the beauty of Haydn's music

[porcy62]

Lately I filled my gaps in Haydn's symphonies buying the missing box sets of my Dorati's Decca vinyl collection. So I am listening to them more then ever.

And WOW!

Haydn's music is such a beauty: a perfect balance of drama, peace, elegance, joy.

If I'd appoint a musician of the title of 'classic' this would be Haydn.

The early works rooted in Bach and Haendel and the late ones already in the Beethoven and Schubert era

Listen to the symphonies one could really understand, even an amateur like me, the development of this magnificient form of art.

Sure Mozart is Mozart as Ludwig Van is Ludwig Van, but Haydn possess the clarity of the greats, he's suprising and delicate at the same time.

The (late) Mozart and Beethoven throw one in their world, without any advise, take it or leave it, like a dive in the unknown, Haydn walks with you, hand in hand, leading one in his marvellous works, like Virgil with Dante in the Comedy.

[Ron S]

He also didn't do too badly with the string quartet.

[umum_cypher]

The (late) Mozart and Beethoven throw one in their world, without any advise, take it or leave it, like a dive in the unknown, Haydn walks with you, hand in hand, leading one in his marvellous works, like Virgil with Dante in the Comedy.

I'm sure he would have loved that comment. I thoroughly recommend this book, a good chunk of which is about how contemporary philosophy and literature influenced Haydn into taking that kind of approach to his audience (quite a small and directly observable entity for him at that time, of course).

Blurb:

Schroeder here sets out to challenge the widely held view of Haydn as an inspired instrumental musician who composed in isolation from 18th-century enlightened thinking. By means of both documentary and musical investigation the author seeks instead to present him as a culturally and politically sensitive representative of the Age of Englightement. Haydn's awareness of contemporary aesthetic opinion and the tenets of the Enlightenment is reflected by the transformations in his own compositional style, and there are fascinating implications here for our understanding of instrumental music from the second half of the eighteenth century. Of fundamental importance in this survey is Haydn's relationship with his audience, which, it is argued, had a significant bearing on the nature of the works. The author suggests that Haydn was well acquainted with the contemporary view that works of literature or music should serve a moral functionand he points to numerous instances in the late symphonies where this end is effectively pursued. For the eighteenth century, however, morality did not imply dullness; indeed, its goals were best served through wit, humour, popular appeal, and beauty, as well as through intellectual challenge.

[Peter Friedman]

The string quartets of Haydn are amazing. It boggles the mind to recognize that Haydn wrote so much wonderful music. 104 symphonies, piano sonatas, piano trios, and a large range of other music.

One of the truly great composers of all time.

[porcy62]

The (late) Mozart and Beethoven throw one in their world, without any advise, take it or leave it, like a dive in the unknown, Haydn walks with you, hand in hand, leading one in his marvellous works, like Virgil with Dante in the Comedy.

I'm sure he would have loved that comment. I thoroughly recommend this book, a good chunk of which is about how contemporary philosophy and literature influenced Haydn into taking that kind of approach to his audience (quite a small and directly observable entity for him at that time, of course).

Blurb:

Schroeder here sets out to challenge the widely held view of Haydn as an inspired instrumental musician who composed in isolation from 18th-century enlightened thinking. By means of both documentary and musical investigation the author seeks instead to present him as a culturally and politically sensitive representative of the Age of Englightement. Haydn's awareness of contemporary aesthetic opinion and the tenets of the Enlightenment is reflected by the transformations in his own compositional style, and there are fascinating implications here for our understanding of instrumental music from the second half of the eighteenth century. Of fundamental importance in this survey is Haydn's relationship with his audience, which, it is argued, had a significant bearing on the nature of the works. The author suggests that Haydn was well acquainted with the contemporary view that works of literature or music should serve a moral functionand he points to numerous instances in the late symphonies where this end is effectively pursued. For the eighteenth century, however, morality did not imply dullness; indeed, its goals were best served through wit, humour, popular appeal, and beauty, as well as through intellectual challenge.

I agree 100 per cent with Schroeder. I strongly associate Haydn with the Age of Englightement. It seems to me that he embodies the faith in the Reason and the educational purpose of arts in general. Beethoven was already beyond that, following his genious in a 'bourgeois' manner, a self conscious artist that 'wrote for the posterity' as he reproached a musician that didn't understand one of his later works during the rehearsal. (the story could be fake, but it's nevertheless explicative).

[Chuck Nessa]

Every classical fan should read Charles Rosen's The Classical Style - Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven. I got it when published in 1971 and still refer to it today.

The '70s weren't so bad after all.

[umum_cypher]

Also, he's almost the only composer whose music I love (partly) for its humour. Most 'funny' music I can't bear (Zappa, e.g.). But the gags in Haydn are always good.

My favourite recordings are of the London symphonies - the deeply inauthentic, romantic readings by Solti and the LSO (late-60s?). The slow movement of 104 is far too slow, with as much pathos wrung out of it as possible, and is absolutely gorgeous.

[Tom 1960]

Just purchased this monster via Amazon marketplace for just under $100 for 33 cds!

I've always enjoyed Haydn's Paris and London Symphonies along with a few of his lesser known works. I read some positive reviews on this collection and couldn't pass up a great deal.

[Chuck Nessa]

Interesting how the performances change as the years go on.

[MomsMobley]

Interesting how the performances change as the years go on.

the first Haydn set I got was Jochum's London symphonies-- four CD budget set DG, what's to lose? Let's say Papa Jo strong enough I kept looking, Jochum more ponderous than not. Bernstein obviously the better choice but at that time Lenny was cooped up in those ridiculous Prince Charles watercolors sets (!?!?!) and I wasn't going to buy those, even during a Tower Records Sony sale. Beecham? Colin Davis? Bernstein and Davis still quite good though I'll nearly always before earthier sonorities, fleeter tempos etc. Bruggen or Minkowski first choice today. Marriner Haydn masses on EMI are excellent too, even with big band sonics.

The great undersung-- but not underhung, if musical virility is any indication-- Haydnaut is Manfred Huss, wonderful series of orchestral discs on BIS, some reiussing previous sets on Koch, some new, no symphonies per se alas.