The Symphony No. 48 in
C major
C major is a major scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. C major is one of the most common keys used in music. Its key signature has no flats or sharps. Its relative minor is A minor and its parallel min ...
, Hoboken I/48, is a
symphony
A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning c ...
by
Joseph Haydn
Franz Joseph Haydn ( ; ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...
written in
1768
Events
January–March
* January 9 – Philip Astley stages the first modern circus, with acrobats on galloping horses, in London.
* February 11 – Samuel Adams's circular letter is issued by the Massachusetts House of Re ...
or
1769
Events
January–March
* February 2 – Pope Clement XIII dies, the night before preparing an order to dissolve the Jesuits.Denis De Lucca, ''Jesuits and Fortifications: The Contribution of the Jesuits to Military Architecture ...
. The work has the nickname Maria Theresa as it was long thought to have been composed for a visit by the
Holy Roman Empress
The Holy Roman Empress or Empress of the Holy Roman Empire (''Kaiserin des Heiligen Römischen Reiches'') was the wife or widow of the Holy Roman Emperor. The elective dignity of Holy Roman emperor was restricted to males only, but some empresse ...
,
Maria Theresa of Austria
Maria Theresa (Maria Theresia Walburga Amalia Christina; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was the ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position in her own right. She was the sovereig ...
in 1773. An earlier copy dated 1769 was later found, but the nickname has stuck.
[Brown, A. Peter, ''The Symphonic Repertoire'' (Volume 2). Indiana University Press (), pp. 114-115(2002).] The symphony composed for the empress's visit was most likely
No. 50.
has described this symphony as a "great and indeed germinal work." It was one of the very few Haydn symphonies of this period to survive throughout the nineteenth century in various editions.
[HC Robbins Landon, ''Haydn: Chronicle and Works'', 5 vols, (Bloomington and London: Indiana University Press, 1976-) v. 2, ''Haydn at Eszterhaza, 1766-1790'' ()]
Instrumentation
The symphony is scored for two
oboe
The oboe ( ) is a type of double-reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites.
The most common type of oboe, the soprano oboe pitched in C, ...
s,
bassoon
The bassoon is a musical instrument in the woodwind family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuosity ...
, two
French horns
The French horn (since the 1930s known simply as the horn in professional music circles) is a brass instrument made of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. The double horn in F/B (technically a variety of German horn) is the horn most o ...
(first, third and last movement in C alto, second movement in F), and
strings
String or strings may refer to:
*String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...
. Parts for two
trumpet
The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...
s and
timpani
Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion instrument, percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a Membranophone, membrane called a drumhead, ...
were added later but it is uncertain whether or not these really are by Haydn. Some copies of the Eulenburg edition include two different timpani parts on the same staff, the more doubtful version differentiated by stems down and written in a facsimile of handwriting.
Movements
#
Allegro
Allegro may refer to:
Common meanings
* Allegro (music), a tempo marking that indicates to playing quickly and brightly (from Italian meaning ''cheerful'')
* Allegro (ballet), brisk and lively movement
Artistic works
* L'Allegro (1645), a poem b ...
,
#
Adagio
Adagio (Italian for 'slowly', ) may refer to:
Music
* Adagio, a tempo marking, indicating that music is to be played slowly, or a composition intended to be played in this manner
* Adagio (band), a French progressive metal band
Albums
* ''Adag ...
in
F major
F major is a major scale based on F, with the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat.Music Theory'. (1950). United States: Standards and Curriculum Division, Training, Bureau of Naval Personnel. 28. Its relati ...
,
#
Menuet
A minuet (; also spelled menuet) is a social dance of French origin for two people, usually written in time. The English word was adapted from the Italian ''minuetto'' and the French ''menuet''.
The term also describes the musical form that ...
& Trio:
Allegretto
In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given composition, and is often also an indication of the composition's character or atmos ...
(Trio in C minor),
#Finale: Allegro,
The first movement "contains a development section more complex than the minor-keyed symphonies of the same period, but not as complex as the C major Fürnberg-
Morzin
Count Karl Joseph of Morzin (1717–1783) was a Bohemian aristocracy, Bohemian aristocrat from the Morzin family (originally from northeastern Italy, Italian region of Friuli), remembered today as the first person to employ the composer Joseph Hay ...
symphonies," and the finale has a "secondary development" in the recapitulation that compensates for the brevity of the actual development.
[William E. Grim, ''Haydn's ''Sturm und Drang'' Symphonies: Form and Meaning''. Lewiston: ]Edwin Mellen Press
The Edwin Mellen Press, sometimes stylised as Mellen Press, is an academic publisher. It was founded in 1972 by theology professor Herbert Richardson (publisher), Herbert W. Richardson. It has been involved in a number of notable legal and acad ...
(1990): 50 ()
Haydn later quoted the opening of the first movement in his
"Laudon" Symphony (no. 69).
See also
*
List of symphonies by name
A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Symphony 048
Compositions in C major
1768 compositions
1769 compositions