Symphony No. 52 (Haydn)

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The Symphony No. 52 in C minor was composed by Joseph Haydn in 1771 or 1772, during his Sturm und Drang period. This era of Haydn's symphonic output contained many other minor-key works such as Symphonies Nos. 39, 44, 45, and 49. The symphony was considered by H. C. Robbins Landon to be "the grandfather of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, also created with mathematical precision and in extreme conciseness." (Both symphonies also share the same home key of C minor.)

It is scored for two oboes, bassoon, two horns (in C alto), continuo (harpsichord) and strings. A full performance typically runs approximately 22 minutes.

The symphony is in four movements:

1. Allegro assai con brio
2. Andante
3. Menuetto e trio. Allegretto
4. Finale. Presto

The first movement is in Sonata-Allegro form, and immediately establishes a strong contrast between the C minor theme, which is loud, harsh, and disjunct, and the E-flat major theme, which is soft, lyrical, and conjunct. Somewhat unusually, Haydn presents the second theme twice. The conflict between these two musical ideas (althougn not always in the same keys) forms the basis for the symphony's momentum and final climax.