Symphony No. 38 (Michael Haydn)
Encyclopedia
Michael Haydn
's Symphony No. 38 in F major, Perger 30, Sherman 38, MH 477, written in Salzburg in 1788, is the next to last F major
symphony he wrote, the fifth of his final set of six symphonies.
The symphony is scored for 2 oboe
s, 2 bassoon
s, 2 horn
s and strings
. Sherman's edition of the score has "Cembalo" written in square brackets, suggesting figured bass
is optional in this work, despite his often-repeated statement that Haydn considered continuo essential even in the most fully instrumented works. This work is in three movements:
Unlike the other symphonies in the final set of six, this one starts out piano and then states its theme forte, whereas the others first state it forte and then piano (though this is not unique among Haydn's symphonies). Despite its using horns in F, which became standard, the parts are still fairly limited to few notes in addition to F and C. However, in the recapitulation of the first movement, the first horn doubles the first violins an octave lower on the first theme. In the slow movement, the celli, instead of doubling the bassoons and basses on the bass line, double the first violins an octave lower and are written in tenor clef (changing to bass clef for a few measures in which they rejoin the bass complex).
Completed on February 10, the autograph score was bequeathed by Prince Esterházy
to Hungary's national library in Budapest
. Charles Sherman based his edition for Ludwig Doblinger "on a set of performance parts, bearing corrections in the composer's hand," from "the music collection of the Benedictine Archabbey of St. Peter in Salzburg."
disc with Johannes Goritzki conducting the New German Chamber Academy.
Michael Haydn
Johann Michael Haydn was an Austrian composer of the classical period, the younger brother of Joseph Haydn.-Life:...
's Symphony No. 38 in F major, Perger 30, Sherman 38, MH 477, written in Salzburg in 1788, is the next to last F major
F major
F major is a musical major scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat . It is by far the oldest key signature with an accidental, predating the others by hundreds of years...
symphony he wrote, the fifth of his final set of six symphonies.
The symphony is scored for 2 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, 2 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...
s, 2 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 section
The string section is the largest body of the standard orchestra and consists of bowed string instruments of the violin family.It normally comprises five sections: the first violins, the second violins, the violas, the cellos, and the double basses...
. Sherman's edition of the score has "Cembalo" written in square brackets, suggesting figured bass
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...
is optional in this work, despite his often-repeated statement that Haydn considered continuo essential even in the most fully instrumented works. This work is in three movements:
- Allegro molto
- Andantino, in C majorC majorC major is a musical major scale based on C, with pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature has no flats/sharps.Its relative minor is A minor, and its parallel minor is C minor....
- Scherzando
Unlike the other symphonies in the final set of six, this one starts out piano and then states its theme forte, whereas the others first state it forte and then piano (though this is not unique among Haydn's symphonies). Despite its using horns in F, which became standard, the parts are still fairly limited to few notes in addition to F and C. However, in the recapitulation of the first movement, the first horn doubles the first violins an octave lower on the first theme. In the slow movement, the celli, instead of doubling the bassoons and basses on the bass line, double the first violins an octave lower and are written in tenor clef (changing to bass clef for a few measures in which they rejoin the bass complex).
Completed on February 10, the autograph score was bequeathed by Prince Esterházy
Nikolaus Esterházy
Nikolaus Esterházy was a Hungarian prince, a member of the famous Esterházy family. His building of palaces, extravagant clothing, and taste for opera and other grand musical productions led to his being given the title "the Magnificent"...
to Hungary's national library in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
. Charles Sherman based his edition for Ludwig Doblinger "on a set of performance parts, bearing corrections in the composer's hand," from "the music collection of the Benedictine Archabbey of St. Peter in Salzburg."
Discography
Like the other symphonies of the 1788 set of six, this one is in the Classic Produktion OsnabrückClassic Produktion Osnabrück
Classic Produktion Osnabrück is a record label founded in 1986 by Georg Ortmann and several others. Its declared mission is to fill niches in the recorded classical repertory, with an emphasis on romantic, late romantic and 20th-century music...
disc with Johannes Goritzki conducting the New German Chamber Academy.