Symphony No. 62 (Haydn)

The Symphony No. 62 in D major, Hoboken I/62, is a symphony written by Joseph Haydn in 1780 or 1781.

Movements

The symphony is scored for flute, two oboes, bassoon, two horns and strings. There are four movements:

  1. Allegro
  2. Allegretto
  3. Menuetto & Trio: Allegretto, 3/4
  4. Finale: Allegro

The first movement contains material which Haydn reworked from an earlier Sinfonia (Overtura) in D, Hob. Ia/7.[1]

The slow movement has a barcarole-like accompaniment, but instead of the typical Venetian gondolier melody over the top, Haydn presents only melodic fragments, teasing the listener into thinking a melody is near always interrupting before one takes shape.[2]

The trio of the minuet features violins and bassoons and frequently loses the downbeat, a trick Haydn would later play to greater effect in the corresponding trio of his Oxford Symphony.[2]

The finale opens piano with ambiguous tonality for the first six measures before the full tutti firmly establishes D major forte in the seventh bar.[3] The finale proceeds in Italian style. The second theme group contains Lombard rhythms which are worked extensively in the development.[2] The ambiguous tonality returns for the six measures of the recapitulation, this time accentuated by counterpoint,[3] before D major returns and symphony drives towards its conclusion.

L.P. Burstein has noted Haydn's use of the VII♯ chord and the VII♯ → V progression in the fourth movement.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Braunstein, Joseph (Winter 1965 – Winter 1966). "Joseph Haydn: Trumpet Concerto et al. (review of published scores)". Notes (Second Series) 22 (2): 974–975. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Brown, A. Peter, The Symphonic Repertoire (Volume 2). Indiana University Press (ISBN 025333487X), pp. 183-184 (2002).
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Rosen, Charles The Classical Style: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, p 113-114 (1997) New York: Norton.
  4. ↑ Burstein, L. Poundie (October 1998). "Surprising Returns: The VII♯ in Beethoven's Op. 18 No. 3, and Its Antecedents in Haydn". Music Analysis (Blackwell Publishing) 17 (3): 295–312. doi:10.2307/854418. JSTOR 854418.