Haydn: Symphony 55 - 69

 

In the 50s and 60s, Haydn's symphonies are clearly Classical Era works, leaving behind youthful influences.

Despite being composed in the Stürm und Dräng period, none of these symphonies bear minor keys in their title, but instead take on theatrical relationships.

As I approach the 70s, I am noticing a growing importance focused on the slow movement, and Haydn is beginning to get the hang of the final-movement Rondo form.

Most importantly, there is a cementing of the symphonic form across these works, despite Haydn's attempt to wittily defy symphonic expectations. If I have appreciated anything in this volume, it is the composer's craftsmanship with melody, phrasing, and the twain's musical development. On the other hand, what was ramping up in Symphonies 40 - 54 wasn't necessarily carried through to these symphonies.

Let's add up the numbers from what we heard from Haydn:

Nicknames
    Fire (59)
    Distracted (60)
    Roxelane (63)
    Tempora Mutantur (64)
    Laudon (69)

As I suspected, the Laudon symphony confirms my thought that nicknames have been added to symphonies over the years to procure more money through sales. Haydn seems to agree with this thought in Symphony no. 69, even if he didn't give his OK to most of the nicknames across his entire symphonic oeuvre.

Despite possible theatrical links, there are not as many symphonies with nicknames here.

Movements
    Four: Fourteen
    Six: One

I thought I was getting rid of this category. 'Il Distratto', however, contains six movements, bringing it closer to being a suite than a symphony. Apt too, since this is the one work which can be confidently associated with a specific theatrical work.

Otherwise, the four-movement symphony is shaping up to be the preferred form from the Master.

Opening Tempo & Tempo Markings
    Fast: All
    Slow Intro: Two (57 & 60)

This is another area where the symphony is cementing its form. I did, however, think that Haydn would be executing his slow first-movement introductions more often, but that ended up being a red herring thus far. Of course, the opening movement of Symphony no. 60 is more of an overture, thus the slow introduction is necessary.

Only six of the sixty-nine symphonies have begun with a Presto tempo. Two of them are in this volume and remains a curious choice from this composer. Vivace has ended up being much more common as an opening tempo than I had originally thought, four appearing in the 60s alone.

Instruments
    Flute: 61, 62, 63
    Trumpet: 56 & 69
    Timpani: 56, 60, 61, 69

Trumpet almost always accompanies the timpani, but in this set of symphonies, the timpani appears on its own. You won't hear me complaining about less trumpet, and thus, less C Major.

I love when Haydn adds the flute; it adds such color to the proceedings. Speaking of color, the bassoon has now become a consistent separate entity from merely doubling the bass line. Instead, the composer now writes the instrument its very own parts away from everyone else, both as an ensemble member, and as a soloist. In many cases, Haydn composes for two bassoons.

Initial Time Signatures 
    3/4: Six
    4/4: Six
    2/4: Two
    6/8: One

Well, let's talk about the elephant in the room. Compound time is rare to open a Haydn symphony. I think one early symphony was set in 3/8, but that has been it. To make matters stranger, the 6/8 is married to a Presto tempo, another unusual opening element.

Otherwise, Haydn is mainly keeping duple for the second and fourth movements, and if we see compound time, it usually appears in the final movement. One bit of strange business is the appearance of 12/8. I don't think I have even seen that one at all so far.

Title Key Signatures
    Sharp: Six
    Flat: Five
    C Major: Four

    Minor Key: Zero
    Homotonal: Two

I guess there were more C-Major symphonies than I expected. One of them only added flute, while another eschewed the trumpet in favor of just timpani. How surprising to find no minor-keyed symphonies at all!

There were only two symphonies which maintained the same pitch center throughout all four movements, Nos. 59 & 63. I could have added Symphony no. 62 as well, but the Trio decidedly moves away from D Major in that one. Personally, I enjoy the lessening of homotonal symphonies, for differing key relationships can have effective dramatic and structural qualities for the listener. The composer already does it so well in his development sections.

Length

While there are some notably efficient works in this set of symphonies, the lengths are becoming protracted overall. Of course, a lot of this depends on the tempo the conductor sets and how many repeats they choose to acknowledge. In one symphony in this volume, Ádám Fischer did not take any of the first section repeats, a uncommon trait for the Hungarian conductor, and that symphony would have been another quite long composition had he observed the usual exposition repeats.

 

 

 

Most of the performances of these middle symphonies were recorded from 1995-1997, smack dab in the middle of the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra's symphonies project. The Nimbus engineers really figured out how to record in the HaydnSaal of Esterházy Palace during this time, and I must say, these are my favorite sounding symphonies thus far.

Ádám Fischer pretty much plays this volume of symphonies straight-forward too, so his later willfulness is kept to a discrete minimum.