Symphony No. 80 (Haydn)

Music#

The symphony is scored for flute, two oboes, two bassoons, two horns and strings The work is in the typical four movements: The first movement opens with a theme in the cellos accompanied by tremolos in the strings evoking a strong sense of Sturm und Drang. After the second theme provides a brief respite in the relative major, the music becomes turbulent as it transitions again. What follows is a very striking expositional coda which is a light, dancing theme featuring Lombard rhythms and scored for solo flute and first violin against a pizzicato bass. The development begins with a quirky coda theme in the remote key of D major and then slowly works it up the scale until it reaches A major followed by another grand pause and then the theme is repeated again in the relative major of F major. From there, Haydn blurs the lines between development and recapitulation as he did in earlier minor key symphonies. The first theme reappears in D minor, but it still appears to be part of the development. By the time the second theme appears in the parallel major of D major, it is evident that this is indeed the recapitulation and the movement drives home with odd expositional coda theme finishing the movement off in the appropriate key of D major. Haydn does not mark the second half of this movement with repeat signs. The lyrical second movement is in B major and has little trace of the storminess of the opening movement, although there are some darker passages toward the end of the movement. The third movement returns to D minor with some emphasis on F major, like in the first movement. The trio is in D major and uses a derivative (almost the reverse) of the Gregorian incipit lamentatio melody previously used in his 26th symphony “Lamentatione”. The finale is a sonata form in D major, with both halves marked for repeat. There is a lot of syncopation throughout the movement, particularly amongst the strings where the first violins play an eighth-note ahead of the second violins and the rest of the orchestra. The last movement contains very little negative melodies and ends with a passage similar to that he used to end his Symphony No. 84 in E.