The Symphony No. 51 in B major, Hoboken I/51, is a symphony 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 either 1773 or 1774, although the exact dating remains ambiguous.Daniel Heartz, ''Haydn, Mozart, and the Viennese School, 1740–1780''. W.W. Norton & Company (), pp. 363-364 (1995). 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

horn Horn may refer to: Common uses * Horn (acoustic), a tapered sound guide ** Horn antenna ** Horn loudspeaker ** Vehicle horn ** Train horn *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various animals * Horn (instrument), a family ...

s (B alto, E),

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 ...

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 ...

. The work is in four movements: #

Vivace 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 ...

, #

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 ...

Menuetto 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 I – Trio II, #

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 ...

Sometimes described as "a concertante piece featuring the two horns, which are given parts of staggering difficulty."Antony Hodgson, ''The Music of Joseph Haydn: The Symphonies''. London: The Tantivy Press (1976): 78 The second, slow, movement contains high notes for the first horn (including a written F₆ for horn in E) and very low notes for the second horn. H. C. Robbins Landon, ''Haydn: Chronicle and Works'', 5 vols, (Bloomington and London: Indiana University Press, 1976– ) v. 2, ''Haydn at Eszterhaza, 1766–1790''.. The third movement contains an even higher note for horn, a written C₆ for horn in B alto (sounding as B₅), one of the highest notes ever written for horn. Heartz has noted the character of the fourth movement as reminiscent of the French ''rondeau''. The first contrasting section is an oboe solo in

E major E major is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps. Its relative minor is C-sharp minor and its parallel minor is E minor. Its enharmonic equivalent, F-flat maj ...

and the second contrasting section is fortissimo and in

G minor G minor is a minor scale based on G, consisting of the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has two flats. Its relative major is B-flat major and its parallel major is G major. The G natural minor scale is: Changes n ...

References

Symphony 051 Compositions in B-flat major 1773 compositions 1774 compositions {{symphony-stub