Symphony No. 70 (Haydn)

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The Symphony No. 70 in D major (Hoboken 1/70) was written by Joseph Haydn in 1779 to mark the start of construction of a new opera house on the Eszterháza estate.

The work is in standard four-movement form and is scored for flute, two oboes, bassoon, two horns, two trumpets, timpani and strings. The Cianchettini & Sperati edition of 1807, however, omits the trumpet and timpani parts, and bears a dedication to HRH the Prince of Wales.

  1. Vivace con brio
  2. Specie d'un canone in contrapunto doppio Andante
  3. Allegretto
  4. Allegro con brio

The first movement is in 3/4 time, dominated by a motif established in the opening bars and consisting of two descending pairs of notes. The second movement is a double variation canon in the form ABA1B1A2, beginning and ending in the minor. The third movement returns to the major key in a minuet-trio-minuet-coda form. The final movement, in D minor, begins with a five note motif of repeated Ds, initially pianissimo, but quickly erupting into a triple two-part fugue. The movement ends with a coda in D major.

Since all of the movements have the same tonic, the work is homotonal.

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