Wednesday 31 October 2012

Franz J. Haydn: Piano Sonata No.59 in E flat major, Hob. XVI/49

* A previous reading of the two posts of October 17 - namely, 'Annex 1: The Eighteenth Century Pedal Piano, also known as Fortepiano', and ' Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: The Sonata K448 in D major for two pianos' - is strongly recommended. The latter describes the main characteristics of the Classical Period and of the Classical Piano Sonata


Franz Joseph Haydn (1732 – 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical Era. Together with Mozart and Beethoven, he comprises what became known as the Viennese Trinity of Classical period composers, and is regarded one of  the most prolific and influencial composers of the  Western classical music.

Haydn spent most of his career as court  musician for the Eszterházy family. He was the brother of composer Michael Haydn and of tenor Johann Evangelist Haydn.

Haydn left a large legacy of great masterpieces – most frequently piano trios, string quartets, and symphonies.  He was also a genious of the sonata form[1]for keyboard (the keyboard instrument of his time being the fortepiano).

Haydn mastered the art of this particular form, and had a peculiar way of composing this type of piece. To start with, the composer was very fond of the technique of ‘recapitulation’. This was a device  used near the end of the development section of the sonata to 'fool' the listener into thinking the recapitulation itself has begun, when in fact it has not – for the sonata still finds itself in the harmonically unstable area of the development section.

Small wonder Haydn was an expert in surprising the listener, with his witty and humorous pieces. He would often do this by coming up with many twists and turns – ‘tricks’ such as sudden modulations, a phrase resolving itself in a way completely different from that in which it is expected to, and unexpected  harmonic and rhythmic shifs.

Other evidence of the composer’s eccentric ideas stems from his experimenting with yet other ways of surprising the listener. The latter is startled with unexpected rests or a fermata that suddenly breaks the action. Moreover, remote keys are juxtaposed – a feature known as unprepared modulation. In this – as well as in other respects – Haydn had a very unusual style of composing – contrasting with that of Mozart, which was rather conservative and ‘well-behaved’, rarely surprising the listener with sudden changes in rhythm or harmonics.

It is a renowned characteristic of Haydn’s style his using a single motif or theme for each movement – from which derived all the other musical ideas.

Haydn further surprised the listener by presenting his themes in recapitulation in a different order than they were presented in the exposition – and sometimes he did not present them verbatim in the recapitulation.     
  
The Piano Sonata No.59 in E flat major, Hob. XVI/49 is divided in the following movements: 1.Allegro ma non troppo; 2.Adagio cantabile; and 3.Minuet.


Observe  how Haydn closes many of his phrases in rather unexpected ways. Also notice the sudden fermata in the first movement. Still in the first movement, there is a key shift to  a remote B flat major.

The gracious Adagio cantabile follows as development section. Notice the melancholy hues due to the alternation between its original key (which follows the later B flat major of the first movement - i.e. the key in which it is written after the modulation) and the tonic minor.

The piece is finally closed with a large Minuet with two trio sections, modulating to E flat minor but closing in E flat major.

A lovely performance, by Brendo. Enjoy! 
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWF-48jIrSU&feature=related



[1] On the Classical Period sonata, see post on Mozart’s K448 in D major for two pianos, of October 17, 2012.  I would add as important information on this style of sonata the simplicity and stability of tone with which it begins, from which tension is worked up towards the middle section – where the structure is more complex, with far-ranging key changes and more agitated rhythmic patterns. Finally,  complexity and tension decrease in the last section.


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