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Symphony No. 103 (Haydn)

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The King's Theatre in London, where the "Drumroll Symphony" was premiered. The image dates from 1808.

Symphony No. 103 in E♭ major (H. 1/103) was composed in 1795 by Joseph Haydn. It is nicknamed the Drumroll Symphony after the long roll on the timpani with which it begins. The symphony is the eleventh of Haydn's twelve London symphonies and the second to last that he composed.

Composition and premiere

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The symphony was the eleventh of twelve that were composed for performance in England during Haydn's two journeys there (1791–1792, 1794–1795), arranged and organized by the impresario Johann Peter Salomon. Haydn's music was well known in England well before the composer traveled there, and members of the British musical public had long expressed the wish that Haydn would visit. The composer's reception in England was in fact very enthusiastic, and the English visits were one of the most fruitful and happy periods of the composer's life. Haydn composed the "Drumroll" Symphony while living in London during the winter of 1794–1795.

It was premiered on March 2, 1795 as part of a concert series called the "Opera Concerts" at the King's Theatre. The orchestra was unusually large for the time, consisting of about 60 players. The task of directing the work was divided between the concertmaster, the violinist Giovanni Battista Viotti, and Haydn, who sat at the fortepiano. The premiere was evidently a success, and The Morning Chronicle's reviewer wrote:

Another new Overture [i.e., symphony], by the fertile and enchanting Haydn, was performed; which, as usual, had continual strokes of genius, both in air and harmony. The Introduction excited deepest attention, the Allegro charmed, the Andante was encored, the Minuets, especially the trio, were playful and sweet, and the last movement was equal, if not superior to the preceding.[1]

The Sun wrote:

HAYDN's new Overture was much applauded. It is a fine mixture of grandeur and fancy... the second movement was encored.[2]

Haydn later performed the work in Vienna, and for this purpose made a small cut in the final movement, which is usually respected by conductors today.

Since its premiere, the "Drumroll" Symphony has been a favorite among Haydn's symphonies, performed even during the long drought of esteem Haydn's work suffered during the 19th century.[3] In 1831, Richard Wagner arranged the work for piano.[4] The work is frequently performed and recorded today.

The symphony takes about 30 minutes to perform.

Scoring

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The work is scored for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, and strings.

Movements

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The work is in standard four-movement form.

I. Adagio – Allegro con spirito

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After the opening drum roll, the bass instruments play a somber opening theme:

As commentators have pointed out,[5] the first four notes of which match the Dies Irae chant, part of the Latin mass for the dead:

H. C. Robbins Landon has remarked that at the start the theme is ambiguous between duple and triple time[6] and between the keys of C minor and (what ultimately proves the case) E♭ major.[citation needed]

The sprightly Allegro con spirito that follows this introduction is in sonata form and 6
8 time, beginning with this theme:

\relative a { \key ees \major \time 6/8 \tempo "Allegro con spirito" \tempo 4 = 130 \partial 4. g''8\staccato\p g\staccato aes (g\staccato) g\staccato f (ees) ees16 d ees g bes8\staccato bes\staccato r c\staccato c\staccato des (c\staccato) c\staccato aes (g) g16 bes aes f ees8\staccato ees\staccato r }

In a number of places, it restates the theme of the introduction in much faster tempo.[7] Richard Wigmore describes these appearances:

Haydn proceeds to integrate the introduction systematically into the 6/8 Allegro con spirito. A fragment of the Dies Irae theme flits by, speeded up and transmuted into a blithe dance, just before the Ländler-ish second subject. At the heart of the development, after a grand pause, it makes a more theatrical appearance in its original deep bass register, like a spectre at a feast.[8]

Yet another quotation of the introduction appears, this time at the original tempo, in the coda section. Wigmore writes, "Near the end of the movement, a series of seismic orchestral shocks heralds another dramatic pause and a return of the lugubrious introduction, complete with drumroll, in its original Adagio tempo."[9] The formal procedure of quoting the slow introduction in the coda section had been previously employed by Mozart in his String Quintet K. 593 (1790). When the latter work was new, Haydn learned about it by playing it, along with Mozart and other friends, at a social gathering in Vienna in December 1790.[10] The same procedure was soon to be adopted by Haydn's former pupil Beethoven, who quoted the slow introduction in the coda of the opening movement of his "Pathétique" piano sonata, published four years after the "Drumroll" Symphony in 1799.

II. Andante più tosto allegretto

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In double variation form, with alternating themes in C minor and C major.

First, minor theme:

\relative a { \key c \minor \time 2/4 \tempo "Andante piu tosto allegretto" \tempo 4 = 60 \partial 8 g8 c4 (ees8) fis g\staccato d\staccato b\staccato g\staccato c8. (d16 ees8) fis g16. (fis32) a16. (fis32) g8\staccato g,8 c4 (e8) f bes16. (fis32) g16. (d32) ees8\staccato r8 c'16. (g32) aes16. (e32) f8\staccato bes\staccato ees,4 r4 }

Second, major theme:

\relative a { \key c \major \time 2/4 \tempo "" \tempo 4 = 60 \partial 8 g8 c8. (d16 e8) fis g8. (a16 g8) f\staccato e\staccato e\staccato d\staccato d\staccato c8.\fz\trill (b32 c32) g8 g8 c8. (d16) e8 fis g8. (a16 g8) gis\staccato a\staccato a\staccato fis\staccato fis\staccato g8.\fz\trill (fis32 g) g,8 }

The pattern of the movement is: (a) minor theme, (b) major theme, (c) first variation on the minor theme (woodwinds), (d) first variation on the major theme (for violin solo), (e) second variation on the minor theme (trumpets and drums), (f) second variation on the major theme (ditto), (g) a long coda section, based on the major theme.

The double variations had been a favorite musical form of the composer for about 20 years. Along with the Piano Trio H. XV:23 from the same year, this was the last set he wrote. The themes are said to have been developed by Haydn from Croatian folk songs he knew – for discussion, see Haydn and folk music.

III. Menuetto

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\relative a { \key ees \major \time 3/4 \tempo "Menuetto" \tempo 4 = 145 \partial 4 bes'4 \acciaccatura { c16 bes a }bes4\sf (ees) ees\staccato ees16\sf (f,8.) f8\staccato r f4\staccato \acciaccatura { g16 f e } f4 (bes) bes\staccato bes16\sf (ees,8.) ees8\staccato r8 g'4\staccato \acciaccatura { f16 g } aes2\sf g4\staccato f16 (aes) r8 aes16 (c) r8 d,16 (f) r8 ees8 r aes r g r f16\sf (bes,8.) bes8\staccato r r4 }

The minuet is in the home key of E♭ major. Charles Rosen, in The Classical Style, chose this minuet to illustrate the point that Classical-era minuets often have very strong first beats, in contrast to the more flowing rhythm of the Baroque minuet.[11]

IV. Finale: Allegro con spirito

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The finale is in fast tempo, has a monothematic exposition, and is in sonata rondo form. Like the first movement, it begins with a quasi-ritual gesture – in this case, a horn call:

The horn call is followed by a pause, then repeated as accompaniment to the main theme, and indeed echoed throughout the movement.

Like the themes of the second movement, the opening melody was claimed by Franjo Kuhač to be taken by Haydn from Croatian folk song, in this case a tune called "Divojčica potok gazi" ("A little girl treads on a brook").[12]

Rather unusually for Haydn,[13] he altered the fourth movement after it was completed, removing 13 bars fairly close to the end. The original autograph score preserves this music; it modulates to the key of B major and includes a two-measure rest; with the dynamic markings p and pp.[14] Robbins Landon suggests that Haydn removed the passage because it "would hold up the course of the movement."[15] The symphony is occasionally performed with the deleted passage included; e.g. in recorded versions by Antal Doráti and Frans Brüggen.

Critical notes

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The finale has attracted particular admiration from critics, in building a large and compelling movement from very small ingredients, particularly the opening horn call and the first four notes of the main theme. Herbert Glass writes:

The Finale is a marvel of energy and concision, its main theme an example (the most famous of which, although clearly not the first, is the opening of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony) of what a composer of genius can accomplish with only four notes. Haydn, however, delays his main theme with a startling horn call, which then engages in a contrapuntal tussle with the main theme. That four-note motif is subsequently heard in numerous guises until it is ultimately combined with the horn call - now stated by all the brass and woodwinds - in a riotously brilliant, galloping conclusion.[16]

Robbins Landon notes that this finale is one of the longest in the London Symphonies. He calls it "one of the great tours-de-force, formally speaking, of Haydn's career: the creation of a long movement on a single theme in which our interest never flags; on the contrary, it is a Finale of unusual tension and strength."[17]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Quoted from Robbins Landon (1976, 295)
  2. ^ Robbins Landon (1976, 296)
  3. ^ Proksch 2014
  4. ^ Deathridge J., Geck M. and Voss E. (1986). Wagner Werk-Verzeichnis (WWV): Verzeichnis der musikalischen Werke Richard Wagners und ihrer Quellen ("Catalogue of Wagner's Works: Catalogue of Musical Compositions by Richard Wagner and Their Sources"). Mainz, London, & New York: Schott Musik International. pp. 76 – 77
  5. ^ Among them: Schroeder 1985, 71
  6. ^ Robbins Landon 1976, 595
  7. ^ Schroeder 1985, 71
  8. ^ Wigmore (2009:154)
  9. ^ Wigmore (2009:154)
  10. ^ Wigmore (2009:154)
  11. ^ Rosen, Charles. "The Classical Style: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven". p. 90. New York: Norton, 1997.
  12. ^ Robbins Landon (1976:602); for the tune see Robbins Landon or online.
  13. ^ Robbins Landon (1976:602)
  14. ^ The deleted passage is printed in Robbins Landon (1976:603–604).
  15. ^ Robbins Landon (1976:602)
  16. ^ In program notes for a performance by the Los Angeles Philharmonic; [1]
  17. ^ Robbins Landon (1976:602–603)

References

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  • Robbins Landon, H. C. (1976) Haydn: Chronicle and Works, Indiana University Press, Bloomington.
  • Rosen, Charles (1971, 2nd ed. 1997) The Classical Style. New York: Norton.
  • Schroeder, David P. (1985) "Audience Reception and Haydn's London Symphonies," International Review of the Aesthetics and Sociology of Music, Vol. 16, No. 1, pp. 57–72.
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