I really needed the allegro molto that opened Symphony No. 13 in D. I had been feeling a bit down, emotionally. Fall sometimes does that to me, anyway. But so do the weenies on the Internet who constantly bicker. They’re an energy suck.

As I sat in my semi-lit office this morning at 8am, I wondered what the day would bring. Thankfully, I knew it would bring CD 4 of Haydn’s symphonies, which I was certain would lift my spirits.

I was right. It was a stirring way to begin the day.

According to its entry on Wikipedia, Symphony No. 13 in D,

was written in 1763 for the orchestra of Haydn’s patron, Prince Nikolaus Esterházy, in Eisenstadt.

The work can be precisely dated thanks to a dated score in Haydn’s own hand in the National Library of Budapest. Two other Haydn symphonies are known to have been written in the same year: the Symphony No. 12 and the Symphony No. 40.

That means Haydn was 31 when he composed this delightful symphony. Gee whiz, when I was 31 I was probably being a dick at work trying to climb the corporate ladder. I would much rather have been composing symphonies.

I so liked Movement I that I didn’t mind Movement II (“Adagio Cantabile”) with its much slower, kind of mournful tempo. That’s not to say that I didn’t relish Movement III (“Menuet & Trio”) or Movement IV (“Finale: Allegro molto”) when they arrived. But I also enjoyed the slower middle part, which is rare for me.

Actually, it’s a bit distracting listening to Haydn this morning because the tempo being kept by the chipmunk outside my office window clashes with Haydn’s. Plus, the chipmunk is raucous, not at all pleasing to my ears. I can see why musicians don’t play chipmunks in the orchestra.

Symphony No. 14 in A begins with another allegro molto. But it’s not as compelling to me. Maybe that’s because the chipmunk accompaniment is gone. Whatever the reason, I’m not as engrossed in Symphony 14, at least the first movement of it. My favorite movement of Symphony No. 14 is Movement IV (“Allegro”). It has that lively contrapuntal sound that I love so much in Classical music.

Symphony No. 14 “may have been written between 1761 and 1763,” which means Haydn would have been 29 to 31 years of age.

Symphony No. 15 in D “may have been written between 1760 and 1763,” which means Hayden would have been between 28 and 31 years of age. Nothing about Symphony No. 15 clicked with me. I wasn’t hooked. (And, keep in mind, when I say something didn’t click or I wasn’t hooked does not mean I find fault with the composer. Heck, no. Haydn doesn’t need me to give him pointers on how to punch up a symphony. I merely state that the composition doesn’t appeal to me personally, not that there’s anything wrong with it.)

Symphony No. 16 in B Flat, on the other hand, grabbed me immediately. Even the slower Movement II (“Andante”) was intriguing.

Written “between 1757 and 1761,” when Haydn was 25 to 29 years of age, Symphony No. 16 in B Flat is my second favorite composition on CD 4. It is compelling from start to finish.

Even with no chipmunk accompaniment, which I had grown used to after four symphonies.

I’ll bet chipmunks wouldn’t have even dreamed of bothering Haydn while he composed these masterpieces. Obviously, chipmunks were more respectful in the 1700s.