Chapter 45 - Joseph Haydn: Instrumental Music
During his stay at the Esterhazy court, Haydn composed primarily instrumental music: symphonies, string quartets, concertos, and keyboard sonatas O Esterhazy family: the richest and most influential among the German- speaking aristocrats of Hungary with vast estates southeast of Vienna. Baryton: a viola da gamba like instrument with six strings. Haydn wrote 126 trios for baryton, the instrument played by his patron Nikolaus Esterhazy.
In the 1770s. Haydn increasingly turned his attention to opera, performed in the opera house of the Esterhazy's new massive court complex called Esterhaza.
Symphonies : Haydn wrote 108 symphonies. While his first symphonies were in three movements, by the time he arrived at the Esterhazy court his norm became a four movement form: fast/slow/minuet and trio/fast. O Minuet: triple meter dance in rounded binary O Trio: rounded binary movement
"Farewell" Symphony: Haydn's symphony No. 45, one of several later symphonies informed by extra-musical phenomena. The title "farewell" derives from the anecdote according to which musicians were instructed to leave the stage, one of
String Quartets : If Haydn was a principal figure in the development of the symphony, he was indispensable for the string quartet, which he invented single-handedly. His set of six quartets Opus 20 (1772) was a landmark for the genre, featuring O An approximately equal-voiced texture, instead of the bottom-heavy Baroque trio texture O A more serious and learned tone and a four movement structure, instead of the lighter five movement divertimento of the 1750s. Scherzo: it replaces the movement entitled "minuet" for the first time in Haydn's set of six string quartets Opus 33. It is called "scherzo" ("joke") for its playful tone, as Haydn often placed the downbeat of the dance out of the
Chapter 46 - Joseph Haydn: Late Symphonies and Vocal Music
In 1779 Haydn signed a new contract with Nikolaus Esterhazy which freed the composer from his prior obligation to compose solely for the prince. Consequently, he began to sell his music to publishers in major European cities Alongside handsome fees, his growing fame brought him remunerative commissions.
The Paris Symphonies :The set of six symphonies by Haydn (Nos. 82-87) was commissioned in 1785 by the amateur orchestra of the Loge Olympique, a Freemason society in Paris. Perhaps because this Parisian ensemble was three times the size that of the Esterhazy's orchestra, the Paris Symphonies are characterized by dramatic orchestral effects, such as stark contrasts in dynamics and textures.
The London Symphonies : In 1791, the year following the death of his long-time patron Nikolaus Esterhazy, Haydn was engaged to compose a set of twelve symphonies, now called the London Symphonies, to be performed in London. He did so between the years 1791 and 1795. Thanks to his activities in London, Haydn achieved financial security for life. "Surprise" Symphony (No. 94): one of Haydn's most popular London Symphonies, it was premiered in 1792. Both the name and fame of the symphony come from its second movement, designed-according to Haydn himself-"to