Symphony No. 78 (Haydn)
Encyclopedia
The Symphony No. 78 in C minor
, Hoboken 1/78, is a symphony
by Joseph Haydn
in 1782
, almost a decade before Haydn composed the first of his famous London symphonies
, he composed a trio of symphonies – 76
, 77
and 78 – for a trip to London which fell through. Haydn wrote the following to his Paris music publisher Boyer on July 15, 1783:
It is not known how much Haydn knew of the tastes of English audiences, but the three symphonies do possess a polish and style typical of London composers such as Johann Christian Bach
and Carl Friedrich Abel. As noted in the letter, the winds have very few measures where they do not support the strings: they are used primarily to add color.
, two oboe
s, two bassoon
s, two horns
and strings
.
The galant character that Haydn used for the previous two symphonies for London is still present in the inner two movements, but Sturm und Drang
rules the outer two.
The first movement defines C minor
in the first bar, but then destabilizes it with awkward leaps at odd intervals:
of 1786, which employs a variant of the opening statement of Haydn's symphony.
C minor
C minor is a minor scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. The harmonic minor raises the B to B. Changes needed for the melodic and harmonic versions of the scale are written in with naturals and accidentals as necessary.Its key signature consists of three flats...
, Hoboken 1/78, is a 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...
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...
in 1782
1782 in music
- Events :*March 17 – Violinist Giovanni Battista Viotti makes a début at the Concert Spirituel in Paris.* August 4 – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart marries Constanze Weber.* William Shield is appointed resident composer to Covent Garden....
Early set of symphonies for London
In 17821782 in music
- Events :*March 17 – Violinist Giovanni Battista Viotti makes a début at the Concert Spirituel in Paris.* August 4 – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart marries Constanze Weber.* William Shield is appointed resident composer to Covent Garden....
, almost a decade before Haydn composed the first of his famous London symphonies
London symphonies
The London symphonies, sometimes called the Salomon symphonies after the man who introduced London to Joseph Haydn, were composed by Joseph Haydn between 1791 and 1795...
, he composed a trio of symphonies – 76
Symphony No. 76 (Haydn)
The Symphony No. 76 in E-flat major is a symphony by Joseph Haydn in 1782.-Early set of symphonies for London:In 1782, almost a decade before Haydn composed the first of his famous London symphonies, he composed a trio of symphonies – 76, 77 and 78 – for a trip to London which fell...
, 77
Symphony No. 77 (Haydn)
The Symphony No. 77 in B flat major, Hoboken 1/77, is a symphony by Joseph Haydn in 1782. The finale movement here is by most agreed to be the Haydn's first use of the sonata rondo form.-Early set of symphonies for London:...
and 78 – for a trip to London which fell through. Haydn wrote the following to his Paris music publisher Boyer on July 15, 1783:
Last year I composed 3 beautiful, magnificent and by no means over-lengthy Symphonies, scored for 2 violins, viola, basso, 2 horns, 2 oboes, 1 flute and 1 bassoon – but they are all very easy, and without too much concertante – for the English gentlemen, and I intended to bring them over myself and produce them there: but a certain circumstance hindered that plan, and so I am willing to hand over these 3 Symphonies.
It is not known how much Haydn knew of the tastes of English audiences, but the three symphonies do possess a polish and style typical of London composers such as Johann Christian Bach
Johann Christian Bach
Johann Christian Bach was a composer of the Classical era, the eleventh and youngest son of Johann Sebastian Bach. He is sometimes referred to as 'the London Bach' or 'the English Bach', due to his time spent living in the British capital...
and Carl Friedrich Abel. As noted in the letter, the winds have very few measures where they do not support the strings: they are used primarily to add color.
Movements
The symphony is scored for 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 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, two 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...
s, 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 ....
and 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...
.
- Vivace, 3/4
- Adagio
- MenuettoMinuetA 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: Allegretto, 3/4 - Finale: Presto, 2/4
The galant character that Haydn used for the previous two symphonies for London is still present in the inner two movements, but 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...
rules the outer two.
The first movement defines C minor
C minor
C minor is a minor scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. The harmonic minor raises the B to B. Changes needed for the melodic and harmonic versions of the scale are written in with naturals and accidentals as necessary.Its key signature consists of three flats...
in the first bar, but then destabilizes it with awkward leaps at odd intervals:
Influence
This symphony served as one of the models for Mozart's Piano Concerto in C minorPiano Concerto No. 24 (Mozart)
The Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K. 491 is a concertante work for piano, or pianoforte, and orchestra by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart composed the concerto in the winter of 1785–1786 and completed the work on 24 March 1786...
of 1786, which employs a variant of the opening statement of Haydn's symphony.