Symphony No. 4 (Michael Haydn)

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Michael Haydn's Symphony No. 4 in B-flat major, Perger 51, Sherman 4, MH 62, was written in Salzburg, completed on December 7, 1763. Charles H. Sherman's modern edition of this work has been published by Musikverlag Doblinger and also appears in an anthology from Garland Publishing that includes symphonies by Anton Cajetan Adlgasser and Johann Ernst Eberlin, two other Salzburg composers.

Scored for 2 oboes, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, and strings, in three movements:

  1. Allegro
  2. Andante in E-flat major, called "La Confidenza"
  3. Allegro molto

Charles Sherman finds the first movement "noteworthy for the length of its development section (nearly equal in number of measures to the exposition and to the recapitulation) and for the persistence with which it treats a motive derived" from the main theme. [1] Another unusual feature of the first movement is that it ends piano, something rare even in the following century (for example, Beethoven's Eighth and Bruckner's Eighth).

Scholars are not sure why the second movement is called "La Confidenza" ("the secret communication"). It changes from a slow tempo and 3
4
time to a faster tempo in 2
4
. The horns are dismissed for this slow movement, but the two bassoons stay and are given independent parts.

The last movement is a fast rondo in 3
8
, which this symphony has in common with the others Haydn wrote at about the same time.

Discography

As part of the Bournemouth Sinfonietta complete series of Haydn's symphonies conducted by Harold Farberman, an LP containing Symphony No. 13 (misidentified as Symphony No. 14) coupled with Haydn's Symphony No. 4 was released in 1984 on Vox Cum Laude – D-VCL 9086.

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Michael Haydn's Symphony No. 37 in D major, Perger 29, Sherman 37, MH 476, written in Salzburg in 1788, is the last D major symphony he wrote, the fourth of his final set of six symphonies.

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Michael Haydn's Symphony No. 2 in C major, Perger 2, Sherman 2, MH 37, was written in Oradea in 1761.

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Michael Haydn's Symphony No. 36 in B-flat major, Perger 28, Sherman 36, MH 475, written in Salzburg in 1788, is the last B-flat major symphony he wrote, the third of his final set of six symphonies.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Symphony No. 23 (Michael Haydn)</span>

Michael Haydn's Symphony No. 23 in D major, Perger 43, Sherman 22, Sherman-adjusted 23, MH 287, is believed to have been written in Salzburg around 1779. It was attributed to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Ludwig von Köchel's original catalog as K. 291.

Michael Haydn's Symphony No. 27 in B-flat major, Opus 1 No. 1, Perger 18, Sherman 27, MH 358, written in Salzburg in 1784, is the first of the B-flat major symphonies attributed to Joseph Haydn in Hoboken's catalog.

Michael Haydn's Symphony No. 34 in E-flat major, Perger 26, Sherman 34, MH 473, written in Salzburg in 1788, is the last E-flat major symphony he wrote, the first of his final set of six symphonies.

Michael Haydn's Symphony No. 31 in F major, Perger 22, Sherman 31, MH 405, was written in Salzburg in 1785.

Michael Haydn's Symphony No. 13 in D major, Perger 37, Sherman 13, MH 132, believed to have been written in Salzburg in 1768, was at one time mistaken for a symphony by Joseph Haydn.

Michael Haydn's Symphony No. 22 in F major, Perger 14, Sherman 23, Sherman-adjusted 22, MH 284, was written in Salzburg in 1779.

Michael Haydn's Symphony No. 15 in D major, Perger 41, Sherman 15, MH 150, is believed to have been written in Salzburg after 1771. This work was at one time attributed to Joseph Haydn, the first work in D major so attributed.

Michael Haydn's Symphony No. 16 in A major, Perger 6, Sherman 16, Sherman-adjusted 17, MH 152, was written in Salzburg in 1771. This work was at one time attributed to Joseph Haydn, the ninth work in A major so attributed in Anthony van Hoboken's catalogue.

References

  1. C. Sherman, "Johann Michael Haydn" in The Symphony: Salzburg, Part 2 London: Garland Publishing (1982): lviii - lix