Discuss Joseph Haydns symphony in D major, Hob. I:101 (The Cloc!

as an
e"ample o# $he s$yle o# his %ondon symphonies.
Joseph Haydn's Symphony no. 101 in D Major ('The Clock') received is
premiere in he Hanover S!"are #ooms in $ondon on he %
rd
March 1&'(. )
series o* concers had +een or,anised +y he impresario Johann Salomon hree
years previo"sly- his +ein, he momen ha Haydn .as released *rom service
o he /serh01y co"r *ollo.in, he deah o* his employer- 2rince 3ikola"s 'he
Ma,ni4cen'. The aim o* his iniial series .as o inrod"ce Haydn o he ar5
h"n,ry arisocracy or beau monde o* $ondon- in li,h o* he declinin,
2ro*essional Concer o* $ord )+in,don.
1
The endeavo"r .as received .ih s"ch
elaion +y he $ondon p"+lic ha in 1&'% Salomon or,anised *or Haydn o
make a re"rn visi .ih a *"rher si6 symphonies- 'The Clock' +ein, he hird o*
hese and receivin, similar acclaim. ) revie. in he &ornin' Chronicle o* his
7ne. ,rand 8ver"re +y... he s"+lime Haydn9 remarked ha:
7()ery ne* +)er$ure he *ri$es, *e #ear ,$ha$- he can only repea$
himsel#. and *e are e)ery $ime mis$aen. /o$hin' can be more
ori'inal $han $he subjec$ o# $he 0rs$ mo)emen$... no man no*s
lie Haydn ho* $o produce incessan$ )arie$y, *i$hou$ once
depar$in' #rom i$.1
2
Here- one can +e,in o see he emer,ence o* a ne. symphonic syle o* .hich
Haydn- aided +y l"ck and +y he speci4c sociohisoric condiions o* he ime (o
.hich he so compeenly adaped)- .as he creaor. The .rier- in "sin, he
cr"cial descripor 7s"+lime9- and in commenin, on ori,inaliy and on variey
hro",h developmen- +e,ins o ideni*y he key sylisic characerisics o*
Haydn's $ondon symphonies ; characerisics .hich are .ell e6empli4ed in
'The Clock'.
1 McVeigh, Simon, 'The Professional Concert and Rival Subscription Series in London, 1!"#1$"', Royal Musical
Association Research Chronicle, no% && 'London( Ro)al Musical *ssociation, 1$!$+, 1#&
& Mercure de France '*pril 1&, 1!!+, #!, ,uoted in -olan, .mil) /%, The Orchestral Revolution: Haydn and the
Technologies of Timbre 'Cambridge 0P, &11"+, $
Haydn and $he sublime
<riin, in 1=10- /.T.). Ho>man says o* insr"menal m"sic ha 7is sole o+jec
is he e6pression o* he in4nie9.
%
This and oher s"ch descripions
"nmisaka+ly re*er o he aesheic o* he s"+lime. ? is ineresin,- here*ore-
o noe ho. closely Ho>mann's early romanic ideas a+o" he s"+lime mach
hose o* modern hisorians a+o" Haydn.
<. Dean S"cli>e- !"oin, )dam Smih- .ries ha insr"menal m"sic in he
1=
h
cen"ry .as ho",h o 4ll he mind o capaciy. #e,ardin, Haydn's m"sic
and his lae symphonies speci4cally- he says ha 7i 4s /dm"nd @"rke's
noion o* he s"+lime as 'asonishmen' 9- and ha- in is a+iliy o evoke
impressions o* 7vasness and ,reaness9 i can creae he 7ari4cial in4nie9.
(
$aer in he same so"rce S"cli>e noes ha- prior o Haydn's 4nal
composiion- Harmoniemesse- his $ondon symphonies and heir slo.
inrod"cions .ere he prime e6amples o* he s"+lime .ihin his m"sic. ?n
hese inrod"cions- he .ries- 7AHaydnB avoids clear melodies and periodic
phrasin, in *avo"r o* shor- irre,"lar phrases and conrasin, moi*s9.
C
These
*ea"res are no more clear han in he )da,io inrod"cion o 'The Clock'.
The slo. inrod"cion .as a *ea"re "ncommon o he period +" common o
all +" no. 'C o* Haydn's $ondon symphonies. Here- s*or1andi a+o"nd and are
*re!"enly conrased +y piano dynamic markin,s- j"s as lar,e ,ro"pin,s o*
insr"mens are *re!"enly ans.ered +y small ones (in m. %- seven insr"mens
marked #or$e are ans.ered .o +ars laer +y a rio marked piano).
)dven"ro"s- heavily chromaic harmony and phrases .ih "nclear +o"ndaries
and irre,"lar len,hs serve o creae a sense o* insa+iliy and even mysery.
The s"dden conras in he ransiion o he jovial 2reso- as i* .akin, *rom a
sran,e dream o 4nd he symphony +e,innin, as per 1=
h
cen"ry e6pecaion-
.as Haydn's key ool in porrayin, he s"+lime.
D
" Loc2e, *rthur 3are 4 5offmann, .% T% *%, '6eethoven's /nstrumental Music( Translated from .% T% *% 5offmann's
78reisleriana7 9ith an /ntroductor) :ote', The Musical Quarterly, Vol% ", :o% 1 ';<ford 0P, 1$1+, 1&"#1""
= 6otstein, Leon, 'The conse,uences of presumed innocence( the nineteenth#centur) reception of >oseph 5a)dn', in 3%
-ean Sutcliffe 'ed%+, Haydn Studies, 'Cambridge 0P, &11?+, &#&!
@ /bid%, p%?@
? See Aig% 1
? is even ar,"a+le (en"o"sly) ha he ransiion *rom +roodin, D minor o
jovial D major .as a *oreshado.in, o* he 3amp# und 4ie' symphonic radiion
and is heavy associaion .ih he s"+lime- as his precise onal movemen
(noa+ly 4rs "ilised o similar ends +y Mo1ar- *or e6ample in he D minor o*
Don 5io)anni) +ecame esa+lished as a rope o* he syle in laer years.
#e,ardless- e6aminin, he openin, o* 'The Clock' provides a ,ood e6ample o*
he pervasive presence o* he s"+lime in Haydn's $ondon symphonies.
6... ou$ o# $he aris$ocra$ic salon and in$o $he public sphere1
7
#ichard Tar"skin's descripion nealy o"lines he a*oremenioned sociohisoric
condiions ha .ere so ine,ral o Haydn's dramaic and momeno"s sylisic
rans*ormaion. 2rior o his ime in $ondon- he symphony .as lile more han
he li,h pary m"sic o* he "pper class: ,alan$ and inconse!"enialE reserved
*or per*ormance a paries in ,ardens and small cham+ers (hence 'cham+er
m"sic')E and per*ormed *or small ,ro"ps- "s"ally o* *riends .ihin he "pper
echelons o* sociey. Haydn dramaically chan,ed all o* his.
$i*e "nder 2rince 3ikola"s- a m"sic *anaic a.are o* Haydn's special alen-
,ave he composer an "n"s"al *reedom o* li*esyle and o* composiional
creaiviy. This- as .ell as his relaive isolaion *rom he m"sical c"l"res o* +i,
ciies as a res"l o* his conrac"al con4nemen o /isensad- had ,rea
imporance in erms o* he developmen o* his m"sical syle. He did no lose
his personaliy- "nlike many keen yo"n, composers .ho .o"ld cr"m+le "nder
press"re o pander o he ases o* he ciy concer,oer. @ein, "na+le o visi
hese ciies himsel*- Haydn insead +e,an composin, *or .ha $0s1lF Som*ai
calls he 'ima,inary a"dience'.
=
/veryhin, he .roe +e*ore $ondon- he did .ih
he "limae ,oal in mind o* pleasin,- aracin, he aenion o* and s"rprisin,
he conemporary concer a"dience ; .iho" ever +ein, a+le o receive
reacion o or here*ore revise his e6perimenaions. ?n he .ords o* Haydn
himsel* (accordin, o his mos r"sed +io,rapher- Geor, )","s Griesin,er): 7?
received approval *or anyhin, ? did... ? co"ld make e6perimens... ? .as c" o>
*rom he .orld... ? .as *orced o +ecome ori,inal9.
'
This ori,inaliy mani*esed isel* in a ne. syle .hich .o"ld even"ally lead
Tarus2in, Richard, The Oford History of !estern Music, Vol% // ';<ford 0P, &11@+, @1?
! Somfai, LBsClD, 'The London Revision of 5a)dn's /nstrumental St)le', "roceedings of the Royal Musical
Association# Vol% 111, ';<ford( Ta)lor 4 Arancis Ltd%, 1$$"#=+, 1@$#1=
$ Eriesinger, $iogra%hische &oti'en (ber )ose%h Haydn, 'LeipCig( 6reit2opf und 5Frtel, 1!11+, 1
o he crysallisaion o* he symphony as he +edrock o* <esern ar m"sic and
cemen in he annals o* m"sic hisory he conceps ha .o"ld *orm he +asis
*or he advancemen o* his m"sic. 'The Clock'- once more- serves as an
e6cellen e6ample o* his syle and hese conceps.
8The Cloc8 and Haydn8s %ondon s$yle
Haydn is remem+ered as +ein, one o* he mos h"moro"s composers in hisory
5 indeed- his is one o* he reasons his .orks so o*en conain s"+iles. Hamo"s
e6amples incl"de he e6emplarily s"+iled Srin, I"are in /+ major ('Joke')
8p. %% no. J ; .ih is *alse endin,s a he clos"re o* he 4nale ; and he "i
*orissimo chords on he o>5+ea in he )ndane o* he Symphony no. '( in G
('S"rprise').
The eponymo"s m"sical e>ec in 'The Clock' rec"rs in he second movemen-
in he *orm o* he ickin, rhyhm and oscillain, hirds mainained in he
accompanimen pars. Hirs seen a he openin, o* he )ndane in he +assoon
and srin, pars- i is laer aken in a hi,her re,iser +y K"es and +assoons.
10
Jane 2erry5Camp p"s i more analo,o"sly: 7) clock icks *amiliarly in Haydn's
Symphony 3o. 101- 4rs as i* a very lar,e ime5piece .ere a hand- and hen as
i* a minia"re mechanism ook over he ,ian one.9
11
This endency o 4nd
'e6ram"sical' meanin, .ihin hemes and moi*s .as ypical o* lae 1=
h
cen"ry sociey.
The m"sical c"l"re o* he ime .as +"il on he idea ha vocal m"sic is he
pinnacle o* he ar and here*ore ha all e6pression and emoion sho"ld +e
channeled o.ards some descri+a+le- earh5+o"nd represenaion. This is
anoher reason *or he *re!"en s"+ilin, o* Haydn's .orks. Tar"skin calls his
'e6roversive semioics'- and one o* he hin,s ha Haydn achieved so pivoally
.as he creaion o* a m"sic ha conveyed emoion hro",h 'inroversive
11 See Aig% &
11 Perr)#Camp, >ane, '* Laugh a Minuet( 5umor in Late .ighteenth#Centur) Music', College Music Sym%osium# Vol%
1$, :o% & 'Montana( College Music Societ), 1$$+, 1$#&$
semioics' insead ; hro",h a kind o* m"sical sel*5re*erence- .here he
developmen o* m"sical hemes +ecame he prime creaive caalys- as
opposed o he j"6aposiion o* di>eren maerial.
1J
This idea- appro6imaely
e!"ivalen o he one o* $hema$ische 9rbei$ (lierally meanin, 'heme .ork'- or
developmen)- .as pivoal +eca"se i 4nally allo.ed insr"menal m"sic o
reach an e6pressive poenial +eyond ha o* vocal m"sic- and here+y paved
he .ay *or #omanicism. Haydn achieved his hro",h his consisen "se and
pop"larisaion o* he sonaa *orm- .hich is *o"nd hro",ho" his $ondon
symphonies ; 'The Clock' incl"ded.
The openin, movemen o* 'The Clock' is in he sonaa *orm ypical o*
Haydn's lae symphonies. <ha is less ypical is is monohemaic e6posiion ;
.hich s",,ess an even ,reaer reliance on developmen as a creaive ool
han "s"al. Movin, ino he developmen- he harmony +ecomes more *orei,n-
mod"laory and "nsa+le. The openin, hemes and moi*s are reieraed
conrap"nally- in di>eren insr"mens and .ih *ra,menaion. ) ri"mphan
do"+le re"rn (anoher idiomaic *ea"re o* Haydn's m"sical syle) +rin,s in he
recapi"laion.
The 4nal movemen is .orh menionin, +rieKy: i is also monohemaic- and
akes a #ondo5Sonaa *orm ; ho.ever in a massive +"ckin, o* he rend- each
repeion o* he main heme is drasically alered. Co"ple his .ih he *ac ha
each 'conrasin,' heme is ac"ally +ased on he same +asic m"sical maerial
as he main and one can appreciae Haydn's creaive ,eni"s ; his capaciy *or
7incessan variey and orchesral ,ro.h9- as /mily ?. Dolan calls i.
1%
<ih his $ondon symphonies- Haydn displayed an a+iliy o creae a .ork ha
.as a once immensely varied and pleasin, o he avera,e lisener- and also
hi,hly echnical and learned. Srikin, his +alance .as one o* his cro.nin,
achievemens- as +y doin, his he ook hi,h ar do.n *rom is lo*y pedesal
and presened i o he masses. Haydn's oher menioned achievemens
incl"de his esa+lishmen o* he sandard symphonic *orm and pop"larisaion
o* i as a ,enre- his ranscendence o* he +o"nds o* physical espressiviy in
1& Tarus2in, The Oford History, Vol% //, @1?
1" -olan, The Orchestral Revolution, $
'poinin, in.ards' hro",h inroversive semioics- and his srikin, incorporaion
o* he s"+lime ino his m"sic. The syle o* Haydn's $ondon symphonies is .ha
em+odied hese achievemens- and 'The Clock' serves as a 4ne mashead and
e6ample *or hem.
Hi,"re 1: Hran1 Joseph Haydn- Symphony no. 101 in D ('The Clock')- ?- mm. 15JC
Hi,"re J: Hran1 Joseph Haydn- Symphony no. 101 in D ('The Clock')- ??- mm. 15JJ
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(Cam+rid,e L2- J00D)- J&5J=
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/MSLP, 'Symphony 3o.101 in D major- Ho+.?:101 (Haydn- Joseph)'-
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