Symphony No. 35 (Haydn)
Encyclopedia
The Symphony No. 35 in B-flat major, Hoboken I/35, was written by Joseph Haydn
. The autograph score is "carefully" dated "December 1, 1767." It has been speculated that this symphony was written to celebrate Prince Esterházy's return from a visit to the Palace of Versailles
.
s, bassoon
, two horn
s, strings
and continuo
. The "horns are given parts of terrifying difficulty."
It is in four movements:
The first movement's theme "suddenly develops a towering contrapuntal anger in the development" and is primarily in minor keys.
The winds are dismissed for the slow movement.
The minuet features some colorful passages for the horn while the contrasting Trio is more subdued and scored for four-part strings.
The finale plays games with three hammerstrokes (tonic-dominant-tonic) which begin the exposition and are worked extensively in the development. The three chords also serve as the movements final cadence, confusing listeners into thinking that more will follow. This ambiguity is enhanced if the second part of the movement is repeated.
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...
. The autograph score is "carefully" dated "December 1, 1767." It has been speculated that this symphony was written to celebrate Prince Esterházy's return from a visit to the Palace of Versailles
Palace of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles , or simply Versailles, is a royal château in Versailles in the Île-de-France region of France. In French it is the Château de Versailles....
.
Movements
The symphony is scored for two oboeOboe
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, 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...
and continuo
Figured bass
Figured bass, or thoroughbass, is a kind of integer musical notation used to indicate intervals, chords, and non-chord tones, in relation to a bass note...
. The "horns are given parts of terrifying difficulty."
It is in four movements:
- Allegro, 3/4
- Andante, 2/4
- MenuetMinuetA 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...
- TrioTernary formTernary form, sometimes called song form, is a three-part musical form, usually schematicized as A-B-A. The first and third parts are musically identical, or very nearly so, while the second part in some way provides a contrast with them...
, 3/4 - Presto, 2/4
The first movement's theme "suddenly develops a towering contrapuntal anger in the development" and is primarily in minor keys.
The winds are dismissed for the slow movement.
The minuet features some colorful passages for the horn while the contrasting Trio is more subdued and scored for four-part strings.
The finale plays games with three hammerstrokes (tonic-dominant-tonic) which begin the exposition and are worked extensively in the development. The three chords also serve as the movements final cadence, confusing listeners into thinking that more will follow. This ambiguity is enhanced if the second part of the movement is repeated.