Download FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN Sonata No. 62 in E

FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN Sonata No. 62 in E-­‐flat major, Hob. XVI:52 Allegro Adagio Finale–Presto Born: March 31, 1732, in Rohrau, Austria Died: May 31, 1809, in Vienna Work composed: 1794–95 World premiere: 1795, in London, Therese Jansen performing Long-­‐lived Franz Joseph Haydn may not have actually “fathered” the symphony and string quartet, but through diligence and genius he polished and bequeathed finished models of both genres for succeeding generations of composers. He wrote imaginatively in all the instrumental and vocal forms of his day, including opera, which he abandoned because he felt that Mozart was clearly the master of the genre. Haydn also wrote extensively for the rapidly changing piano, creating more than four-­‐dozen sonatas that reveal the same degree of variety and innovation one finds when surveying his 100-­‐plus symphonies and more than 80 string quartets. In 1794 and 1795 Haydn wrote three sonatas for Therese Jansen, a highly regarded pianist and student of the pianist/composer Muzio Clementi. No. 62 in E-­‐flat major, Hob. XVI:52, was the third of the set and Haydn’s final sonata to boot; it is a large-­‐scale essay considered by many commentators as the greatest of his keyboard works. The Allegro asserts its drama and ample proportions with a rippling bold forte chord that launches the movement with imposing power. As the opening thematic group unfolds one hears dotted (long–short) figures that impart the flavor of a Baroque “French” overture, reminding us that Haydn grew up while Bach and Handel were plying their trade. Emphatic rhythms and jabbing sforzando-­‐like interjections suggest connections with Haydn’s erstwhile student, the young and impatient Beethoven, who despite occasional jabs at his mentor obviously learned a lot from the older composer. The profusion of unexpected harmonic departures from the tonic key adds a sense of bold exploration to the music, once again reminding us of Beethoven waiting impatiently in the wings. Even more unusual, the ensuing Adagio is cast in remote E major, harmonically at odds with the E-­‐flat tonality of the first and third movements. Yet Haydn had already made a brief detour into E major during the Allegro, perhaps hinting at its use in the Adagio. Haydn composed the sonata for performance on the larger pianos created by makers in England, further enhancing dynamic range and timbral richness. By and large, the music proceeds in sequences of dotted passages alternating with scales and repeated single notes. Emotions range from introspective murmurings to sudden dramatic outbursts. A return to E-­‐flat informs the concluding Finale–Presto, a movement that celebrates Haydn’s considerable musical wit, recalling the legendary conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler’s observation that “…the joys of life are captured in handfuls in Haydn’s music.” Vivacious, energetic and requiring a fine technique, the Finale supports contemporary reports of Mlle. Jansen’s fluency. Note that the movement opens with five repeated G naturals that serve to erase the lingering G-­‐
sharp of the final E-­‐major chord that closes the Adagio. The repeated notes recur frequently, imparting a heady élan, another anticipation of Beethoven.