Michael Haydn Johann Michael Haydn (; 14 September 1737 – 10 August 1806) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period, the younger brother of Joseph Haydn. Life Michael Haydn was born in 1737 in the Austrian village of Rohra ...

's Symphony No. 4 in B-flat major, Perger 51, Sherman 4, MH 62, was written in

Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...

, 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 Anton Cajetan Adlgasser (sometimes Anton Cajetan Adelgasser; 1 October 1729 – 23 December 1777) was a German organist and composer at Salzburg Cathedral. He composed a good deal of liturgical music that included eight masses and two requiems, as ...

and

Johann Ernst Eberlin Johann Ernst Eberlin (27 March 1702 – 19 June 1762) was a German composer and organist whose works bridge the baroque and classical eras. He was a composer of church organ and choral music. Marpurg claims he wrote as much and as rapidly as ...

, two other Salzburg composers. Scored for 2

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, 2

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 ...

s, 2

horns Horns or The Horns may refer to: * Plural of Horn (anatomy) * Plural of Horn (instrument), a group of musical instruments all with a horn-shaped bells * The Horns (Colorado), a summit on Cheyenne Mountain * Horns (novel), ''Horns'' (novel), a dar ...

, 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 ...

, in three 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 ...

# Andante in

E-flat major E-flat major is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has three flats. Its relative minor is C minor, and its parallel minor is E minor, (or enharmonically D minor). The E-fla ...

, called "La Confidenza" # 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.C. Sherman, "Johann Michael Haydn" in ''The Symphony: Salzburg, Part 2'' London: Garland Publishing (1982): lviii - lix Another unusual feature of the first movement is that it ends piano, something rare even in the following century (for example, Beethoven's

Eighth Eighth is ordinal form of the number eight. Eighth may refer to: * One eighth, , a fraction, one of eight equal parts of a whole * Eighth note (quaver), a musical note played for half the value of a quarter note (crotchet) * Octave, an interval b ...

and Bruckner's

). Scholars are not sure why the second movement is called "La Confidenza" ("the secret communication"). It changes from a slow tempo and time to a faster tempo in . 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 The rondo or rondeau is a musical form that contains a principal theme (music), theme (sometimes called the "refrain") which alternates with one or more contrasting themes (generally called "episodes", but also referred to as "digressions" or "c ...

in , which this symphony has in common with the others Haydn wrote at about the same time.

Discography

As part of the

Bournemouth Sinfonietta The Bournemouth Sinfonietta was a chamber orchestra founded in 1968 as an offshoot of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. It was disbanded in November 1999 after increasing difficulties in obtaining funding from local councils led to the decision ...

complete series of Haydn's symphonies conducted by

Harold Farberman Harold Farberman (November 2, 1929 – November 24, 2018) was an American conductor, composer and percussionist. Biography Farberman studied percussion at Juilliard, and composition at the New England Conservatory and at Tanglewood with Aaron Cop ...

, 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.

References

* A. Delarte, "A Quick Overview Of The Instrumental Music Of Michael Haydn" ''Bob's Poetry Magazine'' November 2006: 3
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* Charles H. Sherman and T. Donley Thomas, ''Johann Michael Haydn (1737 - 1806), a chronological thematic catalogue of his works''. Stuyvesant, New York: Pendragon Press (1993) {{Authority control Symphony 04 Compositions in D major 1763 compositions