Trumpet Concerto in E flat major (Haydn)

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Franz Joseph Haydn (painting by Thomas Hardy, 1792)

The Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra in E flat major ( Hob.VIIe : 1; Title: Concerto per il Clarino ) was composed by Franz Joseph Haydn in 1796 for the valve trumpet invented by Anton Weidinger . It was the first concert for this new instrument and is still considered a standard work in the trumpet repertoire . The range of the solo part goes from the flat to the flat '' '. The playing time is approx. 15 minutes.

Origin and Effect

Haydn's Trumpet Concerto was written in Vienna in 1796 after returning from his second trip to London. The client was the Viennese court trumpeter Anton Weidinger, who had made a name for himself not only as a virtuoso of his instrument, but also as an instrument maker. During the 1790s, Weidinger worked on the development of a keyed trumpet, initially also known as the "organized trumpet". On the natural trumpet that was customary at the time , only the so-called natural tones could be blown. In contrast, the new keyed trumpet 4–6 had tone holes that could be closed by keys, which made it possible to play chromatic notes. However, this key mechanism seems to have impaired both the intonation and the sound quality of the instrument, as Felix Mendelssohn complained in a letter from 1831:

"It [the natural trumpet] just doesn't have the chromatic tones, and now [with the keyed trumpet] it sounds like a trumpet castrat, so dull and unnatural." Around 1830, the development of the modern valve trumpet began, in which the sound tube with the help of valves is extended by additional arcs so that the sound quality of the chromatic tones is not impaired.

The Haydn Trumpet Concerto, whose solo part cannot be played on the natural trumpet, takes into account the requirements of the keyed trumpet in both technical and tonal terms, but exploits the new possibilities of the instrument to the limit: the melody is preferably in the middle, for the instrument is in an advantageous position and uses all chromatic tones. The “blaring” typical of the trumpet, difficult to realize on this instrument, is hardly required, the softer sound of the keyed trumpet comes on the other hand, especially in the minor passages of the corner movements and in the course of the middle movement (where Haydn shifts into the distant C flat major ) to its best advantage. On March 28, 1800, the Trumpet Concerto in E flat major with Anton Weidinger as a soloist was premiered in the Vienna Burgtheater . Weidinger wrote the following announcement in the Wiener Zeitung:

“The undersigned is entitled to hold a large musical academy in the local Imperial and Royal National Court Theater on March 28th. His real intention here is to have the trumpet, which he invented and, after seven years of costly work, now, as he flatters himself, has grown to perfection and equipped with several keys, in one of Joseph Haydn, Doctor of Music, The concert that was specifically set on this instrument [...] to come to light for the first time for public assessment. "

According to an entry in Joseph Carl Rosenbaum's diary, however, the Burgtheater remained virtually empty at this concert.

The only source of the work is Haydn's autograph score (Vienna, Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde, archive). The work appeared in print in 1949 ( Boosey & Hawkes ), but in an edited form. The original version was published as the Eulenburg pocket score (1951), by the Haydn-Mozart-Presse (1982) and in the Haydn Complete Edition (III / 3, 1985).

Musical shape (analysis)

1st movement: Allegro

Main theme of the trumpet (mm. 37–44), 1st movement

E flat major, 4/4 time, 173 bars

The first movement is in the form of a sonata and, as is so often the case with Haydn, is monothematic. Contrary to all conventions, however, Haydn introduces the solo trumpet here “prematurely” (within the orchestral exposure) and in the “wrong” role (as an orchestral instrument): the first time it is used in bar 8, only the keynote es' sounds , then in bars 13-16 after all, two signal-like motifs - but all in the context of the natural tone series. Haydn, who was known all his life for his pronounced humor, surprises or disappoints his listeners here by initially returning the trumpet to its "old" function - contrary to Weidinger's announcements. The effect of the surprise to be able to introduce the main theme an octave “too low” in the later solo exposure is therefore likely to have been all the greater.

The orchestral exposition (bars 1–36) begins with the dignified, elegant main theme in the basic key of E flat major (8 bars). The continuation of the main movement by the orchestral tutti initially plays with two contrasts, but gradually takes on the character of a transition and ends in bar 19 semi-conclusively. A contrasting gesture with a chromatically descending melody (bars 20–24) appears in the side movement, but here Haydn dispenses with an independent secondary theme. The continuation by the orchestra flows seamlessly into a cadencing final section (bars 32–36) and ends normally in E flat major.

At the beginning of the solo exposure (mm. 37–92) the main theme is now heard in the solo trumpet. Haydn consciously uses the instrument in the lower principal range, where gradual continuous tone sequences can only be played thanks to the new key mechanism. In the further course of the main movement, chromatic passages appear for the first time in the solo part in bar 47. The transition (bars 52–59) initially deviates to C minor, but then modulates, as expected, to the double dominant, where in bar 60 the multi-part subordinate movement begins in the dominant key of B flat major. Instead of a secondary theme, this time Haydn introduces a formulaic trill motif, which, however, has only episodic significance. The continuation of the solo part contains numerous chromatic leads and ends in bar 73 in the original secondary movement gesture (cf. bar 20ff) from the orchestral exposition. The following passage initially cadences in the sense of a closing group in B flat major, before surprisingly modulating to C minor in m. 87/88 and ending with a half-close.

The implementation (T. 93-124) opening with the head design of the main subject in the trumpet, this time in the parallel key of C minor. As a result, Haydn immediately switches to A flat major and modulates back to the basic key E flat major via F minor. As part of a longer virtuoso scale passage, the solo part reaches the ("notorious") of the '' ' , the highest note of the concert, before the passage ends a few bars later in the lowest register with a b . The subsequent return line (bar 114ff) largely lingers on the dominant of E flat major and, after a variant fallacy, ends in the recapitulation in bar 118/119.

The recapitulation (bars 125–173) in the basic key of E flat major begins again with the main theme in the trumpet, but this now appears to be slightly varied (bar 130). The dialogical continuation of the main movement has also been changed and in m. 138 leads almost suddenly to the side movement; there is no actual transition. In the side movement Haydn once again only uses formulaic material, but artfully reverses the sequence of inserts between solo and orchestra: First the trumpet motif in bar 140/141 is adopted by the orchestra (1st bassoon, 2nd violin and viola), then its variant in Orchestra repeated by the trumpet in bars 144/145. In the further course the original subordinate gesture is resumed (cf. bar 20ff) before the following orchestral passage continues to the obbligato solo cadenza (bar 168). The first movement ends with the original closing group (see bar 32ff).

2nd movement: Andante

Main theme of the trumpet (mm. 9–16), 2nd movement

A flat major, 6/8 time, 50 bars

In the middle movement, not only the vocal possibilities of the solo instrument come into their own. In order to demonstrate what Weidinger's keyed trumpet was capable of, Haydn even modulates into the distant region of C flat major during the course of the movement - a key that has hitherto been completely unusual.

The andante in the weighing 6/8 time is in the subdominant key of A flat major. It is a two-part Adagio form (after Ratz ) with the structure in AB A 'B'. The cantable main theme (8 bars) is built periodically and is taken over by the solo trumpet according to his presentation by the 1st violins and the flute. The following B-part (bars 17-26) initially deviates into the variant key A flat minor, before Haydn, after a fallacy in bars 21/22, surprisingly modulates into the mediant C flat major. A short return (mm. 27–32) leads first to the dominant of A flat minor, before the main theme is finally “harmoniously refreshed” in A flat major by the trumpet.

As usual with Haydn, the recapitulation (mm. 33–50) has been changed in many ways: the A section (mm. 33–40) - in contrast to the exposition - does without a repetition of the main theme, but the ending is in the Solotrompete varies melodic and to as' extended (T. 38). The B part (bars 41-48) is also shortened and now appears harmoniously arranged in the basic key of A flat major, before the movement finishes peacefully after a two-bar coda.

3rd movement: Allegro

(complete) main theme of the trumpet (mm. 45–68), 3rd movement

E flat major, 2/4 time, 297 bars

The finale is a so-called sonata rondo - the rondo principle that is common for final movements is thus combined with the sonata form. Haydn's compositional approach to the main theme is also remarkable: the periodically built E flat major theme, which actually consists of 24 bars, only sounds once in full length during the third movement (bars 45–68), otherwise Haydn uses either the antecedent, the subsequent or just fragments of the topic (head motif).

The orchestral exposition (mm. 1-44) begins with the main dance theme in E flat major. After the antecedent in the strings ( piano ) one would actually expect a subsequent clause. As expected, the orchestral tutti takes up the beginning of the theme ( forte ), but spins it on seamlessly - in the sense of a repetition that has already been started - and leads directly into the secondary movement (bar 27ff), the 1st couplet. As in the first movement, the secondary theme has a rather formulaic effect and is immediately continued in a cadenced final group (mm. 39–44).

The solo exposure (bars 45–142) ​​opens in bar 45 with the solo trumpet. The main theme in E flat major appears here for the first and last time in its complete form. The subsequent transition in the strings modulates to the double dominant, where, after a long prelude in the solo part, the 1st couplet finally begins in the dominant key of B flat major. Compared to the orchestral exposition, the set of pages (mm. 80–116) has been formally expanded and made into a multi-part thematic complex. The following return (bars 120–124) dispenses with an actual modulation and instead uses a fermata to stop on the dominant seventh chord without further ado, before the main theme is recapitulated in E flat major by the solo trumpet in bar 125. In this refrain, however, Haydn only uses the antecedent of the theme, the continuation in the orchestra appears shortened, surprisingly modulates to A flat major and leads directly to the development (2nd couplet).

The development (mm. 142–180) begins again with the main theme in the trumpet, but this time in the subdominant key of A flat major. This time Haydn only uses the head motif of the theme and immediately switches to F minor. In the further course of the 2nd couplet, sighs and sequenced fanfare motifs appear in the solo part, before the return line (bar 168ff) initially lingers on the dominant of the parallel key in C minor (instead of E flat major), which Haydn then does shortly before the recapitulation begins still corrected, so that the following refrain regularly starts again in E flat major.

The recapitulation (mm. 181–297) in the basic key of E flat major is also full of surprises: This time Haydn only uses the following clause of the main theme as the main movement and for the first time orchestrates it as a duet of trumpet with bassoon. As part of the transition, he then combines material from both expositions (cf. bars 24–28 and bars 68–71) and supplements the solo part with the resumption of the first couplet (bar 200ff) with triad figures, octave jumps, fanfare motifs and one chromatic line in the low register. In the last refrain (bar 238ff) only the head motif of the main theme can be heard, its linear continuation through the orchestra is enriched with syncopation and, after a descending chain of trills in bars 255/56, suddenly leads to a fallacy (with retroactive interharmony). Here the otherwise cheerful mood of the movement suddenly turns dramatic: thundering kettledrums , excited strings tremoli , dissonant wind chords with crashing chord breaks in the 1st violins as well as sharp dynamic contrasts in a small space - Haydn demands fortissimo and pianissimo for the first time - lead to an elliptical Eb- Major cadenza, paired with fanfare motifs in the solo part, in a two-bar general pause or to the obligatory solo cadenza. The concluding coda (bars 282–297) seems relaxed: for the last time the solo trumpet starts with the head motif of the main theme, but now with a different accompaniment and harmonics that are enriched by intermediate functions. In addition, Haydn prescribes a mezzo-forte in the solo part, which was rare for the time , before the movement ends after a brilliant increase with the orchestra.

occupation

Trumpet solo (in Eb), 2 flutes , 2 oboes , 2 bassoons , 2 horns (in Eb), 2 trumpets (in Eb), timpani (in Eb and Bb) and strings : violin (2), viola , violoncello , double bass

In the 2nd movement, the 2nd flute, the 2nd bassoon as well as the horns, trumpets and timpani are tacet .

Significance in Haydn's oeuvre

Haydn's Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra is his most important concerto for a wind instrument and at the same time his last ever concertante work. The oboe concerto Hob.VIIg: C1, originally ascribed to him, was demonstrably not composed by him, and of the two horn concertos, which in substance do not come close to Mozart's contributions to the genre, the second is most likely not by him either.

The trumpet concerto in E flat major differs significantly from the previously widespread baroque trumpet concerts , which were generally still committed to the art of clarin-blowing . It has a symphonic character insofar as the solo instrument is integrated into the orchestra, which was relatively large for the time, and yet does not lose any of its virtuosity, because the solo part and orchestra communicate almost equally.

In 1803 Johann Nepomuk Hummel - Haydn's successor as court conductor to Prince Esterházy - also composed a Concerto a tromba pincipale in E major for the keyed trumpet on behalf of Weidinger . Nowadays this is often performed in E flat major and, together with the famous (r) n Haydn concerto, is one of the most frequently performed works in the trumpet repertoire.

literature

  • Erwin Ratz: Introduction to the theory of musical forms. About formal principles in JS Bach's inventions and their significance for Beethoven's compositional technique. Universal Edition, Vienna 1973, ISBN 3-7024-0015-X .
  • Hans Swarowsky, Manfred Huss (Ed.): Preservation of the shape . Writings on work and reproduction, style and interpretation in music. Universal Edition AG, Vienna 1979, ISBN 978-3-7024-0138-2 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Sibylle Ehrismann: Inspiration from the new "valve trumpet". Retrieved March 6, 2020 .
  2. ↑ Christin Heitmann: Joseph Haydn - Trumpet Concerto. Retrieved March 6, 2020 .