, which begins so seriously and concentrated, is quite pleasing, one might almost say: too pleasingly ends. How far Haydn has strayed from [his] former language (...) can be demonstrated more clearly than all words by a comparison with the end of the C minor symphony of 1772 (...). "

“The movement is, very different from the finale of the F sharp minor symphony, the first great example of Haydn's art of breaking down serious into cheerful, dark into light tones, communicating with one another in a very dense structure and resolving all conflicts through the To accentuate "great art of appearing more often known". This is just as far removed from the minor of the symphonies between 1765 and 1772 as it is from the pathos of Beethoven's C minor symphony, through which Haynd's virtues of conciliation and grace, the right measure and socially binding humor were done. "

Individual references, comments

  1. ↑ Information page of the Haydn Festival Eisenstadt, see under web links.
  2. ^ Howard Chandler Robbins Landon: The Symphonies of Joseph Haydn. Universal Edition & Rocklife, London 1955, pp. 389 to 391.
  3. ^ Michael Walter: Haydn's symphonies. A musical factory guide. CH Beck-Verlag, Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3-406-44813-3 , pp. 83 to 84.
  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. ^ A b 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. 220 to 222.
  6. ↑ Walter Lessing lists as examples: a mass by Jan Dismas Zelenka (there as a fugue theme on the word "Cruzifixus"), a choral fugue from Georg Friedrich Handel's Messiah and the theme of the fugue in A minor from the Well-Tempered Clavier, Part 2, by Johann Sebastian Bach . Even Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart used for the beginning of his Piano Concerto 491 KV a similar motif. Peter Brown (A. Peter Brown: The Symphonic Repertoire. Volume II. The First Golden Age of the Vienese Symphony: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert. Indiana University Press, Bloomington & Indianapolis 2002, ISBN 0-253-33487-X ; P. 200.) gives further examples where influences of the whole first movement of the symphony No. 78 are recognizable: the finale of Franz Schubert's string quartet Deutschverzeichnis 32, the first movement of Louis Spohr's string quartet opus 65 and a symphony by Joseph Martin Kraus .
  7. ↑ a b The repetitions of the parts of the sentence are not kept in some recordings.
  8. ↑ a b c Ludwig Finscher: Joseph Haydn and his time . Laaber-Verlag, Laaber 2000, ISBN 3-921518-94-6 , p. 317.
  9. ^ Antony Hodgson: The Music of Joseph Haydn . The Symphonies. The Tantivy Press, London 1976, ISBN 0-8386-1684-4 , pp. 105-106.
  10. ↑ What is meant is Symphony No. 52.
  11. ↑ What is meant is Symphony No. 45.

Web links, notes

See also