Symphony No. 29 (Haydn)
Encyclopedia
Joseph Haydn
Joseph Haydn
Franz Joseph Haydn , known as Joseph Haydn , was an Austrian composer, one of the most prolific and prominent composers of the Classical period. He is often called the "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet" because of his important contributions to these forms...

's Symphony No. 29 in E major
E major
E major is a major scale based on E, with the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps .Its relative minor is C-sharp minor, and its parallel minor is E minor....

, Hoboken I/29, was written in 1765.

The work is scored for two oboe
Oboe
The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...

s, bassoon
Bassoon
The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band and chamber music literature...

, two horn
Horn (instrument)
The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....

s, and strings
String instrument
A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...

 with continuo.

The work is in four movements:
  1. Allegro di molto, 3/4
  2. Andante, 2/4
  3. Menuetto
    Minuet
    A minuet, also spelled menuet, is a social dance of French origin for two people, usually in 3/4 time. The word was adapted from Italian minuetto and French menuet, and may have been from French menu meaning slender, small, referring to the very small steps, or from the early 17th-century popular...

     e Trio, 3/4
  4. Presto, 4/4


In the slow movement, the melody is passed back and forth between the first and second violin parts.

The trio of the Minuet has an "oompah accompaniment in the strings" and horns sustaining E's in octaves, but apparently no melody. The harpsichordist would have to provide a melody, but "no keyboard player has dared to provide such a thing for a quarter of a century" between Loibner's recording and the writing of Hodgson's book. H. C. Robbins Landon also notes the "weird atmosphere" and lack of melody, but says it has a "sombre and secretive beauty" and has a "strongly Balkan" character due to an E minor to B minor modulation.

Discography

In the LP era, neither Antal Doráti
Antal Doráti
Antal Doráti, KBE was a Hungarian-born conductor and composer who became a naturalized American citizen in 1947.-Biography:...

 with the Philharmonia Hungarica nor Leslie Jones with the Little Orchestra of London provide a tune for the trio of the Minuet. Loibner has the Vienna Academy Chamber Orchestra's harpsichordist Christa Fuhrmann give "the outline of a melody—a convincing example of improvisation which suits the music well."

Moving on to the CD era, on Naxos Records
Naxos Records
Naxos Records is a record label specializing in classical music. Through a number of imprints, Naxos also releases genres including Chinese music, jazz, world music, and early rock & roll. The company was founded in 1987 by Klaus Heymann, a German-born resident of Hong Kong.Naxos is the largest...

, Nicholas Ward
Nicholas Ward
Nicholas Ward often known as Nick Ward was an English bare-knuckle fighter. He was born at \ 6 weighed 8 pounds. Nick Ward was the heavyweight champion of England for four months in 1841....

 and the Northern Chamber Orchestra
Northern Chamber Orchestra
The Northern Chamber Orchestra is a chamber orchestra based in Manchester, England. Established in 1967, the orchestra gives concerts at Heritage Centre, Macclesfield, St Ann's Church, Manchester, as well as Blackburn, Skipton, Lancaster and Tatton Park, Knutsford...

pair No. 29 with No.s 22 and 60. Ward's recording has no tune in the trio of the minuet.
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