Joseph Haydn

The London Symphonies

Haydn’s biggest “break” came late in December 1790, some two months after the death of his employer, Prince Nikolaus I Esterházy (on 28 September), when the violinist and impresario Johann Peter Salomon, who had often tried to persuade Haydn to visit England, arrived in Vienna and said: “I am Salomon of London and have come to fetch you. Tomorrow we will arrange an accord.” Haydn travelled with Salomon to England on New Year’s Day 1791 and was to stay there until June 1792.

For this visit he composed, among other things, six symphonies, (Nos. 93 - 98), which were performed at the Hanover Square Rooms between March and June 1791 and between February and May 1792, with an orchestra led by Salomon and with Haydn seated at the keyboard. The first four symphonies were composed in 1791 (probably in the order 96, 95, 93, 94) but only Nos. 95 and 96 were played during Salomon’s first season. Haydn paid a second visit to England between February 1794 and August 1795, again at Salomon’s invitation, and again the principal event was a series of concerts at which six new symphonies (No. 99, composed in Vienna in 1793, Nos. 100 - 102, composed in London in 1794, and Nos. 103 - 104) were given, the first three at Salomon’s concerts in the Hanover Square Rooms during February and March 1794, and the remainder at Cramer’s “Opera Concerts” in the King’s Theatre, Haymarket, between February and April 1795. Experienced symphonist though Haydn was, he had probably had very few opportunities, before going to London, of even hearing a first-class, full-sized orchestra, let alone of having one at his disposal. Salomon’s orchestra was far more imposing than Haydn’s own modest group of musicians attached to the Esterházy household (as the generally small-scale orchestration of the earlier symphonies testifies), so it is hardly surprising that the veteran composer took full advantage of the large forces London had to offer, or that such an opportunity spurred him to the height of his symphonic achievement.

Symphony No. 93 in D major

1. Adagio – Allegro assai
2. Largo cantabile
3. Menuetto. Allegro
4. Finale. Presto ma non troppo

Symphony No. 93 in D is scored (as are Nos. 94 – 97) for strings and pairs of flutes, oboes, bassoons, horns, trumpets and timpani, and was performed for the first time on 17 February 1792. A slow introduction that is both grand and mysterious prefaces an Allegro assai which has, rather unusually for Haydn, two distinct, though not dissimilar, subjects, both introduced quietly by the strings. The development section is, for the most part, fiercely contrapuntal and dominated by a five-note motive that could be viewed as a conflation of two fragments of the two main themes. The slow movement, in G, is a cross between variation and rondo form that was a speciality of Haydn’s. The shapely “refrain” is first presented by a solo string quartet; the first “episode” is in a vehement G minor and stresses the theme’s dotted rhythm, and the second, with its ravishing oboe solo, introduces a triplet motion that will colour the rest of the movement, except for its comic, not to say earthy, “cadenza” just before the end. The purposeful minuet encloses a remarkable trio, in which bold unison fanfares on the tonic (D) on winds and timpani are separated by gentle answers on the strings, each beginning in a different key. The finale (possibly a revised version of the original, with which Haydn expressed himself dissatisfied) is in unorthodox sonata form, with its engaging second subject first appearing some 120 bars into the movement and immediately before the decidedly summary development, and with a jubilant conclusion.

Symphony No. 94 in G major “Surprise”

1. Adagio – Vivace assai
2. Andante
3. Menuetto. Allegro molto
4. Finale. Allegro di molto

Symphony No. 94 in G is scored for strings and pairs of flutes, oboes, bassoons, horns, trumpets and timpani, and was played for the first time on 23 March 1792. The nickname “The Surprise” (suggested by the unexpected fortissimo outburst in the sixteenth bar of the slow movement – an afterthought, not present in the first draft of the Andante) seems to have caught on early; it was not Haydn’s, of course, although he himself can hardly have been surprised by it if there is any truth in the story that he said to Adalbert Gyrowetz “The ladies will jump here”. The first movement, which is preceded by a short slow introduction, is a dancing Vivace assai in 6/8, dominated by its smiling first subject and with a rustic second subject over a drone bass. The Andante, in C, is in the form of a theme with four straightforward variations, the second of them in the minor and the third notable for its delicate wind writing. The third movement is more an unsophisticated Ländler than a formal minuet, and features a bassoon solo in its trio. The finale is a brilliant sonata-rondo, with the tireless energy of a moto perpetuo and with its own dynamic surprise in its final pages.

Symphony No. 95 in c minor

1. Allegro moderato
2. Andante
3. Menuetto
4. Finale. Vivace

Symphony No. 95 in C minor is scored for strings and pairs of flutes, oboes, bassoons, horns, trumpets and timpani and was probably performed for the first time on 29 April 1791. It is the only one of the London symphonies not to begin with a slow introduction, and the only one in a minor key (although this only applies to the first movement, which ends in C major, and to the minuet). The first movement begins with an abrupt five-note unison challenge which, together with the attractively scored second subject, provides the material for the fine, dramatic development section. In the recapitulation the second theme returns in C major, decorated by a minute solo for Salomon. The Andante, in E flat major, is a set of three variations on a shapely theme in two repeated sections with repeats; the theme and the first variation are for strings only (with a solo cello in the first half of Variation 1) while the second (in E flat minor) and third are for the full orchestra, without trumpets and timpani. Next comes a surprisingly stern minuet, framing a trio (in C major) with a meandering cello solo, and, to end with, a spacious finale, whose splendid, predominantly fugal, development recalls the last movement of Mozart’s “Jupiter” Symphony of 1788.

Symphony No. 96 in D major “Miracle”

1. Adagio – Allegro
2. Andante
3. Menuetto. Allegretto
4. Finale. Vivace assai

Symphony No. 96 in D is scored for strings and pairs of flutes, oboes, bassoons, horns, trumpets and timpani, and was for years known, incorrectly, as “The Mirace” (see No. 102) and was possibly performed at Salomon’s first concert in 1791, on 11 March. A short but dignified Adagio paves the way for a robust Allegro that one would describe as monothematic if the engaging dialogue between the bassoon and the first violins that acts as a first subject could be called a theme in the normal sense. The vigorous development incorporates a false reprise in the subdominant and is followed by a recapitulation that is like a dramatised version of the exposition. The ternary-form Andante (in G) has a contrapuntal middle section in G minor; the reprise culminates in a remarkable cadenza-like coda featuring two solo violins. The very Austrian minuet encloses a waltz-like trio boasting a delicious oboe solo, and the finale is a witty, monothematic sonata-rondo, with (like the slow movement) a minore episode, and a minuscule “cadenza” for the winds just before the end.

Symphony No. 97 in C major

1. Adagio – Vivace
2. Adagio ma non troppo
3. Menuetto. Allegretto
4. Finale. Presto assai

Symphony No. 97 in C is scored for strings and pairs of flutes, oboes, bassoons, horns, trumpets and timpani, and was probably performed for the first time on 3 May 1792. It is the last of a long line of symphonies in Haydn’s “ceremonial” key of C major. A short, lightly scored Adagio prefaces the first movement, whose air of pomp and ceremony is nearly set off by a waltz-like second theme; but it is the bold and apparently unpromising first subject which is the music’s driving force, in the exposition, development and coda. The slow movement, in F, is again in variation form: a particularly eloquent theme followed by three well contrasted and rather free variations (the second in F minor) and concluding with a beautiful coda. Neither the minuet nor the trio have formal repeats, thereby permitting variations of texture in repetitions; the minuet alternates between legato and staccato; the trio is a yodelling Austrian dance, with a minuscule violin solo in its last eight bars, marked “Salomon Solo ma piano”. The finale is a dashing sonata-rondo, whose two impassioned episodes reveal a sense of drama and invention that one would hardly expect from the initial exposition of its ingenuous little tune.

Symphony No. 98 in B flat major

1. Adagio – Allegro
2. Adagio
3. Menuetto. Allegro
4. Finale. Presto

Symphony No. 98 in B flat, scored like Nos. 93 – 96, but with no independent second flute part, was played for the first time on 2 March 1792, when the outer movements were, in Haydn’s words, “encort”. The short slow introduction, for strings alone, directly presages (in the minor mode) the springy theme of the Allegro, which is essentially monothematic. The development is, for the most part, elaborately polyphonic, and the recapitulation is crowned by a substantial coda. It is said that Haydn wrote the sonata-form Adagio shortly after the news of Mozart’s death (on 5 December 1791) had reached him in London, and that he intended the movement as a tribute to his younger friend and colleague. Despite the (perhaps subconscious) allusion to “God save the King” in the first subject’s opening phrase, it is not hard to believe that Haydn drew his inspiration for this most touching and poetic movement from the Andante cantabile of Mozart’s last symphony, since the mood of the music and the liberal use of triplet figuration and sudden dynamic contrasts is so vividly reminiscent of it (even the key, F, is the same). The imposing minuet frames a genial trio with solos for bassoon, flute and oboe. It is followed by a spirited finale in 6/8, in which Haydn provided solos for Salomon (in the development) and for himself at the keyboard (a dozen bars before the end).

Symphony No. 99 in E flat major

1. Adagio – Vivace assai
2. Adagio
3. Menuetto. Allegretto
4. Finale. Vivace

Symphony No. 99 in E flat received its first performance on 10 February 1794, six days after Haydn’s arrival in England on his second visit. It is scored for the same forces as are used in the six symphonies of 1791-92, but with the important addition of two clarinets; it is the first of Haydn’s five symphonies to include parts for clarinets (Mozart had included them in his “Paris” Symphony of 1778) and the one which takes most advantage of their peculiarly rich timbre. An exceptionally spacious and dramatic Adagio introduces an ebullient and expansive first movement that is remarkable for the prominence given to its charming second subject, which provides almost all the material for the development. The Adagio (in G) is one of Haydn’s noblest slow movements, and one of the relatively few among the twelve London Symphonies cast in sonata form. The presentation of the main theme, initially and on its return in the recapitulation, is notable for its refined scoring, but again it is in the second subject, kept in reserve until the latter part of the exposition, that generates the development, with its dramatic entry of trumpets and timpani in C major in the sixth bar. The minuet has a lithe, staccato gait and same adventurous modulations: the trio, mainly for oboe and strings, is in C, which necessitates a bridge passage to prepare for the repeat of the minuet. The finale is a vivacious, colourfully scored sonata-rondo, with a tautly contrapuntal development episode.

Symphony No. 100 in G major “Military”

1. Adagio – Allegro
2. Allegretto
3. Menuetto. Moderato
4. Finale. Presto

Symphony No. 100 in G was first played on 31 March 1794, and is scored like No. 99, except that the clarinets only appear in the second movement, and extra percussion (triangle, cymbals and bass drum) is used in the second and fourth. It is to the inclusion of the latter, and other features, that the symphony owes its nick name “The Military”, which appeared in Salomon’s concert announcements and therefore presumably had Haydn’s blessing. The Allegretto (adapted from a concerto for two lire organnizate he had composed for the King of Naples in 1786) was composed first and the minuet second (both in Vienna); the other two movements were written in London. A portentous slow introduction presages the Allegro, whose first subject is presented by flute and oboes like military fifes, but it is the seemingly innocuous second subject that really determines the course of the music. The Allegretto, in C, is in ternary form, with a middle section in C minor and an elaborate coda. The military effects may seem tame enough to hardened twentieth-century ears, but they did not to Haydn’s audience, to whom they sounded like “the hellish roar of war”. The elegant minuet is permeated by gruppetti and scales; its trio by dotted rhythms. The finale is in monothematic sonata form and in 6/8 metre; the drama of the development section is achieved by skilfully placed pauses (and an electrifying timpani entry) rather than by the use of the heavy percussion, which is held in reserve until the final pages.

Symphony No. 101 in D major “Clock”

1. Adagio – Presto
2. Andante
3. Menuetto. Allegretto
4. Finale. Vivace

Symphony No. 101 in D was performed for the first time on 3 March 1794, and is scored like No. 99, except that the (relatively unimportant) clarinet parts, although authentic, are not included in the autograph score. A solemn Adagio prepares the way for a spirited Presto in 6/8, which two themes are so similar that one may be felt to have engendered the other; both are used in the dramatic development and both undergo considerable rearrangement after the recapitulation. The Andante, in G, whose theme is supported by a regular “tick-tock” accompaniment that was responsible for the symphony’s nineteenth-century nickname “The Clock”, is in Haydn’s special blend of variation and rondo form, with an impressive minore episode. Both the minuet and its trio, with solos for flute and bassoon, are unusually long by Haydn’s standards. The concluding Vivace, arguably his greatest symphonic finale, is based entirely on the theme presented, beautifully harmonised, at the outset, and is remarkable both for its ferocious, impassioned development (rooted in D minor) and for the counterpoint that greets the theme when it reappears in D major at the recapitulation.

Symphony No. 102 in B flat major

1. Largo – Vivace
2. Adagio
3. Menuetto. Allegro
4. Finale. Presto

Symphony No. 102 in B flat, scored like Nos. 95 and 96, was first performed on 2 February 1795, and it was during this concert that the audience narrowly escaped injury from a falling chandelier, and not during the first performance of No. 96 – previously known, erroneously, as the “Miracle” Symphony. A spacious, dignified Largo prefaces, and partly anticipates, the main Vivace, which has two well contrasted themes; an exuberant first subject in running quavers, and a stern, rather angular, second subject, both of which are brought into play in the powerful, almost Beethovenian, development. The wonderful Adagio (in F) leans towards variation form, but in figuration, mood and key it echoes, like the Adagio of No. 98, the slow movement of Mozart’s “Jupiter” Symphony; the instrumental disposition, which includes a discreet solo cello, muted trumpets and timpani, and the profusion of dynamic markings, contribute to the movement’s uniquely veiled, misty quality. It is followed by a bouncing minuet with an almost Brahmsian trio, and by a witty, virtually monothematic sonata-rondo finale, with a semi-contrapuntal development and a “surprise” ending that also looks forward to Beethoven.

Symphony No. 103 in E flat major “Drum Roll”

1. Adagio – Allegro con spirito
2. Andante più tosto allegretto
3. Menuetto
4. Finale. Allegro con spirito

Symphony No. 103 in E flat, scored like No. 102, plus a pair of clarinets, was played for the first time on March 1795. The introductory Adagio excited, in the words of the critic of The Morning Chronicle, “the deepest attention”; not surprisingly, for it is the longest of Haydn’s symphonic slow introductions, and exceptionally sombre in character; it is quoted again, in shorter form, towards the end of the lithe Allegro con spirito (which has a charmingly waltz-like second subject), and subtle allusions are made to it during the course of the Allegro itself. Its most striking feature is the drum roll with which is begins, and which has given the symphony its nickname; enigmatically, Haydn’s autograph score gives it no dynamic marking. The second movement (without clarinets) is a set of variations on two alternating themes (both of them, like the first movement’s first subject, based on Croatian folk tunes): one measured and dignified, in C minor, the other forthright and in C major. Both are varied twice, with increasingly elaborate orchestration (including a violin solo) and the movement ends with an extended coda. Next comes a springy minuet full of “Scotch snaps”, with a gentle trio that gives same prominence to the two clarinets, and the symphony ends with an ebullient, monothematic finale, whose theme, with its characteristic repeated notes, is also Croatian in origin.

Symphony No. 104 in D major “London”

1. Adagio – Allegro
2. Andante
3. Menuetto. Allegro
4. Finale. Spiritoso

Symphony No. 104 in D (“the 12th which I have composed in England”) was Haydn’s last symphony; it is scored like No. 103 and was performed for the first time at a benefit concert (“Dr Haydn’s night”) on 4 May 1795. After an exceptionally profound and mysterious Adagio the main Allegro lets in a flood of sunshine, and it is not until the development, where Haydn seizes on the third and fourth bars of the first subject and repeatedly hammers out their rhythm in a passage of some 70 bars, that we realise the tune is not so innocent as it first appears to be. The Adagio, in G, is in rather free ternary form, the magnificent central minore section offering the strongest possible contrast to the first section (in two unequal, repeated “halves”, and scored for strings and bassoons), to which it is thematically related, and to the visionary (and much extended) reprise. The vigorous minuet makes a feature of a trill and, towards the end, a two-bar silence; the trio, with its meandering solos for oboe and bassoon, is cast in B flat, so that a bridge passage is needed to prepare for the repeat of the minuet. The folk-song character of the finale’s main theme did not escape the notice of contemporary musicians, and two London street cries, “Live cod” and “Hot cross buns”, were suggested as models. However, the tune, with its drone bass, is much more likely to be based on a Croatian folk melody Haydn remembered from earlier days. A broad, serene second subject provides the appropriate amount of contrast.

Robin Golding