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Can you count over 100? You’ll need to this week as we explore just why Haydn is known as the Father of the Symphony.
Howdy, howdy, howdy! I’m Solomon Reynolds, and this is Saturday Morning Car Tunes!
This morning… Joseph Haydn is known as the Father of the Symphony, the greatest type of orchestral music. But why? Or how? Haydn lived around 250 years ago and worked as a court composer, which meant he had to write lots of music for wealthy people all the time. This gave him a lot of opportunities to experiment.
No other composer came close to the excellence and sheer volume of Haydn’s music. He wrote over 100 symphonies and, in the process, standardized what a symphony was, like how many movements there were and even which instruments were used.
A third of Haydn’s symphonies have special nicknames. His Symphony No. 47 is called “The Palindrome” because the first part of the music… is played backwards the second time.
His Symphony No. 73 features horn calls (really popular in Haydn’s day), which led to its nickname: “The Hunt.”
Have you ever seen a dancing bear? In the last movement of Symphony No. 82, Haydn copies the sound of bagpipes, which reminded people of the music that would play while bears danced in the street—yes, bears used to dance in the street. This Symphony is called “The Bear.”
Symphony No. 83 is nicknamed “The Hen” because this rhythm in the oboe sounded like a chicken clucking. What do you think?
You could go to college to get a degree, or you could just write a symphony! Haydn was given an honorary doctorate in music from Oxford and conducted this symphony for the occasion.
I’d tell you the name of this symphony, but it’s a surprise.
Symphony No. 100, nicknamed “Military,” uses Janissary instruments from Turkish military music. Do the triangle, cymbals, and bass drum rally you up?
This movement from Haydn’s Symphony No. 101 sounded like the ticking on a clock.
Haydn’s symphonic popularity literally saved lives. When the audience wanted to get a better look while he conducted his Symphony No. 102, they rushed the stage. Suddenly, [CRASH] a chandelier fell from the ceiling, right into empty seats. It was a miracle that no one got hurt! But over time, the wrong symphony got the nickname: The Miracle.
Without Haydn, the symphony would be something phony.
I’m Solomon Reynolds. I write and produce Saturday Morning Car Tunes with research assistant Carolina Correa and audio engineer Stephen Page, only on Classical California. Tune in—or out of your car—next Saturday morning!
