Haydn's Haus

[Sergeant Rock]

  Can you swing by and see if the Freiburgers will play it for us, Sarge? I think that would be right up their alley.

Oh, definitely. Next time I see Gottfried I'll press my our case.

Sarge

[Gurn Blanston]

Part 19

1770

A typically eventful/uneventful year. No huge biographical happenings, other than the one documented illness of his life, a fever so severe that his brother Michael took leave from Salzburg and came to visit. No apparent lasting effects though, and really, no idea what it was.

In September, his opera composed the year before, Le pescatrici, premiered at the wedding celebrations of Countess Lamberg, the prince's niece. It was his last opera for 3 years, when the prince suddenly went opera wild and commissioned L'Infedelta delusa in 1773, the first in a long line of operas at Esterházy by all the great composers of the day.

Op 9 was completed, and Stürm und Dräng continued to dominate the symphonic output. #44 in e minor, the Mourning Symphony, is considered by many to be the peak of that phase in his output. In addition, he composed the Sei Sonatas for Violin & Viola which were extremely popular throughout Europe with many incarnations for various instruments, none of them by Haydn.

Here is the music of 1770:

Hob 01_043 Symphony #43 in Eb
   Tafelmusik / Bruno Weil
Hob 01_044 Symphony in e
   Apollo Ensemble / Hsu


Hob 03_20 Quartet in Eb for Strings Op. 9 #2   
Hob 03_23 Quartet in Bb for Strings Op. 9 #5   
Hob 03_24 Quartet in A for Strings Op. 9 #6
   Quatuor Festetics


Hob 06_01 Duo in F for Violin & Viola   
Hob 06_02 Duo in A for Violin & Viola   
Hob 06_03 Duo in Bb for Violin & Viola   
Hob 06_04 Duo in D for Violin & Viola   
Hob 06_05 Duo in Eb for Violin & Viola   
Hob 06_06 Duo in C for Violin & Viola
   Anton Steck (Violin) Christian Goosses  (Alto)


Hob 11_081 Trio in D for Baryton, Viola & Cello Book 4   
Hob 11_082 Trio in C for Baryton, Viola & Cello Book 4   
Hob 11_083 Trio in F for Baryton, Viola & Cello Book 4   
Hob 11_084 Trio in G for Baryton, Viola & Cello Book 4   
Hob 11_085 Trio in D for Baryton, Viola & Cello Book 4   
Hob 11_086 Trio in A for Baryton, Viola & Cello Book 4   
Hob 11_087 Trio in a for Baryton, Viola & Cello Book 4   
Hob 11_088 Trio in A for Baryton, Viola & Cello Book 4   
Hob 11_089 Trio in G for Baryton, Violin & Cello Book 4   
Hob 11_090 Trio in C for Baryton, Violin & Cello Book 4
   Esterhazy Ensemble


Hob 14_08 Divertimento in C for Keyboard
   L'Arte dell'Arco / Loreggian


Hob 16_44 Sonata #32 in g for Keyboard
   Marcia Hadjimarkos


Some great music in 1770. A year that you can just play and have a taste of the many talents that are coming to maturity.

There are so many excellent recordings of the S & D symphonies that I felt the need to get off the beaten track. How does one choose? Well, I chose Weil and Hsu because they combine authenticity with excellent playing and both of them pleased me. YMMV (your mileage may vary), but you can certainly be very happy with Pinnock, Hogwood, Brüggen or Goodman in 43, and those plus Arion, Immerseel or Koopman in 44. I have them all and on any given evening...

For those who like to hop around with their performers, I would like to point out that the Schuppanzigh Quartet, in their Haydn Anthology series, have included 2 of the Op 9 quartets, the d minor #4 (disk 2) and the A major #6 (disk 1). We can only hope that at the very least disk 3 of this series will be released, since it already has a cover design and catalog number despite being on their shelf yet. I wish it was on my shelf! 

If you aren't familiar yet with the duos, they should be at least on your event horizon. If you don't want to spring for the Accent premium price point, then if you have the Big Box, there is a version there, which, while it is the unauthorized arrangement for cello instead of viola, is truly nice. I enjoyed it for years (in the Hungaroton original) before the Steck/Goosses was released. I predict you will too.

Oh look, a baryton trio in the minor mode! And a nice one too. For those without the complete set of baryton works, but a few single disks, I learned this work from Volume 1 of the ASV disks by Hsu (the blue one). Now that we are nearly up to 100, just when you think Haydn must be getting bored writing for this ensemble, instead he finds another gear as it were, and things get interesting all over again.

We also have arrived at the end of the line for the little keyboard divertimentos for 4 instruments. Pity really, I rather liked those. With a total of 11 (including the mis-cataloged Hob 18_F2 and 14_1 with its 2 horns added) they actually presented a sizable oeuvre of what are essentially keyboard quartets. One wonders if he had carried them forward, if he would have settled on the eventual standard of keyboard, violin, viola & cello. Something I would have liked to hear.

And finally a keyboard sonata. This g minor work, played here on clavichord as it likely was originally, is one of the last of the S & D efforts before 1773 found Haydn writing the 6 tribute works dedicated to the Prince, and in entirely different style. It's nicely dramatic, and practically the end of another era.

Please feel free to give feedback, comments, questions, answers. Delighted to talk Haydn with all comers!

[Opus106]

Well, what do we have here?

A review from October 2011 where the symphony No. 99 is already referred to as "The Cat".

[Sergeant Rock]

Well, what do we have here?

A review from October 2011 where the symphony No. 99 is already referred to as "The Cat".

That was Jens doing. See this post http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,2294.msg583387.html#msg583387

Sarge

[Opus106]

That was Jens doing. See this post http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,2294.msg583387.html#msg583387

Sarge

Well, his suggestion was kicked out of the wikiz, but I see all the blogs are belong to him... slowly and quietly injecting this untruth* into society.


*I just heard a couple of versions on YouTube, and I didn't hear any cat!

[Sergeant Rock]

Well, his suggestion was kicked out of the wikiz, but I see all the blogs are belong to him... slowly and quietly injecting this untruth* into society.

It has nothing to do with truth or untruth. Few if any of the named symphonies were chosen by Haydn. Someone else thought of them. The second subject simply reminds me of a cat's meow just as the second subject of the 83rd Symphony reminded some people of a chicken and the slow movement of the 100th evoked images of battle in one reviewer, and the names stuck. Much as I'd like it to happen, I doubt my imaginative take on the second subject will spread beyond this forum. But I don't think the name is any more farfetched than the Hen Symphony 

Sarge

[Gurn Blanston]

It has nothing to do with truth or untruth. Few if any of the named symphonies were chosen by Haydn. Someone else thought of them. The second subject simply reminds me of a cat's meow just as the second subject of the 83rd Symphony reminded some people of a chicken and the slow movement of the 100th evoked images of battle in one reviewer, and the names stuck. Much as I'd like it to happen, I doubt my imaginative take on the second subject will spread beyond this forum. But I don't think the name is any more farfetched than the Hen Symphony 

Sarge

Which is why, when the subject first came up, I answered that I don't use any of the names, even the "officially accepted" ones. I toss one in every now and again to remind people of what I'm talking about, but in my own listings I just don't use them.   0:)



----------------
Now playing:

  Quatuors Festetics - Hob 03_38 Quartet in Eb for Strings Op 33 #2 3rd mvmt - Largo e sostenuto

[Gurn Blanston]

I have recovered this post from the depths because while I was attempting to create a post on this topic, I had the nagging feeling that I had written it once before. Sure enough, I went through my Word files and found the original of this, got the date (1/30/2011) and went back and found it. Whether you find it interesting or not is totally up to you, but here it is anyway.



At the suggestion of a curious member, I will try here to categorize the different phases and styles of Haydn's symphonies. It is a given that dealing with 108 works (plus a few others thrown in for good measure) makes it difficult to get a grip. In the particular case of Haydn's symphonies, the difficulties are greatly enhanced by such little foibles as his habit of not dating manuscripts. The distribution system at the time didn't help anything either, which is to say that if you, a visiting musician asked Haydn for a copy of a symphony of his, he would say OK, sit over there and copy it out from this. So there are lots of sets of parts with no provenance. And to make it more confusing still, a major fire at Esterhazy in 1779 destroyed the main opera house and its contents, including lots of Haydn's manuscripts. So extant copies are not originals, making the commonly used tools of paper and ink and handwriting analysis virtually useless.

Still, some talented and dedicated researchers have spent lifetimes figuring all this stuff out, and there are at least a few things that are settled.

The original chronology of the symphonies was first published by Eusebius Mandyczewski, the archivist for the Gesselschaft der Musikfreunde in Vienna after the famous Max Pohl died. Mandyczewski's list, published in 1907, has never been challenged as to its contents. Nothing has been removed as a result of further study, and only 2 things have been added (Symphonies A & B (107 & 108)). However, the chronology has been changed all to be damned. When I refer to a work here as #31, it is the Mandyczewski/Hoboken number. As long as you remember that that work is likely to be almost anything BUT the 31st symphony, you will be on solid ground...

In addition to chronology, there are categories that these works neatly fit into. Many of these lasted for his entire career, and even in his first 20 or so works all the major categories have appeared.

The actual musical terms are cribbed from Oxford Composer Companion to Haydn by David Wyn Jones. The historical contexts are pretty much the result of reading many books and putting together the pieces myself. I would like to footnote the entire thing, but I'm not going to. Looking up citation constantly is a pain in the ass, to be honest. Anyway, it's just us guys here (and Sara).

The Periods

How many periods do you divide 108 into? The more, obviously, the smaller they are. I like that, although if there is no stylistic difference then there's no point either in making yet another grouping. Nine is such a pleasant number, let's try that:

1.   Symphonies composed before 1761. Why 1761? That's when he went to work for the Esterhazy's. These are they:  1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 11, 15, 18, 20, 27, 32, 33, 37 & 107 (Symphony A). That is numerical order, not chronological.

2.   1761c – 1763c – this is a group of 6 symphonies which are rather on the mysterious side. They fall into that group that are virtually impossible to date properly because no original manuscript copies exist. They are: 3, 14, 16, 17, 19, 25, 36 & 108 (Symphony B). It is my opinion that these works are from earlier rather than later, and probably were composed during the short term of service with Count Morzin. 

3.   Early Esterhazy Symphonies (1761 – 1765) – The first group of works composed specifically for the Esterhazys. I will add 6 works at the beginning which I feel belong there. You can accept or reject them as you will, it is all semantics anyway! In March/April 1761 Haydn started his employment. His first works were a set of 6 miniature symphonies in 4 movements each, fully orchestrated. He didn't call them symphonies, rather they were Scherzandi (Jokes). They each lasted <>10 minutes. You can find them in Hob II:33-38. So Hoboken calls them divertimentos for multiple instruments and I respectfully disagree. In any case the remainder of the output from that period includes the following symphonies: 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 21, 22, 23, 24, 28, 29, 30, 31, 34, 40 & 72.

4.   Esterhazy Symphonies – 1766 – 1772. Ok, it's Stürm und Dräng time. Haydn's so-called crisis years. The symphonies written in these years are his most popular excepting the London's, and it's a near thing with those too! They include: 26, 35, 38, 39, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 52, 58, 59 & 106 (which is believed to be actually the overture to the opera 'Le Pescatrici' (the Fisher Girls)).

5.   Esterhazy Symphonies – 1772 – 1781. A large and very mixed bag of works here. One characteristic that they all have in common is that there is not a single minor key work in the bunch! Stark contrast to the period immediately preceding, with its outsized proportion of minor and unusual (B major! ) keys. Clearly there are some works that were put together from other things, theatrical overtures for example, and possibly even instrumental music. An example is the slow movement of #65, which is believed to have started life as some incidental music for a production of Hamlet!  What extent Haydn's main preoccupation in this time as opera impresario might have affected his symphonic work is unknown, but many works in this time have the kiss of the theater to them. They are the following: 50, 51, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 73, 74 & 75.

6.   Symphonies from 1782 – 1784 – Call them what you will, but my choice is that these are Haydn's first mature symphonies in the Classical Style. They were composed for a trip to London where Haydn was to direct their premiere, but eventually sold to a Parisian publisher when that fell through. They are actually 2 sets of 3, just like the Paris Symphonies. I consider them to be neglected masterpieces; you be the judge. They are 76, 77, 78, 79, 80 & 81.

7.   Paris Symphonies – 1785 – 1786 – Commissioned in 1784 by the Concerts de la Loge Olympique, a Paris concert organization.  3 were completed in 1785 and 3 more in 1786, but all 6 were first performed in the 1787 concert season. Haydn claimed the order of composition to be 87, 85, 83, 84, 86 & 82 but when he sold them to Artaria to publish, they ordered the set 82-87 and those numbers stuck.

8.   Symphonies 1787 – 1789 – Just 5 in these years, although he was plenty busy writing other than symphonies. Any of us who are string quartet fans will have heard the story of the Tost Quartets, which Haydn entrusted to violinist Johann Tost to take to Paris for publication, and which he may or may not have ever gotten his money for. Anyway, on that same trip, Tost also had with him the manuscripts for 2 symphonies, now called #88 & 89. They were published by Silber in Paris. They are very likely the first symphonies since 1761 that weren't composed to be played at Esterhazy before anything else was done with them. Too bad for the Prince: #88 in G is one of my very favorites!     #90-92 was another set of 3 that were originally composed for the Concerts de la Loge Olympique. Haydn was being Haydn though, and simultaneously sold them to a German publisher. #92 also served the purpose of being Haydn's doctoral dissertation in 1793 when he received his doctorate from Oxford. Good choice!

9.   London Symphonies – 1791 – 1795 – 12 symphonies #93 – 104. Also the sinfonia concertante #105. The first 6 were commissioned by Salomon for the 1791 & 92 concert season, 99 – 101 for Salomon's 1794 season, and the final 3 for the Opera Concerts of 1795.

So that should cover all 108 plus the 6 Scherzandi. I hope I haven't missed any, or worse yet, duplicated any! If anyone is keen to discuss anything specific about any work or group of works, this is as good a place for it as any. I will also add in the corrected chronology that we talked about a few months ago. It should be timely located right here. I am hoping to expand on this by adding information about different types of symphonies and what made them different and why etc. I hope you will find that of interest also. And some further info on the orchestras he had to work with over the years and how that might have affected different compositions.

[Gurn Blanston]

Part 20

1771

I have lately taken to giving the impression that life was rather uneventful at Esterházy, but really, how could I say that when events like this occurred?

From The Collected Correspondence (and London Notebooks of F. Joseph Haydn by H.C Robbins-Landon)
Contract between Zacharius Pohl and Xavier Marteau in Haydn's presence [in German]
This day on the date and year recorded below is herewith set down and agreed the following settlement and contract between the Princely Esterházy oboist, Zacharias Pohl, and the Princely Esterházy bass-player, Xavier Marteau, because of the scandalous brawl between them which occurred on the 23rd of the previous month of June in the Esterházy Castle Tavern, whereby Zacharias Pohl lost his right eye; to wit:
Whereas, according to the statements of both parties and various witnesses, it may be surmised that Xavier Marteau did- not purposely intend to inflict this damage with his ring on the eye of Zacharias Pohl, but on the other hand, Zacharias Pohl is not entirely guiltless, both parties have therefore agreed, in the presence of Herr Kapellmeister Hayden [sic], to the following settlement: that Xavier Marteau shall recompense Zacharias Pohl for the costs of the cure and trip arising from the above-mentioned damage, in the amount of forty-nine Gulden 13 Kreutzer, within six months, at the rate of 8 Gulden 17 1/6 Kr. per month, of which the first 8 Fl. 17 1/6 Kr. are to be paid on the first of January 1772; but Zacharias Pohl, because of the indemnification here given him as a result of the damage to his eye, shall not and can not demand anything at any time from Xavier Marteau.
As witness thereto both parties have set their hands and their customary seals,
Eisenstadt, the 21st of December 1771.

L.s. Zacharias Pohl, hochfürstlicher Hautboist.
L.s. Xavier Marteau, hochfürstlicher Bassetist
In my presence: Josephus Haydn - Hochfürstlicher Kapellmeister L.s.

The music continued on, unabated despite these other responsibilities.

Music of 1771:

Hob 01_042 Symphony in D
   Hanover Band / Goodman
Hob 01_052 Symphony in c
   English Concert / Pinnock


Hob 03_25 Quartet in E for Strings Op 17 #1   
Hob 03_26 Quartet in F for Strings Op 17 #2   
Hob 03_27 Quartet in Eb for Strings Op 17 #3   
Hob 03_28 Quartet in c for Strings Op 17 #4   
Hob 03_29 Quartet in G for Strings Op 17 #5   
Hob 03_30 Quartet in D for Strings Op 17 #6
   Quatuor Festetics


Hob 11_091 Trio in D for Baryton, Violin & Cello Book 4   
Hob 11_092 Trio in G for Baryton, Viola & Cello Book 4   
Hob 11_093 Trio in C for Baryton, Viola & Cello Book 4   
Hob 11_094 Trio in A for Baryton, Viola & Cello Book 4   
Hob 11_095 Trio in D for Baryton, Viola & Cello Book 4   
Hob 11_096 Trio in b for Baryton, Viola & Cello Book 4
   Esterhazy Ensemble


Hob 16_18 Sonata #20 in Bb for Keyboard
   Lola Odiaga
Hob 16_20 Sonatensatz in c  for Keyboard (Fragment)
   Christine Schornsheim


Hob 23b_02 Salve Regina
   Tafelmusik / Bruno Weil


Two very good symphonies. We have it on good authority that the Prince, often viewed as a total Liberal in terms of anything Haydn composed, actually struck out a few measures of Symphony 42 that he considered too daring even for him. They must have been something! What he left untouched is pretty fine though, certainly worth checking out. There are many good versions of both of these symphonies (more of 42 than 52 though), among others that you may enjoy are Weil, Brüggen and Hogwood.

Another set of string quartets already! Seems like the hiatus during the 1760's allowed the storing up of ideas. It is way beyond the purpose of these humble essays to explore subjects such as similarities between successive sets of string quartets, but if you want to explore that very interesting area, there is a cottage industry in writing books on the topic. A couple of them are The String Quartets of Joseph Haydn Graves & Graves, and the larger and more generalized, but probably more understandable Mozart, Haydn & Early Beethoven by Daniel Heartz. You might be surprised, as I was, by the fact that there are many evolutionary commonalities that flow right through from Op 1 to 103. Op 17 is a peach by any standard. I like the rollicking presentation of the Festetics, shown here, but you might find the beautifully played London Haydn Quartet on Hyperion to be more your cup of tea instead. Either way, the music rocks!

There is another baryton trio in the minor mode in this year's crop also. Book 4 comes to an end this year, and Book 5 will take 7 years to complete. We can safely predict that the Prince's attention span, clearly not the longest ever in any case, is finally beginning to run its course here. Even now though, Haydn's inventiveness is an endless stream.

A couple of interesting items in the keyboard sonatas now; the very attractive Hob 16:18 (#20) in Bb, which is nearly the last of the series of recent years that were primarily composed for connoisseurs rather than amateurs. I have chosen Lola Odiaga on Fortepiano, since if this work was played in Vienna that winter, then it was not beyond belief that this was the instrument it was played on. And secondly, we have Hob 16:20 in c minor. This work shows up twice in the '70's, The first time is here, where we are playing it as a clavichord fragment which is what remains of the original. It is proposed by Schornsheim (liner notes) that he started out with the idea for this piece and wrote out the beginning, then he put it away for future use for unknown reasons. In 1779, when he wrote a lovely set consisting in Hob 16:35-39, he went back and finished the piece and made a set of 6. So we will see it again, and much more fully realized than here.

Finally  a Salve Regina to finish off the year. Haydn told Griesinger many years later that he wrote it as a thanksgiving for recovery from the illness of the previous year that we saw last chapter. It is in g minor, and without any extraneous warbling from the ladies of the solo flock. This version by Weil is all one could ask, IMO.

So there is 1771. As always, I would be delighted to discuss any aspect of this essay that appeals to you.

[jlaurson]

Well, his suggestion was kicked out of the wikiz, but I see all the blogs are belong to him... slowly and quietly injecting this untruth* into society.


*I just heard a couple of versions on YouTube, and I didn't hear any cat!

0.) 

1.) As Sarge saiz: It's not about "truth" or "untruth" (or even truthiness)... it's a homage to the ridiculousness of the title as such (and how they were created... often on the flimsiest of evidence/reason), it's an homage to Haydn and his little, subtle upward "Mggknaw-meow". And an homage to Sarge and his imaginary cat. :-)

2.) Cats don't just show themselves to everyone. 'Tis in their nature, and it only proves they're there!

[Sergeant Rock]

Apropos the Cat Symphony: if you still can't hear the meows, perhaps this will help*: the clowder in the first movement development (this version is the arrangement Salomon made for flute, string quartet and pianoforte).

http://www.4shared.com/audio/H91HDut4/No_99_developement.html


* Or not. It may just prove I'm really as off as Gurn alleges 


Sarge

[Opus106]

I've been noticing that Gurn and I are in agreement in quite a few things. 0:)

[Leo K.]

I have recovered this post from the depths because while I was attempting to create a post on this topic, I had the nagging feeling that I had written it once before. Sure enough, I went through my Word files and found the original of this, got the date (1/30/2011) and went back and found it. Whether you find it interesting or not is totally up to you, but here it is anyway.



At the suggestion of a curious member, I will try here to categorize the different phases and styles of Haydn's symphonies. It is a given that dealing with 108 works (plus a few others thrown in for good measure) makes it difficult to get a grip. In the particular case of Haydn's symphonies, the difficulties are greatly enhanced by such little foibles as his habit of not dating manuscripts. The distribution system at the time didn't help anything either, which is to say that if you, a visiting musician asked Haydn for a copy of a symphony of his, he would say OK, sit over there and copy it out from this. So there are lots of sets of parts with no provenance. And to make it more confusing still, a major fire at Esterhazy in 1779 destroyed the main opera house and its contents, including lots of Haydn's manuscripts. So extant copies are not originals, making the commonly used tools of paper and ink and handwriting analysis virtually useless.

Still, some talented and dedicated researchers have spent lifetimes figuring all this stuff out, and there are at least a few things that are settled.

The original chronology of the symphonies was first published by Eusebius Mandyczewski, the archivist for the Gesselschaft der Musikfreunde in Vienna after the famous Max Pohl died. Mandyczewski's list, published in 1907, has never been challenged as to its contents. Nothing has been removed as a result of further study, and only 2 things have been added (Symphonies A & B (107 & 108)). However, the chronology has been changed all to be damned. When I refer to a work here as #31, it is the Mandyczewski/Hoboken number. As long as you remember that that work is likely to be almost anything BUT the 31st symphony, you will be on solid ground...

In addition to chronology, there are categories that these works neatly fit into. Many of these lasted for his entire career, and even in his first 20 or so works all the major categories have appeared.

The actual musical terms are cribbed from Oxford Composer Companion to Haydn by David Wyn Jones. The historical contexts are pretty much the result of reading many books and putting together the pieces myself. I would like to footnote the entire thing, but I'm not going to. Looking up citation constantly is a pain in the ass, to be honest. Anyway, it's just us guys here (and Sara).

The Periods

How many periods do you divide 108 into? The more, obviously, the smaller they are. I like that, although if there is no stylistic difference then there's no point either in making yet another grouping. Nine is such a pleasant number, let's try that:

1.   Symphonies composed before 1761. Why 1761? That's when he went to work for the Esterhazy's. These are they:  1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 11, 15, 18, 20, 27, 32, 33, 37 & 107 (Symphony A). That is numerical order, not chronological.

2.   1761c – 1763c – this is a group of 6 symphonies which are rather on the mysterious side. They fall into that group that are virtually impossible to date properly because no original manuscript copies exist. They are: 3, 14, 16, 17, 19, 25, 36 & 108 (Symphony B). It is my opinion that these works are from earlier rather than later, and probably were composed during the short term of service with Count Morzin. 

3.   Early Esterhazy Symphonies (1761 – 1765) – The first group of works composed specifically for the Esterhazys. I will add 6 works at the beginning which I feel belong there. You can accept or reject them as you will, it is all semantics anyway! In March/April 1761 Haydn started his employment. His first works were a set of 6 miniature symphonies in 4 movements each, fully orchestrated. He didn't call them symphonies, rather they were Scherzandi (Jokes). They each lasted <>10 minutes. You can find them in Hob II:33-38. So Hoboken calls them divertimentos for multiple instruments and I respectfully disagree. In any case the remainder of the output from that period includes the following symphonies: 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 21, 22, 23, 24, 28, 29, 30, 31, 34, 40 & 72.

4.   Esterhazy Symphonies – 1766 – 1772. Ok, it's Stürm und Dräng time. Haydn's so-called crisis years. The symphonies written in these years are his most popular excepting the London's, and it's a near thing with those too! They include: 26, 35, 38, 39, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 52, 58, 59 & 106 (which is believed to be actually the overture to the opera 'Le Pescatrici' (the Fisher Girls)).

5.   Esterhazy Symphonies – 1772 – 1781. A large and very mixed bag of works here. One characteristic that they all have in common is that there is not a single minor key work in the bunch! Stark contrast to the period immediately preceding, with its outsized proportion of minor and unusual (B major! ) keys. Clearly there are some works that were put together from other things, theatrical overtures for example, and possibly even instrumental music. An example is the slow movement of #65, which is believed to have started life as some incidental music for a production of Hamlet!  What extent Haydn's main preoccupation in this time as opera impresario might have affected his symphonic work is unknown, but many works in this time have the kiss of the theater to them. They are the following: 50, 51, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 73, 74 & 75.

6.   Symphonies from 1782 – 1784 – Call them what you will, but my choice is that these are Haydn's first mature symphonies in the Classical Style. They were composed for a trip to London where Haydn was to direct their premiere, but eventually sold to a Parisian publisher when that fell through. They are actually 2 sets of 3, just like the Paris Symphonies. I consider them to be neglected masterpieces; you be the judge. They are 76, 77, 78, 79, 80 & 81.

7.   Paris Symphonies – 1785 – 1786 – Commissioned in 1784 by the Concerts de la Loge Olympique, a Paris concert organization.  3 were completed in 1785 and 3 more in 1786, but all 6 were first performed in the 1787 concert season. Haydn claimed the order of composition to be 87, 85, 83, 84, 86 & 82 but when he sold them to Artaria to publish, they ordered the set 82-87 and those numbers stuck.

8.   Symphonies 1787 – 1789 – Just 5 in these years, although he was plenty busy writing other than symphonies. Any of us who are string quartet fans will have heard the story of the Tost Quartets, which Haydn entrusted to violinist Johann Tost to take to Paris for publication, and which he may or may not have ever gotten his money for. Anyway, on that same trip, Tost also had with him the manuscripts for 2 symphonies, now called #88 & 89. They were published by Silber in Paris. They are very likely the first symphonies since 1761 that weren't composed to be played at Esterhazy before anything else was done with them. Too bad for the Prince: #88 in G is one of my very favorites!     #90-92 was another set of 3 that were originally composed for the Concerts de la Loge Olympique. Haydn was being Haydn though, and simultaneously sold them to a German publisher. #92 also served the purpose of being Haydn's doctoral dissertation in 1793 when he received his doctorate from Oxford. Good choice!

9.   London Symphonies – 1791 – 1795 – 12 symphonies #93 – 104. Also the sinfonia concertante #105. The first 6 were commissioned by Salomon for the 1791 & 92 concert season, 99 – 101 for Salomon's 1794 season, and the final 3 for the Opera Concerts of 1795.

So that should cover all 108 plus the 6 Scherzandi. I hope I haven't missed any, or worse yet, duplicated any! If anyone is keen to discuss anything specific about any work or group of works, this is as good a place for it as any. I will also add in the corrected chronology that we talked about a few months ago. It should be timely located right here. I am hoping to expand on this by adding information about different types of symphonies and what made them different and why etc. I hope you will find that of interest also. And some further info on the orchestras he had to work with over the years and how that might have affected different compositions.

Bravo Gurn! This helps me navigate through my new Haydn symphonies box (Dennis Russell Davies) which orders the symphonies in a similiar manner!

[Gurn Blanston]

Bravo Gurn! This helps me navigate through my new Haydn symphonies box (Dennis Russell Davies) which orders the symphonies in a similar manner!

Leo,
Good, pleased you found it useful. If I was redoing it now, there might be a change or 2 that I would make (like moving 92 into the London symphonies, which it is structurally and musically), but I think that overall it chunks things up rather nicely.

[Antoine Marchand]

Oh yes, quite agree with that, it is very much con fuego. The 1771 version is just a good start, 3 or 4 minutes worth (depending who plays it), so I have no problem with a clavichord, since it never made it out of the workshop. But the full 1779 version that he completed and added to the other 5 ( in C, c#, D, Eb & G + c) is a great work. The whole set of 6 is, to me, superior to the previous set of 6 that he dedicated to the Prince. That was sort of a step backwards after the rather fiery works of the late 1760's. In any case, fortepiano is indeed the perfect instrument. In fact, when we get to 1779, you will discover that I chose Joanna Leach playing an early English square piano on that one, at least for now.

Additionally, this sonata was composed in minor mode, another quite special feature, always associated to works expressing very personal feelings. Curiously this year 1771, according to your chronology, joins together three of those superb, but unusual works composed in minor mode: the string quartet Op. 17 No. 4, the symphony No. 52 and this piano sonata. 

[Gurn Blanston]

Additionally, this sonata was composed in minor mode, another quite special feature, always associated to works expressing very personal feelings. Curiously this year 1771, according to your chronology, joins together three of those superb, but unusual works composed in minor mode: the string quartet Op. 17 No. 4, the symphony No. 52 and this piano sonata. 

Yes, it was a good year.   I think that it is far more appropriate, and in keeping with your opening sentence here, to call this compositional period 'The Romantic Crisis' than it is to call it 'Stürm und Dräng'. The former implies a personal thing, which I believe it was, while the latter is more aimed towards him playing some sort of intentional role in a minor social trend. I simply don't see that at all. Of course, it would be like changing the symphony numbers to New Chronology, it just isn't going to happen. 'Stürm und Dräng' just sounds so cool, after all!

[Karl Henning]

Well, when you get back home, check it out. First appearance of the meow in the Szell recording is at 3:15.

I'm slow again, Sarge . . . even the first subject seems to me plausibly feline.  And while I don't think I should have come up with that on my own, that theme could be construed as miao-like : )

[Sergeant Rock]

I'm slow again, Sarge . . . even the first subject seems to me plausibly feline.  And while I don't think I should have come up with that on my own, that theme could be construed as miao-like : )

Apparently, then, you too are a bit off 

Thanks for your support, Karl. I wonder if, a hundred years hence, when the label "Die Katze" or "The Cat" is accepted worldwide, history will remember where the name originated. It may be my only chance for immortality 

Sarge

[kishnevi]

2.) Cats don't just show themselves to everyone. 'Tis in their nature, and it only proves they're there!

Perhaps the proper name for this symphony should therefore be "The Cheshire Cat"?

[Gurn Blanston]

Part 21

1772
Life goes on. Musicians fight, get paid, get fired... all in Haydn's purview. Most importantly though, music gets composed and played. This is where Esterházy has it all over any other place in Europe; they have Haydn.

It had to happen, we've reached the end of the Stürm und Dräng.     According to the New Chronology*, Symphony Hob 45 in f# was composed in November of 1772. And the band packed up and left for Eisenstadt the next day. Yet they also list Symphony Hob 46 as being written after 45, yet still before the end of the year. My own interpretation is a bit different, simply because it jibes with my personal taste in how things should be; I think that Hob 45 is the last of the S & D symphonies, and that the name given it for so long is far more accurate than was ever supposed; it is the 'Farewell' symphony. It would be a few years before Haydn reached these heights and depths again. The next phase of symphonies was a lot different, and influenced by the Theater.


* New Chronology 45 = 55, 46 = 56 (Hob 47 45 46 = NC 54 55 56)


Hob 01_045 Symphony in f#
   Anima Eterna / Immerseel
Hob 01_046 Symphony in B
   Tafelmusik / Bruno Weil
Hob 01_047 Symphony in G
   L'Estro Armonico / Solomons




Hob 03_31 Quartet in Eb for Strings Op 20 #1   
Hob 03_32 Quartet in C for Strings Op 20 #2   
Hob 03_33 Quartet in g for Strings Op 20 #3   
Hob 03_34 Quartet in D for Strings Op 20 #4   
Hob 03_35 Quartet in f for Strings Op 20 #5   
Hob 03_36 Quartet in A for Strings Op 20 #6
   Quatuor Festetics


Hob 11_097 Trio in D for Baryton, Viola & Cello Book 5   
Hob 11_098 Trio in D for Baryton, Viola & Cello Book 5   
Hob 11_099 Trio in G for Baryton, Viola & Cello Book 5   
Hob 11_100 Trio in F for Baryton, Viola & Cello Book 5   
Hob 11_101 Trio in C for Baryton, Viola & Cello Book 5   
Hob 11_102 Trio in G for Baryton, Viola & Cello Book 5   
Hob 11_103 Trio in A for Baryton, Viola & Cello Book 5   
Hob 11_104 Trio in D for Baryton, Viola & Cello Book 5   
Hob 11_105 Trio in G for Baryton, Viola & Cello Book 5   
Hob 11_106 Trio in D for Baryton, Viola & Cello Book 5
   Esterhazy Ensemble


Hob 15_02 Trio in F for Keyboard & Strings
   Trio 1790


Hob 17_03 Arietta with 12 Variations in Eb
   Christine Schornsheim


Hob 22_06 Nikolaimesse
   Rebel Baroque Orchestra / Burdick


And still on that line, the works that completed the S & D cycle for Haydn were extraordinary, then as now. The only symphonies in the entire 18th century that were composed in the keys of f# minor and B major, for example. Not to mention the storied 'disappearing orchestra' in the f#'s finale. This was the symphonic phase that wouldn't go out with a bang, just the loudest whisper ever!  How does one choose among all the rich offerings one finds in this work, even without going beyond the PI realm!?!  My choice of Immerseel/Anima Eterna was not based on it being the only one I had, but it was on a par with half a dozen other performances and I elected to go with it because I like to hear a lot of different voices in my symphony cycles. L'Estro Armonico / Solomons are at least as good, but I have them in several others. If you have their version, you can't go wrong.

Now we come to what is likely the most influential chamber music cycle ever. Haydn's Op 20 broke all molds in terms of incorporating many disparate elements of old, 'learned' styles (fugues and counterpoint for example) with all 'modern' forms of sonata style. Anyone who was anyone in the world of music in the 1770 and for years afterwards learned something from these works, either directly or indirectly. And on top of the history involved, I must add just this; they are damned fun to listen to!  As I said earlier in the Op 17 write-up, I chose the Festetics because it pleases my own particular taste in the performance of these works. They are clearly having a good time playing them, and I have a good time listening to them. But there are many, many good versions available. The Quatuor Mosaiques and the London Haydn Quartet are complete opuses. An outstanding single disk with #2 & #4 on it is performed by the Esterházy Quartet. There are likely others (The Salomon's?) that I don't have, and that doesn't even begin to mention the MI versions. The music is the important thing.

A lone keyboard trio, Hob 15:2 in F major. Actually a lovely little work, I haven't ever seen any reason for its composition so far from any mates. Maybe something will come to light one day to shed some here.

Another lone ranger, the Arietta with Variations for keyboard. It fell in the middle of a 12 year hiatus (1769 to 1781) for variation works. Very nice piece though, you should dig through your box of solo piano works and give it a special listen.

Finally, the first of a trio of masses from the mid-1770's. The Nikolaimesse was composed for the Prince's name day. It is in G major, and for soloists (S-A-T-B) & Chorus, 2 Oboes, 2 Horns, Strings & Continuo (Organ). I have chosen the Rebel Baroque version on Naxos, as they seem to hit it just right, from soloists through size of orchestra through ideal tempos. This one has other versions out there that are very good too, like Tafelmusik/Weil.

So there is 1772. A good year, no doubt. There are new things in the offing for Haydn, a mass of new musical challenges right around the corner. But for now, things are quiet in that little corner of Hungary.

Please, feel free to comment, correct, add, subtract, (but don't divide, please ). I love to discuss Haydn with all comers!





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Now playing:

  Tini Mathot (Fortepiano) \ Andrew Manze (Violin) \ Jaap ter Linden (Cello) - Hob 15_25 Trio in G for Keyboard & Strings 3rd mvmt - Rondo in the Hungarian Style: Presto