Symphony No. 1 (Haydn)
Encyclopedia
Joseph Haydn
's Symphony No. 1 in D major, Hoboken I/1, was written in 1759 in Dolní Lukavice
, while in the service of Count Morzin
. Though identified by Haydn himself as his first symphony
, scholars are not sure if it is indeed the very first symphony Haydn wrote, or if it's even the earliest he wrote of the ones that have survived to posterity. In contrast to the certainty that No. 1 was written in 1759, H. C. Robbins Landon
can't rule out either No. 2 or No. 4 (or both) could have been composed in 1757 or 1758.
Symphony No. 1 is scored for 2 oboe
s (or possibly flute
), bassoon
, 2 horn
s, strings and continuo. Like many of the earliest symphonies by Haydn and his contemporaries, it is in three movements:
The first movement opens with a Mannheim crescendo which is in contrast to the rest of the symphony, which is more Austrian in character.
The first movement has "frequent passages where" the viola
s are "used with some ingenuity and quite separately from the bass line."
Joseph Haydn
Franz Joseph Haydn , known as Joseph Haydn , was an Austrian composer, one of the most prolific and prominent composers of the Classical period. He is often called the "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet" because of his important contributions to these forms...
's Symphony No. 1 in D major, Hoboken I/1, was written in 1759 in Dolní Lukavice
Dolní Lukavice
Dolní Lukavice is a village and municipality in Plzeň-South District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic.The municipality covers an area of , and has a population of 815 ....
, while in the service of Count Morzin
Count Morzin
Count Morzin was an aristocrat of the Austrian Empire during the 18th century. He is remembered today as the first person to employ the composer Joseph Haydn as his Kapellmeister, or music director...
. Though identified by Haydn himself as his first symphony
Symphony
A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...
, scholars are not sure if it is indeed the very first symphony Haydn wrote, or if it's even the earliest he wrote of the ones that have survived to posterity. In contrast to the certainty that No. 1 was written in 1759, H. C. Robbins Landon
H. C. Robbins Landon
Howard Chandler Robbins Landon was an American musicologist.He was born in Boston, Massachusetts and studied music at Swarthmore College and Boston University. He subsequently moved to Europe where he worked as a music critic. From 1947 he undertook research in Vienna on Joseph Haydn, a composer...
can't rule out either No. 2 or No. 4 (or both) could have been composed in 1757 or 1758.
Symphony No. 1 is scored for 2 oboe
Oboe
The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
s (or possibly flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
), bassoon
Bassoon
The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band and chamber music literature...
, 2 horn
Horn (instrument)
The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
s, strings and continuo. Like many of the earliest symphonies by Haydn and his contemporaries, it is in three movements:
- Presto, 4/4
- Andante in G majorG majorG major is a major scale based on G, with the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has one sharp, F; in treble-clef key signatures, the sharp-symbol for F is usually placed on the first line from the top, though in some Baroque music it is placed on the first space from the bottom...
, 2/4 - Presto, 3/8
The first movement opens with a Mannheim crescendo which is in contrast to the rest of the symphony, which is more Austrian in character.
The first movement has "frequent passages where" the viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
s are "used with some ingenuity and quite separately from the bass line."