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Symphony No. 31 (Haydn)
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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. 31 in D major was composed in 1765 for Haydn's patron Nikolaus Esterházy
Nikolaus Esterházy
Nikolaus Esterházy was a Hungarian prince, a member of the famous Esterházy family. His building of palaces, extravagant clothing, and taste for opera and other grand musical productions led to his being given the title "the Magnificent"...
. It is nicknamed the "Hornsignal" symphony, because it gives a prominent role to an unusually large 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 ....
section, i.e. four players. Probably because of its prominent obbligato writing for the horns, in Paris, the publisher Sieber published this symphony as a "symphonie concertante" around 1785.
Background
The backdrop of this and other early Haydn symphonies was a patron who loved music and wanted his household music to be performed by top musicians -- but whose budget did not accommodate anything like the orchestras of the size seen in modern times. Personnel fluctuated, and thus also the forces Haydn had available to work with. Haydn himself sought to retain the best instrumentalists, and he did so in part by writing interesting and challenging solos for them in his early symphonies.Prince Nikolaus's had included a large horn section (four players) earlier in the 1760s, but one horn player, Franz Reiner, left in 1763 and was not replaced. A further loss is reported in the a letter by Haydn dated 23 January 1765 (the earliest preserved letter of the composer). This informs the Prince the death of a horn player named Knoblauch. Haydn suggested a replacement, but his suggestion was not accepted. The same letter serves an illustration of Haydn's role as lobbyist for his men (see Papa Haydn
Papa Haydn
The composer Joseph Haydn is sometimes given the nickname "Papa" Haydn. The practice began in the composer's lifetime, and has continued to some extent to the present day.-"Papa" as a term of affection:...
): he requests that the Prince provide a fringe benefit for the musicians by covering the cost of their medications. This too was (temporarily) turned down..
Prince Nikolaus brought the horn section back to full strength in May 1765, when hornists Franz Stamitz and Joseph Dietzl were engaged to fill the missing places. The "Hornsignal" Symphony evidently was written to celebrate this event. (Other four-horn symphonies from roughly the same time are #13
Symphony No. 13 (Haydn)
Joseph Haydn's Symphony No. 13 in D major was written in 1763 for the orchestra of Haydn's patron, Prince Nikolaus Esterházy, in Eisenstadt.The work can be precisely dated thanks to a dated score in Haydn's own hand in the National Library of Budapest. Two other Haydn symphonies are known to have...
, #39
Symphony No. 39 (Haydn)
The Symphony No. 39 is a symphony in G minor by Joseph Haydn in 1767 or 1768. It is the earliest of Haydn's minor key symphonies associated with his Sturm und Drang period works . The work was influential and inspired later G minor symphonies by Johann Baptist Vanhal, Johann Christian Bach and...
, and the misnumbered #72
Symphony No. 72 (Haydn)
The Symphony No. 72 in D major is a symphony by Joseph Haydn. The symphony was probably composed between 1763 and 1765. The date of this composition is earlier than its number suggests...
.)
The exact date of the symphony is not known, other than the year. However, the symphony must have been premiered no earlier than May (since that is when Stamitz and Dietzl arrived) and before September 13, 1765. The latter date is known since the symphony includes a flute part, and the flautist (Franz Siegl) was dismissed on this date for having carelessly started a fire while shooting birds; it was only the following year that Haydn was able to persuade his patron to reinstate Siegl.
Premiere
The premiere performance would have taken place in the hall of one of Prince Esterházy's palaces, probably in the family seat at EisenstadtSchloss Esterházy
----The Schloss Esterházy is a palace in Eisenstadt, Austria, the capital of the Burgenland state. It was constructed in the late 13th century, and came under ownership of the Hungarian Esterházy family in 1622...
. The orchestra was very small, with perhaps three each for first and second violins, one violist, one cellist, and one bass player; but in compensation the hall would have been quite reverberant--the basis of a sonically impressive effect when the (not entirely refined, valveless
Natural horn
The natural horn is a musical instrument that is the ancestor of the modern-day horn, and is differentiated by its lack of valves. It consists of a mouthpiece, some long coiled tubing, and a large flared bell. Pitch changes are made through a few different techniques:* Modulating the lip tension as...
) horns of the day were played in a group of four.
Haydn himself probably would have been one of the first violinists, leading the orchestra with his instrument.. According to Webster, "the audience would have consisted of the prince and his guests only and very often Haydn's orchestra of fifteen or so players would have outnumbered the listeners."
Movements
The work is scored for one fluteFlute
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...
, two oboes, four horns
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 ....
, and strings
String section
The string section is the largest body of the standard orchestra and consists of bowed string instruments of the violin family.It normally comprises five sections: the first violins, the second violins, the violas, the cellos, and the double basses...
. Modern performances, even by authentic performance ensembles, usually opt for a larger string section than was available for the premiere.
The symphony is in four movements, marked as follows:
- Allegro, 3/4
- Adagio, 6/8
- MenuetMinuetA minuet, also spelled menuet, is a social dance of French origin for two people, usually in 3/4 time. The word was adapted from Italian minuetto and French menuet, and may have been from French menu meaning slender, small, referring to the very small steps, or from the early 17th-century popular...
- Trio, 3/4 - Finale: Moderato molto, 2/4
It is the first movement that shows off the horn section most dramatically, although not with the hunting calls he would later be known for in The Seasons
The Seasons (Haydn)
The Seasons is an oratorio by Joseph Haydn .-Composition, premiere, and reception:Haydn was led to write The Seasons by the great success of his previous oratorio The Creation , which had become very popular and was in the course of being performed all over Europe...
or La chasse
Symphony No. 73 (Haydn)
The Symphony No. 73 in D major, Hoboken 1/73, is a symphony by Joseph Haydn composed in 1782. It is often known by the subtitle La chasse .-Nickname :...
. Here, Haydn begins with a military fanfare including all four horns:
This is followed immediately by a solo horn playing a posthorn signal. The recapitulation at first omits the fanfare, beginning with posthorn signal, but the fanfare returns in the codas of both the first and last movements.
The slow movement has a siciliano rhythm and feel with solo passages for violin and cello against pizzicato bass accompaniment. Full orchestration (including all four horns) is retained for tutti passages, recalling the style of a concerto grosso
Concerto grosso
The concerto grosso is a form of baroque music in which the musical material is passed between a small group of soloists and full orchestra...
.
The finale is a theme with seven variations. The variations here and in No. 72
Symphony No. 72 (Haydn)
The Symphony No. 72 in D major is a symphony by Joseph Haydn. The symphony was probably composed between 1763 and 1765. The date of this composition is earlier than its number suggests...
are the first to appear in the Haydn symphonies. Most of the variations are written to show off a particular instrument or section of the orchestra, in the following order: oboes, cello, flute, horns, solo violin, tutti (all players), and double bass. There is a final coda
Coda (music)
Coda is a term used in music in a number of different senses, primarily to designate a passage that brings a piece to an end. Technically, it is an expanded cadence...
, marked Presto, whose final notes repeat the horn fanfare of the opening movement of symphony.