Symphony No. 37 (Mozart)

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The Symphony No. 37 in G major, K. 444/425a, was for a long time believed to be a work by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, but is now known to have actually been mostly written by Michael Haydn, being his Symphony No. 25 in G major, Perger 16, Sherman 25, MH 334. According to the Breitkopf & Härtel edition, the score calls for flute, 2 oboes, 2 horns and strings; performances tend to include bassoons (always in unison with the celli except for significant passages in the adagio) and a harpsichord playing figured bass based on the cello line. The flute is only used for the first section of the slow movement.

Mozart probably copied out the score in order to learn from it, but he wrote a new Adagio maestoso introduction for it (most of Haydn's symphonies don't have slow introductions). Mozart's introduction in triple time ends with a fermata on a V⁷ chord, which leads into a I chord beginning Haydn's work.

The work is in three movements:

Adagio maestoso (by Mozart) - Allegro con spirito
Andante sostenuto
Allegro molto

Since the true authorship of the work was discovered in 1907, it was quickly dropped from the standard concert repertoire.

The numbers for Mozart's Symphonies No.s 38 through 41 have not been adjusted.

[edit] Discography

Whether or not a recording includes Mozart's introduction depends in part on whether the disc is part of a collection of Mozart or Haydn symphonies.

This work is included in disc 19 of the box set of the complete Mozart Symphonies by the Academy of Ancient Music conducted by Christopher Hogwood, with the three movements and of course the introduction Mozart wrote. The same is true of the Naxos recording of the Northern Chamber Orchestra conducted by Nicholas Ward (that disc, which also has Mozart's No.s 19 and 20, is available by itself).

Bodhan Warchal's box set of Haydn symphonies on the CPO label only includes what Haydn wrote, and the same is true of Matthias Bamert's recording with the London Mozart Players.

[edit] References

A. Delarte, "A Quick Overview Of The Instrumental Music Of Michael Haydn" Bob's Poetry Magazine November 2006: 10 - 42 [PDF]
Charles H. Sherman and T. Donley Thomas, Johann Michael Haydn (1737-1806), a chronological thematic catalogue of his works. Stuyvesant, New York: Pendragon Press (1993)