Haydn

and the Symphony

Dr. Lara Housez
School of the Arts
McMaster University

Content
What is a symphony?
Background to Symphony No. 102 in B-Glat
Major
Haydn in London
Symphony No. 102, 3rd movement
Symphony No. 102, 4th movement

The Symphony
a genre that began in the Classical era
an extended orchestral piece
usually in 3 or 4 movements

Typical formal structure of a

symphony
1st: fast tempo, sonata form
2nd: slow tempo, contrasting key, sonata
form, theme and variations, or ternary form
3rd: m
inuet
a
nd
t
rio,
a

l
ively
d
ance
f
orm
i
n
either minuet form or trio form
triple meter, ternary form
4th: fast and lighter than 1st movement,
sonata form or rondo

The Classical Orchestra

Now called a chamber orchestra
Strings: 8-10 Girst violins, 6-8 second
violins, 4-6 violas, 3-4 cellos, and 2 double
basses
Winds: 2 Glutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2
bassoons, 2 trumpets, 2 French horns
Percussion: timpani (kettle drums)
A wide variety of timbres available by using
different combinations of these instruments

 Most performances of Haydns late

symphonies dispense with the basso
continuo because the instruments produce
a sufGiciently full sound without it
What is basso continuo? A small ensemble,
widely used in music of the Baroque, that plays
throughout a work and provides an underlying
bass line and harmonies. It consists of 2
instruments: 1 that can sustain long notes
(cello, bassoon), and 1 that can play chords
(lute, harpsichord)

Background to Symphony No. 102

Composed for a concert series in London in
1795, during Haydns 2nd visit to England
One of Haydns 12 London symphonies
(1791-1795)
Written in the aftermath of the French
Revolution (1789)
3 goals of the revolution: liberty, equality, and
fraternity
Some heard this symphony, with its diverse
collection of instruments, all working together to
produce a beautiful sound, as a mirroring of these
ideals

Haydn in London
London audiences embraced Haydn and his
music; he was immensely popular

rd
Symphony No. 102, 3 mvt.
Overall form: Minuet and Trio, which unfolds in an
ABA (ternary) structure
A minuet is a lively dance form in triple meter, with an
accent of the 1st beat of each bar (1-2-3)

A: Minuet is in rounded binary form

It is in binary form but halfway through the contrasting
section, the opening idea returns, rounding out the
form: ||: a :||: b a :|| = aababa

B: Trio is in binary form: ||: c :||: d :|| =ccdd

Concludes with the Italian phrase da capo DACAPO

A: Repetition of the Minuet

Our recording does not observe the repeats so the form
becomes: || a || b a ||

th
Symphony No. 102, 4 mvt.
standard Rondo: ABACA

expanded form

Form: Rondo, in this case, ABACADACA, with 5

statements of the Girst section (A) interspersed
with contrasting sections (B, C, D)
A = main theme, or refrain, usually in the tonic
key
B, C, and D = contrasting themes in different
keys, textures, and dynamics (only D is in a
minor key)
In this movement, the C theme is heard over a
drone bass (single note repeated over and
over)

For Tuesday
Read: pp. 197-206
Listen: CD 2 , track 12 (Mozart, Symphony
No. 40 in G Minor, K. 550, 1st mvt.)