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CHAPTER 13
1. What types of music were typically performed at an eighteenth-century concert? In what
ways did an eighteenth-century concert differ from a modern one?
The eighteenth-century concert was an eclectic affair, which could often draw upon symphonic
works, sacred vocal works, concertos, and instrumental solos in a single evening. Compared to
our modern understanding of a concert, in which a succession of instrumental works (sometimes
even by a single composer) are the sum of the performance, the contrast is striking.
2. How did the symphony originate? Who were some of its earliest composers, and where
were their symphonies performed? What was the role of the Mannheim orchestra?
The symphony was initially modeled after the Italian opera overture: Eventually, it evolved into
a kind of free-standing entertainment which could be appended to any function, operatic or not;
and finally, it became the pretext for such social functions rather than one of the subsidiary
diversions of one. The most important composers of early symphonic works were Giovanni
Battista Sammartini, whose works were performed in both Paris and his native Milan, and Johan
Wenzel Anton Stamitz, whose works were often performed by the ensemble which he led, the
Mannheim orchestra. Beyond performing these important early works, the Mannheim orchestra’s
great technical ability (it was composed primarily of virtuosi) helped to expand the techniques
and colors available to the symphonic composer.
3. Describe some stylistic and formal features of an early symphony, such as Sammartini’s
Sinfonia in G.
Sammartini’s Sinfonia in G is representative of many early symphonies. It is in three
movements, all of which share a binary form that hinges upon a move to dominant and return to
tonic. Its musical texture much resembles its Italian origins: homophonic, with a clearly defined
melodic voice, and a leisurely harmonic rhythm. This Sinfonia even includes double returns in its
movements, paired recapitulations of both the original melodic idea and the home key area. This
technique would eventually come to be one of the hallmarks of sonata form, a device expected
(if not achieved) in almost every symphonic work to come.
4. Describe the various types of musical symbolism Haydn used in his Symphony No. 45
(“Farewell”) to express his musicians’ wish to go home.
The most obvious such symbol is found in the manner in which the instrumental parts drop out
of the work’s finale—Haydn had instructed the performers at the work’s debut to stand up and
walk off stage when their part had reached its completion. Beyond this very overt dramatic
symbol, there are subtle clues to the musicians’ discontent as well. The work is in a key then
unique to symphonic works, F# minor, itself a kind of “red flag” which clues the listener to
hidden meanings. Its formal convolutions, and most notably its dreamy, off-tonic finale, point to
an urge to flee from the solitude of the Esterháza residence and take refuge in the more social
environment of Vienna.
5. Describe the main sections of a typical Haydn work in symphonic binary form. How does
Haydn’s use of this form differ from the form that was later defined as textbook “sonata
form”?
A typical Haydn work in symphonic binary form begins with an A section with themes in both
the tonic and dominant (this section being called the “exposition”), a B section which moves
through a variety of keys before settling upon the dominant again (the “development”), and a
return of A which does not modulate in its second appearance (the “recapitulation”). Haydn’s
most visible departure from textbook sonata form was his use of a single theme in the exposition,
a device he employed in Symphony No. 104 and countless others.
6. Compare and contrast Haydn’s Symphony No. 104 with Sammartini’s Sinfonia in G.
What stylistic and formal innovations stand out most clearly?
On many of the larger points, the two works coincide: Both make heavy use of binary form, both
have clear, limpid textures, and both employ the double return previously discussed. Haydn,
however, displays several innovations that are difficult to miss. Symphony No. 104 is in four
movements, for instance, to Sammartini’s three. Haydn’s conception of the binary form is also
much different from Sammartini’s: He treats it almost as if it were a ternary, granting the final
return of A a measure of autonomy and importance that Sammartini does not.
7. Discuss Haydn’s contributions to chamber music. Why did he describe his Op. 33 string
quartets as being written in “a new and special manner”?
Haydn contributed sixty-eight quartets of astonishing quality to the chamber repertoire, a bequest
which did much to solidify and enhance the genre as a whole.
The “new and special manner” which Haydn indicates may have been merely an attempt at
creating interest in these new, commercially available works; but just as likely it refers to the
textural differences evident in any comparison between Haydn’s symphonic and chamber works.
The chamber works have a greater emphasis on counterpoint than their symphonic counterparts:
They treat the individual voices as equal members of the ensemble, which lends the work a taut
inner cohesion not found elsewhere in his catalogue.
8. What circumstances led Haydn to write the oratorio The Creation? How does Haydn
represent chaos at the beginning of this work?
Haydn initially conceived of The Creation while living in England and working under the
patronage of George III. Impressed by the nationalistic endearment which the English heaped
upon English-language works by Handel, Haydn decided to similarly compose in the vernacular
for his native Austria. The result was The Creation, a work which, while originally written in
English, was quickly translated into German to satisfy Haydn’s desires.
Haydn depicts chaos in the introduction of The Creation through the use of deliberately obscure
harmonic motion: Haydn avoids beginning the work with a clear statement of tonic, preferring
instead a vacuous pair of Cs, divided by an octave, which continually bewilder the listener with
their harmonic waywardness.