- Symphony No. 85 (Haydn)
The Symphony No. 85 in
B flat major (Hoboken 1/85) is the fourth of the six "Paris" symphonies (numbers 82-87) written byJoseph Haydn . It is popularly known as La Reine ("The Queen").According to H. C. Robbins Landon [Robbins Landon 1963, xv] , the 85th Symphony was completed in either 1785 or 1786. It is in standard four movement form and is scored for
flute , two oboes, two bassoons, two horns, and strings.The nickname La Reine originated because the work was a favorite of
Marie Antoinette , at the time Queen of France. [Steinberg (1995, 204)] [Ethan Mordden, "A Guide to Orchestral Music: The Handbook for Non-Musicians". New York: Oxford University Press (1980): 82. "The subtitle refers to Marie Antoinette, who was said to adore this swank piece, written for Paris."] It is the only one of the Paris symphonies whose nickname is of 18th century origin [Harrison, 101] .The four movements are marked as follows:
*I. Adagio-Vivace
*II. Romance: Allegretto
*III.Menuetto : Allegretto
*IV.Finale : PrestoThe first movement contains a reference to Symphony No. 45. [Bernard Harrison, "Haydn: The 'Paris' Symphonies". Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (1998): 88] The second movement is described by
H. C. Robbins Landon as "a set of variations on the old French folk-song 'La gentille et jeune Lisette' [Robbins Landon 1963, xvii] ; seeHaydn and folk music .Notes
ee also
*
List of symphonies by name References
*Robbins Landon, H. C. (1963) "Joseph Haydn: Critical Edition of the Complete Symphonies", Universal Edition, Vienna
*Steinberg, Michael (1995) "The Symphony: A Listeners Guide". Oxford University Press.
*Harrison, Bernard "Haydn: The "Paris" Symphonies" (Cambridge University Press, 1998)
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