Supplement (see Exs. No. 41 and 42): the Finale of theSonata
for Pianoforte in E-flat majorand the first movement of the
so-calledSurprise Symphony in G major. Haydn, of all com-
posers, needs little verbal elucidation; his music speaks for itself
and everyone must be sensitive to its vitality and charm. We
regret that it is not practical to give examples from the Quar-
tets which, in many respects—especially in the Minuets with
their inexhaustible invention[116] and their bubbling spirits—
represent Haydn at his best. But the real effect of his Quartets
is so bound up with idiomatic treatment of the strings that in
any transcription for pianoforte the music suffers grievously. It
is through the score, however, that everyone should become fa-
miliar, with the contents of the Quartets in C major, op. 76,
and D major, op. 64; the Finale of the latter being one of the
supreme examples in all chamber literature[117] of rhythmic vi-
tality.
[Footnote 116: Haydn himself used to speak of his melodic in-
vention as “a stream which bursts forth from an overflowing
reservoir.”]
[Footnote 117: In every large city there are, of course, frequent
opportunities to hear the Quartets of Haydn played by such
famous organizations as the Flonzaley Quartetetc. The student
is urged to take advantage of these occasions.]
The Finale of the E-flat sonata, in strict Sonata-form, begins
with a lively eight-measure phrase which is at once repeated a
tone higher. The extension of the sentence shows Haydn’s free-
dom in phraseology; for, beginning with measure 17, we should
have to count the measures 1, 2, 3, 3a, 4, 5, 6, 6a, 7, 7a, 8, 8a. In
the second theme, which begins in the 44th measure, note the pi-
quant dissonances[118] coupled with sforzando accents. Haydn
surely liked spice as well as anyone! The rest of the Exposition
is taken up with closing passages which accentuate the tonality
of the second theme—B-flat major. The Development needs no
comment, as the correspondence between the original material
and Haydn’s treatment is perfectly clear. The Recapitulation
is a literal repetition of the Exposition, with the two themes as
usual in the tonic key. The movement may be considered an
example of Sonata-form in its clearest manifestation, hence an
excellent one for preliminary analytical study.
[Footnote 118: Those who erroneously think that there is noth-