Symphony No. 46 (Haydn)
Encyclopedia
The Symphony No. 46 in B major
, Hoboken I/46, was written by Joseph Haydn
. It was composed in 1772 during Haydn's Sturm und Drang
period.
The work is scored for two oboe
s, bassoon
, two horns
and strings
.
The work is written in standard four movement
format.
The key of B major, which is highly unusual, sets the tone of the work, which is one of unease, restlessness and searching. The high-pitched horns add a touch of eeriness.
The first movement starts with a four-note motif in unison
, reminiscent of the Symphony No. 44
(Trauer), but quasi-inverted. It is developed in various keys, with frequent modulations into the minor and to other remote keys.
The second movement is in B minor. It is a rhapsodic pastorale, rocking along over a running figure in the bass, with a syncopated
figure in the mute
d violins maintaining the tension.
The minuet is more assertive in tone, but its confidence is undermined by a plaintive, almost solemn, trio
, again in B minor.
Many of Haydn’s symphonies contain more startling surprises than the one which has made his "Surprise" Symphony
famous. The surprise here comes in the final movement. The opening is a typical energetic theme in the violins which is rapidly taken up and developed, with the horns prominent in their high register. The music rushes on only to break off suddenly, interrupted by the closing passage of the minuet, followed by the repeat of the whole of the second half of the minuet. The horns then burst in again with the main finale theme, but fade away and the music stutters almost to a halt. Then, on an underlying pedal on the horns, the strings take the movement and symphony to a rapid and abrupt close.
Since all of the movements have the same tonic
, the work is homotonal
.
B major
In music theory, B major is a major scale based on B. The pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A are all part of the B major scale. Its key signature has five sharps....
, Hoboken I/46, was written by 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...
. It was composed in 1772 during Haydn's Sturm und Drang
Sturm und Drang
Sturm und Drang is a proto-Romantic movement in German literature and music taking place from the late 1760s through the early 1780s, in which individual subjectivity and, in particular, extremes of emotion were given free expression in reaction to the perceived constraints of rationalism...
period.
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 horns
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 ....
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...
.
The work is written in standard four movement
Movement (music)
A movement is a self-contained part of a musical composition or musical form. While individual or selected movements from a composition are sometimes performed separately, a performance of the complete work requires all the movements to be performed in succession...
format.
- Vivace, 4/4
- Poco adagio, 6/8
- Menuet: Allegretto, 3/4
- Finale: Presto e scherzando, 2/2
The key of B major, which is highly unusual, sets the tone of the work, which is one of unease, restlessness and searching. The high-pitched horns add a touch of eeriness.
The first movement starts with a four-note motif in unison
Unison
In music, the word unison can be applied in more than one way. In general terms, it may refer to two notes sounding the same pitch, often but not always at the same time; or to the same musical voice being sounded by several voices or instruments together, either at the same pitch or at a distance...
, reminiscent of the Symphony No. 44
Symphony No. 44 (Haydn)
The Symphony No. 44 in E minor, Hoboken 1/44, was completed in 1772 by Joseph Haydn. It is popularly known as Trauer...
(Trauer), but quasi-inverted. It is developed in various keys, with frequent modulations into the minor and to other remote keys.
The second movement is in B minor. It is a rhapsodic pastorale, rocking along over a running figure in the bass, with a syncopated
Syncopation
In music, syncopation includes a variety of rhythms which are in some way unexpected in that they deviate from the strict succession of regularly spaced strong and weak but also powerful beats in a meter . These include a stress on a normally unstressed beat or a rest where one would normally be...
figure in the mute
Mute (music)
A mute is a device fitted to a musical instrument to alter the sound produced: by affecting the timbre, reducing the volume, or most commonly both.- Musical directions for muting :...
d violins maintaining the tension.
The minuet is more assertive in tone, but its confidence is undermined by a plaintive, almost solemn, trio
Ternary form
Ternary 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...
, again in B minor.
Many of Haydn’s symphonies contain more startling surprises than the one which has made his "Surprise" Symphony
Symphony No. 94 (Haydn)
The Symphony No. 94 in G major is the second of the twelve so-called London symphonies written by Joseph Haydn. It is usually called by its nickname, the Surprise Symphony, although in German it is more often referred to as the Symphony "mit dem Paukenschlag" .-Date of composition:Haydn wrote...
famous. The surprise here comes in the final movement. The opening is a typical energetic theme in the violins which is rapidly taken up and developed, with the horns prominent in their high register. The music rushes on only to break off suddenly, interrupted by the closing passage of the minuet, followed by the repeat of the whole of the second half of the minuet. The horns then burst in again with the main finale theme, but fade away and the music stutters almost to a halt. Then, on an underlying pedal on the horns, the strings take the movement and symphony to a rapid and abrupt close.
Since all of the movements have the same tonic
Tonic (music)
In music, the tonic is the first scale degree of the diatonic scale and the tonal center or final resolution tone. The triad formed on the tonic note, the tonic chord, is thus the most significant chord...
, the work is homotonal
Homotonal
Homotonal is a technical musical term pertaining to the tonal structure of multi-movement compositions. It was introduced into musicology by Hans Keller...
.