Symphony No. 81 (Haydn)
The Symphony No. 81 in G major (Hoboken 1/81) is a symphony by Joseph Haydn was composed in 1784 as part of a trio of symphonies that also included symphonies 79 and 80.[1]
Movements
The symphony is scored for flute, two oboes, two bassoons, two horns and strings.
- Vivace
- Andante, 6/8
- Menuetto and trio: Allegretto, 3/4
- Finale: Allegro ma non troppo, 2/2
In the first and third movements, Haydn explores "ambiguities of tonality ... which eventually reach their peak of subtlety" of the first movement of Symphony No. 94.[2] The first movement begins "with an unusual and exciting pedal point ... [and] uses a subsidiary subject that appears like a cordial greeting to the newly won friend [Mozart]."[3] The pedals and dissonances point to Mozart's K. 465.[4]
The second movement is a siciliano theme with three variations.[5] The variations are for the most part strophic and straightforward with the exception of a minor-key interlude in the center of the movement between the first and second variations. The final variation contains the fullest orchestration with pizzicato accompaniment and serves to recapitulate the movement.[6]
Notes
- ^ H. C. Robbins Landon, Haydn: Chronicle and Works, 5 vols, (Bloomington and London: Indiana University Press, 1976-) v. 2: "Haydn at Eszterhaza, 1766-1790", [page needed].
- ^ Hughes (1970) p. 185.
- ^ Geiringer (1963) p. 322.
- ^ Heartz (2009) p. 355.
- ^ Hughes (1970) p. 186.
- ^ A. Peter Brown, The Symphonic Repertoire (Volume 2) (Bloomington and London: Indiana University Press, 2001) (ISBN 025333487X), pp. 207–208.
References
- Geiringer, Karl (1963). Haydn: A Creative Life in Music. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press.
- Heartz, Daniel (2009). Mozart, Haydn and Early Beethoven: 1781–1802. New York: W. W. Norton & Co.
- Hughes (1970).[full citation needed]
- Hugues, Rosemary (1974). Haydn.London: J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd.