Haydn Symphony Analysis

Haydn’s Symphony No. 94 “The Surprise”

London Symphonies: The Concert Life and Stylistic Ideas of Josef Haydn Imagine yourself at a symphony concert and being moved by the first movement of the piece. Now picture yourself getting lulled by the sweet, slow movement of the second movement, when all the sudden you are startled by a sudden burst of sound coming from the orchestra. What I just described is Josef Haydn’s Symphony No. 94, also known as “The Surprise” Symphony. The 94th symphony is one of the 104 symphonies Haydn created in his musical career. Haydn’s best-known symphonies, however, were his later symphonies (Nos. 93- 104), also known as his London Symphonies. The significance of these symphonies were the stylistic contrasts of his

His friend, Johann Peter Salomon, a concert producer and violinist made an offer to Haydn to come and perform in London, England. Salomon drafted a contract that promised Haydn £200 for the rights to publish, £300 for the symphony itself, and £200 for the profits that were made at the concert . After getting approval from Prince Anton of Esterhazy, Haydn traveled with Salomon to London. Haydn, however, did not have any new work to present to the audience, so he went to work creating his first London Symphony (No. 93) in 1791 . In March of 1791, Salomon, after multiple delays, created a series that starred multiple works of Haydn, including his newest symphony. When advertising the series, the audience that Salomon and Haydn were attracting were a mixture of an economic and social structure. The announcements were directed towards “Nobility and Gentry” in London. Some middle class often attended the series, but never the working class. In the late 18th century, tickets in London cost ten shillings, which was enough to buy a turkey or two plucked ducks . Overall, the decision to spend the few years in London, the satisfaction that Haydn had “untapped a spring of creative life within him” . The audience that did attend the concert series helped Haydn discover how to attract them in future

When it came to his own symphonies, Haydn’s reputation began to, “exist as a thing separate from the man himself” . When it came to critiquing in the 18th century, it was customary to go in detail lengths about the performance. But for Haydn, however, many of the concert reviews during his time in London consisted of praise towards the work, not going into much detail . During the Haydn-Salomon concert series in 1791, it was reported that the series, “Never perhaps, was there a richer musical treat. It is wonderful that to souls capable of being touched by music, Haydn should be an object of homage, and even of idolatry, for like our own Shakespeare, he moves and governs the passions at will.” It showed that Haydn’s work was at the same level as the idolized English poet, William Shakespeare, which was a high honor to receive. Haydn’s ‘Shakespearian idolatry’ was resembled throughout his time in London. A review for Symphony No. 93, characterized that his work was, “sublime and wanted grandeur, gave additional consequence to the soul and feelings of every individual present” . Another report describes the same feeling in 1794 that was previously expressed. It described that the “passages often occur which render it impossible to listen to them without becoming excited” . The audience in London was content with Haydn’s work and understand that throughout his work