Symphony No. 65 in

A major A major is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has three sharps. Its relative minor is F-sharp minor and its parallel minor is A minor. The A major scale is: Changes needed for the ...

, Hoboken I/65, 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 ...

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 ...

which was composed by

1778 Events January–March * January 18 – Third voyage of James Cook: Sea captain, Captain James Cook, with ships HMS Resolution (1771), HMS ''Resolution'' and HMS Discovery (1774), HMS ''Discovery'', first views Oahu, Oʻahu th ...

Movements

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, two horns and strings. There are four movements: # Vivace e con spirito # Andante, #

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 ...

and Trio #Finale: Presto, The first movement starts with three declamatory chords at intervals of a rising fourth and a falling minor second followed by a lyrical answer which constitutes the first theme group. This section does not appear in the recapitulation causing some scholars to question if this movement is in

sonata form The sonata form (also sonata-allegro form or first movement form) is a musical form, musical structure generally consisting of three main sections: an exposition, a development, and a recapitulation. It has been used widely since the middle of t ...

as its form is closer to that of an Italian overture.A. Peter Brown, ''The Symphonic Repertoire'' (Volume 2) (Bloomington and London: Indiana University Press, 2002) (), pp. 143–145. Scholars have theorized that the eccentric slow movement may have been conceived as incidental music to a play. H. C. Robbins Landon, ''Haydn: Chronicle and Works'', 5 vols. (Bloomington and London: Indiana University Press, 1976– ) v. 2: "Haydn at Eszterhaza, 1766–1790", Musicologist Elaine Sisman suggested that it may have been

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

.Simon McVeigh, "Symphony", in ''Oxford Composer Companions: Haydn'', edited by David Wyn Jones, –414 (Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2002), mentions Sisman's speculation on pp. 392–93. . The minuet is not dance music, as it is rhythmically complex. Haydn switches frequently between and meter. The minor-key trio also features metric complexity in the form of

hemiola In music, hemiola (also hemiolia) is the ratio 3:2. The equivalent Latin term is sesquialtera. In rhythm, ''hemiola'' refers to three beats of equal value in the time normally occupied by two beats. In pitch, ''hemiola'' refers to the interval of ...

s. The finale is a hunting piece, similar to the finale to the 73rd symphony.

Notes

Symphony 065 1778 compositions Compositions in A major {{symphony-stub