Symphony No. 42 (Haydn)

The Symphony No. 42 in D major Joseph Haydn composed in 1771 during his tenure as Kapellmeister to Prince Nikolaus Esterházy.

General

The Symphony No. 42 Haydn composed in 1771 during his period of employment at Prince Nikolaus Esterházy. Known the work is by the deletion of three clocks in the second set with the remark Haydn "This was before even for learned ears ". Of importance also is the form of the fourth set for the development of the "Variation Rondos ".

About the Music

Instrumentation: two oboes, two horns; two violins, viola, cello, double bass. Bassoon and harpsichord were then commonly called in without separate listing in support of the bass, which consist on the participation of the harpsichord in the literature different opinions. - Only in the fourth movement Haydn writes in measure 21 " 2 bassoons " before and later added "o Cellos " to what in the copies of the work to confusion led ( for example, in the Viennese copy, which has only one bassoon voice, here the voice of the second bassoon assigned to the cello). Perhaps Haydn, added later in the 1773er catalog of Breitkopf & Härtel and also in the so-called " Kees catalog" listed trumpets and timpani, which are not listed in the autograph.

Performance time: approximately 25-30 minutes (depending on adherence to the prescribed repetitions)

When used herein the terms of sonata form is considered that this scheme was designed in the first half of the 19th century (see below) and can be transferred from there to restrictions on the Symphony No. 42. - Note that this description and structure of sentences is to be understood as a suggestion. Depending on your view, other accruals and interpretations are possible.

First movement: Moderato e maestoso

D major, 4/4-time ( alla breve ), 224 cycles

The set begins with a chord strike at Forte and a string response in the piano. This consists of two characteristic " scratch feet" ( proposal characters ) followed by a " polite bow ." The four-bar, some theater -like, but also march-like theme is repeated and completed with a run in the forte unison, but again picked up in bar 12 as Fort spin drying. Although already beginning in Forte, takes place here a further increase by increasing " acceleration" in the note values ​​(initially in the winds, then the violins ) and the ascending melodic line in measure 18 with the three-line D of the 1st violin its culmination achieved. This is four measures long, accented with syncopation and triplets, then gradually led downwards again in a rapid Unisonopassage with a circumference of two and a half octaves.

In bar 26 ff without caesura follows the second theme in the dominant piano in A major, which can be considered due to its motif -like character as " less lyrical Reconciliation thought" depending on the perspective. The core element is a two-bar motif with quaver figure and derivative action ( " polite bow " from the first theme derivable ) in half notes, which occurs displaced in the strings and two each two-measure " question-answer " - units.

From bar 34 the first violin repeats the eighth figure, while second violin and viola play an ascending line in whole notes. Haydn builds here again, with the omission of the bass voltage. The Forte - use from 41 clock with pendulum figure and runs down in the violins keeps the voltage initially, by emphasizing the double dominants E as sustained Liegeton in the horns and the ( high ) bass. The voltage then dissolves in the following alternating between E major and A major section that contains other smaller motifs: the bass a broken chord figure down on strings tremolo (bar 47-51), a descending motif in the violins with chromaticism (cycle 51 - 54) and an ascending, cantabile legato figure of the oboe ( by the strings in tremolo accompanied ) with final phrase (bars 55-65 ).

Shortly before the end of the exposition follows from bar 65 still a memorable, echo-like repeated " schnippisches ditty " the strings, answered by the melodious Tutti with voting leading oboes. Depending on one's perspective, this passage can be regarded as a third subject.

The implementation ( clock 82-132 ) begins surprisingly with the " scrape " in F sharp major - Forte, the movement subsided, however, and breaks in clock 88 with a general break including fermata completely. Then puts in a mock reprise the first theme in the tonic D major, followed by mysterious, foggy modulations that lead from G major to the remote C-sharp major and back ( clock 93-107 ). After further processing of the " scraped " and a chromatic passage with tremolo of the violins and characteristic jumps in the bass joins from bar 124 to the return line to the recapitulation.

In the recapitulation ( from bar 133) the horns and oboes are now involved in the first issue from the beginning, the oboes and vocal leader. After the repetition of the theme is followed by a " dreamy slide, as did Haydn exaggerate the initial bow to folly, until they finally somewhere stuck in the air and solidifies. " The derivative action figures of the "bow " then continued dialogue in the tutti and go in clock 160 in the second topic on which is widened compared to the exposure to 18 cycles. With the sudden change to forte and the addition Join the fan gets the portion enforcement, like features. The rest is similar recapitulation of exposure. The movement ends with a D -major fanfare in fortissimo ( clock 219 ff.) Exposure and development and recapitulation are repeated.

Ludwig Finscher speaks of a "dramatic excited " and "very clearly structured sonata ". After Howard Chandler Robbins Landon, the set has a total of influences of Italian opera. Robbins Landon evaluates the passage from bar 65 as the second theme and looks accordingly the section between its announcement by reaching the dominant in bar 26 and the entrance to clock 65 extends as much to Haydn allow yourself the "luxury of an insert of more than three dozen cycling ". The theme from bar 65 then have the position of a Cavalier subsequent incident, which could no longer be taken quite seriously. Peter Brown sees in the phrase a parody of the Italian opera overture, for example, with the sequence of the musical " clichés" the beginning of a sentence.

Second movement: Andantino e cantabile

A major, 3/8-time, 167 bars, Strings with dampers

The first theme with periodic structure has a very melodious, quiet character. It is argued by the strings with leading vote first violins, the whole sentence gets a foggy - shrouded timbre by the attenuation of the violins. The theme is repeated three times varies: in the tonic A major ( bar 9 ff ), in the dominant E major ( bar 17 ff ) and in the double dominant B major, the variation from time to time becomes stronger.

The second theme (rather: motif) follows - as in the first set - without a break from bar 34 It consists of a two-bar off to - moving from 1st violin and bass in the dialog, the second violin as " mumbling " figure accompanied. This is then taken up nachsatzartig by the first violin.

Then (cycle 40 ff ) ebbs the music more and more, until in clock 46/47 only the first violin remains pianissimo with repeated notes of H. Originally by Haydn here's another version intended with three additional cycles of the 1st violin ( in the first of these clocks with the phrase His - Cis - Dis - Cis ) This appeared to him in hindsight but probably as too daring: he emphasized the three bars with the remark "This was before even for learned ears " (analogous to then drop the three clocks after clock 143 in the recapitulation of ). Karl Geiringer, which removes the three measures as a " rejection of rationalism " and mark a new creative phase of Haydn, "in the composer's expression assumes a pronounced sensitive character and the literary " Sturm und Drang " comes close ".

" But to whom could now " have heard the learned ears, " if not to the princes themselves, which would Haydn cause for the removal of the phrase? ( ... ) Maybe it was the noble theme and its plain effect, the Haydn ultimately prevented them again to get over H according to His sharp major, so he with his remark " This was before even for learned ears " specify the measures in question simply pointed out. The place where he had provided this is given the " dying " first violin without this already conspicuous enough. "

The second theme is repeated in measure 49 and following again the participation of the oboe. The following is a passage with syncopation and chromaticism ( bar 55 ff ) as well as a crescendo to fortissimo in measure 64/65, to which the stereotyped -like end section with pounding bass joins in pianissimo on E and ends the exposure in bar 69.

The implementation ( clock 70-110 ) is almost always held in a minor key. It begins with the second theme in E minor, to turn to a brief outburst from the C Major - Forte for the first issue that, in B minor and F sharp minor is conducted by E Minor. "At the end of the section, it seems as seeking the music full of anxiety a way out of the dark region of the F sharp minor, up with the sudden return of the theme in A major, ie with the recapitulation of this solution is found - a game of great urgency. "

At the recapitulation (bars 115 ff ) are the use of the first theme in addition to the oboe for the first time in the set of the horns (sometimes with vocal leader, T. 118 ff ) involved. The antecedent of the theme is repeated, but fall off the first two repetitions. The rest of the recapitulation is similar to the exposure structured. Exposure and development and recapitulation are repeated.

Third set: Menuet. Allegretto

D major, 3/4-time, with Trio 80 cycles

The lively and cheerful minuet begins at Forte tutti with chords, and triplets, followed by a contrasting response in the piano, in which the first violin chromatic upward, the bass is chromatically performed down. In the second part ( bar 11 ff ) a hovered in triplets A major closes - scale upwards. After a short break and interrupted by pauses insertion of the opening figure ( chord strumming Triolenfloskel ) begins in bar 21 again to a passage in which the strings are performed in legato neighborhoods in contrary motion. About one in E major - the seventh revisiting the initial thought is reached in bar 29.

The trio is also in D major and is kept only for strings. It is characterized by the change from a " swaggering " Figure in pizzicato, which with a broken D major in the 1st violin - chord begins ( imitated by the second violin), and a vast legato section.

Fourth sentence: Scherzando e presto

D major, 2/4-cycle, 148 cycles

The form of the sentence is highlighted by several authors:

• "(...) But the finale is a hybrid combination of rondo, variation and thematic work, as she has written a second time Haydn. "
• " It is a " variation - rondo ", that form which Haydn later still knows how to use great and acclaimed by the audience of his time in many a symphony. Here, in Symphony No. 42, he does it for the first time. "

The block that holds according to its label " Scherzando e presto " some surprises can be roughly structured as follows:

• Introducing the main theme (Refrain ) in strings piano, clock 1-20. The theme is applied periodically and characterized by a continuous eighth notes in the violins. Antecedent and consequent are repeated in each case ( as in the further course of the movement ).
• Second couplet clock 21-36 for Winds and ( contra ) bass, piano.
• Variation 1 from the chorus clock 37-56: The violins play around the subject in sixteenths, piano.
• Second couplet clock 57-97: three -part structure: Part 1 in D minor with a characteristic opening motif and Forte response (first Forte in the sentence); Part 2 in F Major, from bar 82 repetition of the D minor - part but it stays with the opening motif in pianissimo "stuck".
• Variation 2 from the chorus clock 98-117: strings as in the beginning to wind accompaniment, piano.
• Coda clock 118 ff: The subject head is initially sequenced from the chorus down, but the music on an A Major remains - chord hanging again with fermata. The first " start " with the opening motif of the second couplet leads to a tremolo passage surprising to fallacy in B minor. Again Haydn can now look for the right key, the strings with the start motif. The second energetic start then success and ended with ascending sixteenth notes and tremolo the symphony.

There are similarities in this respect to the Rondo, as the topic (Refrain ) of intermediate passages ( couplets ) interrupted in the course of the movement is taken up again. On the other hand, the variation rate on trains, because the topic is not repeated in the same form, but varies.

References, notes

Web links, notes

• Recordings and information on Haydn's Symphony No. 42 by the project " Haydn 100 & 7 " of the Haydn Festival Eisenstadt
• Thread the Symphony No. 42 by Joseph Haydn
• Joseph Haydn: Symphony No.. 42 D major. Ernst Eulenburg Ltd. No. 568, London / Zurich undated ( pocket score, foreword by 1963)
• Joseph Haydn: Symphony no. 42 D major. Philharmonia Band # 742, Vienna without year. Series: Howard Chandler Robbins Landon (ed.): Critical Edition of the Complete Symphonies by Joseph Haydn.
• Symphony No. 42 by Joseph Haydn: notes and audio files in the International Music Score Library Project.