Symphony No. 2 (Haydn)
Joseph Haydn's Symphony No. 2 in C major, Hoboken I/2, is believed to have been written between 1757 and 1761.
It is scored for 2 oboes, bassoon, 2 horns, strings and continuo.[1] Like many of the earliest symphonies by Haydn and others of the time, it is in three movements:
In the second movement, the wind instruments are omitted and the violins play in semiquavers from start to finish (a kind of perpetuum mobile ) with the pattern frequently broken by the use of trills.[2] The violas in this slow movement double the bass part throughout at an octave above.[3] (e.g., "col basso," which was common in the period). Also, the first and second violins are the same in the second movement. The last movement is "Haydn's first attempt at a symphonic rondo and is characterized by a preoccupation with imitative processes."[4] It is the only one of Haydn's symphonies that contains no repeat signs.[5] It is also one of his shortest symphonies; performances generally last less than ten minutes.
References
[edit ]- ^ H. C. Robbins Landon, The Symphonies of Joseph Haydn. London: Universal Edition & Rockliff (1955): 616. "2 ob., 2 cor., str., [ fag., cemb. ]"
- ^ H. C. Robbins Landon, Haydn: Chronicle and Works, 5 vols. (Bloomington and London: Indiana University Press, 1976–[full citation needed ]) v. 1: "Haydn: the Early Years, 1732–1765", [page needed ].
- ^ Landon 1955: 203
- ^ William E. Grim, Haydn's Sturm und Drang Symphonies: Form and Meaning. Lewiston, New York: Edwin Mellen Press (1990): 95
- ^ Antony Hodgson, "The Music of Joseph Haydn: The Symphonies"[full citation needed ], p. 47.
