Haydn: Symphony No. 104 in D Major, "London"

Joseph Haydn's final symphony is rather arbitrarily nicknamed, being the last of twelve symphonies that Haydn wrote in London during his second and last visit to England. It premiered in 1795 to great success, and was the capstone on a group of symphonies that came to represent the height of late Classical-era symphonic writing, sealing Haydn's reputation as the "father of the symphony." For its time, it was a symphonic tour de force, lasting twenty-five minutes, thoroughly and compactly assembled with splendour and lighthearted brilliance, and truly meant to move the symphony from the aristocrat's ballroom to the public concert hall.

The first movement opens with a slow, grandiose introduction in D minor. The following Allegro is set in straightforward sonata form, with a playful theme in D Major which appears in A Major as the second theme as well. After repeating the exposition, the development begins with the strings in B minor; it climaxes with a dominant chord which is immediately cut off for a dramatic, unexpected silence before the recapitulation begins. The movement is closed with a brief triumphant coda in D Major.

True to form, the inner movements of this symphony are both distinct and full of character. The second movement, set in G Major, sets up a whimsical theme that serves as the basis for the rest of the movement. The middle section is stormy, but with typical tongue-in-cheek humor it is interrupted with abrupt silence, and in short order brings back the opening theme with classical ornamentations. The melody stalls and wanders into other keys, ending on a strange D-flat Major chord. A lonely flute solo lingers before the orchestra tentatively reenters and then confidently reasserts the main theme; horns bring the movement to a quiet close,
mischievous in its lack of fanfare. The Menuetto returns to the main key of D Major, a stately Allegro which ventures into a more lyrical trio in B-flat major, featuring expressive lines from the oboe and bassoon.

The finale is, as its tempo marking indicates, exuberant and plucky,opening with a lively theme for the violins set in piano and accompanied by a pedal D which promises more. Shortly thereafter, the orchestra bursts in with vigor; much of the movement features the sprightly scales in the violins. The apex of the moment centers
around a singular interval - a half step in the strings which widens into a yawning tenth before the D Major tonic returns with the rest of the orchestra, bringing the movement and symphony to a jubilant
ending.

Haydn: Symphony No. 59 in A Major, "Fire" Symphony

i am also only doing one entry for this symphony, which is very early haydn (circa ~1767, perhaps earlier). the nickname, as with most of haydn's, is more or less unrelated (at least, to the actual music). while one who was  looking at it in hindsight might be able to attribute the name to the perky opening and the quick tempo marking of the first movement, the symphony is not very much more or less fiery than any other symphony that haydn wrote during the time. the leading theory is that parts of it were used as the music to a play by Großmann called "die feuersbrunt" or the conflagration. but it was presented as a gift to the court of his patron esterhazy in full, after this

2 ob, 2 hn, strings

I. Presto

II. Andante o piu tosto allegretto (andante or a faster allegretto)

III. Menuotto

IV. Allegro assai

unfortunately i'm unable to provide a recording for this. hopefully i will find one someday, but i guess you'll have to live with a quick synopsis. because of this, i won't do my usual analysis type style since that's really dull if you don't have a recording to reference.

note the fast tempo marking of the first movement, which is probably the most interesting. the firsts do a quick pickup, but then the melody goes to the other strings while the firsts saw off on on a repeated A. then there is a gentler theme. a nice note i read says that the effect is as if two characters in a play have been introduced. the drama effect is a big force in the symphony, with the character being driving and insistent rather than normal sunny A major.
the second movement, in a minor, is actually in 3/4, which is a bit unusual. it's also not too slow, and sounds more like a minuet than anything else for a while. it has the character of a galante. there is also a crazy moment at the recap, where the horns, playing for the first time in the movement, burst in with a FF fanfare type figure over the quiet theme that vanishes almost as soon as it's played.
the third is a relatively fast (for the time) minuet, in A major switching to A minor during the trio.
the fourth opens with a brilliant horn duo in open intervals, which is answered by oboes before bursting into a rushed and lively string gallop.


i'm sure i will find a recording to update this with someday. until then, see if you can't keep an eye out for this very charming short symphony.

Haydn: Symphony No. 100 in G Major, "Military" - I. Adagio - Allegro

the nickname doesn't come from the first movement: if you want to know the reason, give the middle section of the second movement a listen.
this symphony is the 8th of 12 "london" symphonies (which he wrote while he was in said city). these were haydn's last symphonies, his most well-known, and most of his best.
here we have the first movement.

there is a slow stately introduction, in the main key. this travels around the dominant and builds up suspense for a dancing theme which is scored only for flutes and oboes, repeated by the strings. second theme begins at 2:34, transitioning to d minor and then quickly going into D major, 2:51. after a repeat of the exposition, the development begins at 4:53 with a super dramatic 2 bar grand pause. and then the violin ostinato comes back suddenly in b flat major. this is a great moment!
cycle through lots of keys, play with the themes, and we eventually end up at an e minor statement of the theme at 5:36. this is reiterated upwards through several keys... and then we have a recap at 6:07. second theme in the correct key this time, and then the end! no coda.

:)