Symphony No. 34 (Haydn)
Encyclopedia
The Symphony No. 34 in D minor
(Hoboken 1/34) was written by Joseph Haydn
. It was written in 1765 shortly before Haydn's Sturm und Drang
period.
s, bassoon
, two horns
, strings
and continuo
.
which reads: questa Sinfonia (i.e. 49) serve di Compagna a quella / del Philosopho Inglese dell' istesso autore. (This symphony serves as a companion to the "English Philosopher" by the same author.)
The English Philosopher or II filosofo inglese, was a play written in 1754 by Carlo Goldoni
. It was performed at Vienna's Karntnerthortheater in December 1764 in German translation under the title Die Philosophinnen, oder Hannswurst, der Cavalier in London zu seinen Unglücke, and featured two mock-Quakers as characters. The provenance of Symphony no. 49 is likely also to have originated as a theatrical piece for a German translation of Nicolas Chamfort
's popular play La jeune indienne which also featured overly solemn Quakers for comedic purposes.
This symphony is the only one that shares exactly the same movement plan as Symphony No. 49, namely an extended sonata-form opening Adagio in 3/4 time; an Allegro di molto with a wide-leap principal theme; a Minuet and a Presto finale. The symphony is homotonal
(i.e. all movements are in the same tonic), following the custom associated with the sonata di chiesa. The thematic similarity in musical style combined with the conjuncture of character portrayals in both Chamfort's and Goldoni's works suggests a deliberate use of musical themes to portray theatrical elements common to both. Further, the jig motif of the finale was associated with an English style.
follow the what was by then archaic Sonata da chiesa
pattern: slow-quick-slow (minuet)-quick.
Only the slow first movement — which is almost as long as the other three movements combined — is in D minor, the rest of the symphony is in sunny D major
. Because of this, the piece is sometimes denoted with two key signatures (i.e. D minor/D major). Since all of the movements have the same tonic, the work is homotonal
.
D minor
D minor is a minor scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. In the harmonic minor, the C is raised to C. Its key signature has one flat ....
(Hoboken 1/34) was written by Joseph Haydn
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...
. It was written in 1765 shortly before Haydn's Sturm und Drang
Sturm und Drang
Sturm und Drang is a proto-Romantic movement in German literature and music taking place from the late 1760s through the early 1780s, in which individual subjectivity and, in particular, extremes of emotion were given free expression in reaction to the perceived constraints of rationalism...
period.
Scoring
The scoring of the symphony is typical of Haydn in this period: two oboeOboe
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, 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...
, two 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 ....
, strings
String instrument
A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
and continuo
Figured bass
Figured bass, or thoroughbass, is a kind of integer musical notation used to indicate intervals, chords, and non-chord tones, in relation to a bass note...
.
Theatrical origins
It is possible that this symphony is the one referred to in an inscription accompanying Haydn's Symphony No. 49 (La passione)Symphony No. 49 (Haydn)
The Symphony No. 49 in F minor was written in 1768 by Joseph Haydn during his Sturm und Drang period. It is popularly known as La passione...
which reads: questa Sinfonia (i.e. 49) serve di Compagna a quella / del Philosopho Inglese dell' istesso autore. (This symphony serves as a companion to the "English Philosopher" by the same author.)
The English Philosopher or II filosofo inglese, was a play written in 1754 by Carlo Goldoni
Carlo Goldoni
Carlo Osvaldo Goldoni was an Italian playwright and librettist from the Republic of Venice. His works include some of Italy's most famous and best-loved plays. Audiences have admired the plays of Goldoni for their ingenious mix of wit and honesty...
. It was performed at Vienna's Karntnerthortheater in December 1764 in German translation under the title Die Philosophinnen, oder Hannswurst, der Cavalier in London zu seinen Unglücke, and featured two mock-Quakers as characters. The provenance of Symphony no. 49 is likely also to have originated as a theatrical piece for a German translation of Nicolas Chamfort
Nicolas Chamfort
Nicolas Chamfort was a French writer, best known for his witty epigrams and aphorisms. He was secretary of Louis XVI's sister, and of the Jacobin club.-Life:...
's popular play La jeune indienne which also featured overly solemn Quakers for comedic purposes.
This symphony is the only one that shares exactly the same movement plan as Symphony No. 49, namely an extended sonata-form opening Adagio in 3/4 time; an Allegro di molto with a wide-leap principal theme; a Minuet and a Presto finale. The symphony is homotonal
Homotonal
Homotonal is a technical musical term pertaining to the tonal structure of multi-movement compositions. It was introduced into musicology by Hans Keller...
(i.e. all movements are in the same tonic), following the custom associated with the sonata di chiesa. The thematic similarity in musical style combined with the conjuncture of character portrayals in both Chamfort's and Goldoni's works suggests a deliberate use of musical themes to portray theatrical elements common to both. Further, the jig motif of the finale was associated with an English style.
Movements
The four movementsMovement (music)
A movement is a self-contained part of a musical composition or musical form. While individual or selected movements from a composition are sometimes performed separately, a performance of the complete work requires all the movements to be performed in succession...
follow the what was by then archaic Sonata da chiesa
Sonata da chiesa
Sonata da chiesa is an instrumental composition dating from the Baroque period, generally consisting of four movements. More than one melody was often used, and the movements were ordered slow–fast–slow–fast with respect to tempo...
pattern: slow-quick-slow (minuet)-quick.
- Adagio, 3/4
- Allegro, 4/4
- Menuet - TrioTrio (music)Trio is generally used in any of the following ways:* A group of three musicians playing the same or different musical instrument.* The performance of a piece of music by three people.* The contrasting section of a piece in ternary form...
, 3/4 - Presto assai, 2/4
Only the slow first movement — which is almost as long as the other three movements combined — is in D minor, the rest of the symphony is in sunny D major
D major
D major is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature consists of two sharps. Its relative minor is B minor and its parallel minor is D minor....
. Because of this, the piece is sometimes denoted with two key signatures (i.e. D minor/D major). Since all of the movements have the same tonic, the work is homotonal
Homotonal
Homotonal is a technical musical term pertaining to the tonal structure of multi-movement compositions. It was introduced into musicology by Hans Keller...
.