Day 5: On Set

Haydn5You know the kind of music Hollywood uses as the soundtrack in a period piece, a movie set in a bygone era?

It’s stuff like what’s on CD 5, starting with Symphony No. 17 in F.

The only thing missing is Cate Blanchett.

Or Geoffrey Rush.

And a whole lot of powdered wigs and brightly colored clothes.

Think Jane Austin. Or George Washington. Or Mutiny on the Bounty, in which case an appearance by Clark Gable would be in order. (Forget Charles Laughton, though. I don’t want Captain Bligh to invade my reverie this morning.)

Clark_Gable_in_Mutiny_on_the_Bounty_trailerHere’s the point. When people think of the era of powdered wigs and formal, if not visually stunning, minuet or contredanse allemande dancing, they likely think of spirit that imbues Haydn’s Symphony No. 17 in F, although – to be sure – they’d more likely be hearing a quartet, not a full symphony, at these social gatherings. Still, there’s something about Symphony No. 17 in F that smacks of a gathering of that sort. It has a Late Baroque feel to it. All that’s missing is a harpsichord, for which I am immeasurably grateful. That instrument grates on my nerves like fingernails on a chalkboard.

The three-movement Symphony No. 17 in F “may have been written between 1757 and 1763,” which means Haydn was between 25 and 31. The third movement (“Finale: Allegro molto”) has that sprightly, Late Baroque feel to it as well. Too bad, it’s the shortest of the three movements. At a scant 3:13, it’s over much too soon.

Symphony No. 17 is just a very nice piece of music.

Symphony No. 18 in G, on the other hand, although pleasant, strikes me as a bit colorless. It’s not bad. It’s just not terribly memorable. Symphony No. 18 in G would be good background for a writing project.

According to its entry on Wikipedia,

The composition date is uncertain. The Breitkopf catalogue entry assures that it was composed no later than 1766, but most scholars believe it was composed at least a few years before then. Dates between 1757 and 1764 have been suggested.

That means Haydn may have between 25 and 32 when he penned this symphony.

Symphony No. 19 in D follows in the footsteps of Symphony No. 18: it’s good, but not my cup of tea. Here’s an interesting tidbit: Symphony No. 19 in D, according to musicologists, is homotonal, which means “all of its movements have the same tonic (keynote).” This piece was composed between 1757 and 1761, which means Haydn was 25 to 29 years of age.

Symphony No. 20 in C is called a “festive” symphony and it has that sound I like. Lots of instruments, strings sawing away, horns punctuating the spaces in between, under and over. Again, the date is disputed. According to its entry on Wikipedia, “Hodgson places the composition date in either 1761 or 1762 while Brown states that it was likely composed before 1761,” which means Haydn was 29 or 30. Or younger.

One of these days I’ll have to analyze what it is about a particular piece of music that grips me. I think it has something to do with the combination of tempo and complexity. The more Baroque it sounds, all bouncy and compelling, the more I’m drawn to it.

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