Symphony No. 72 (Haydn)

The Symphony No. 72 in D major (Hoboken 1/72) is a symphony by Joseph Haydn.

Date of composition and scoring

The symphony was probably composed between 1763 and 1765. It is scored for flute, two oboes, bassoon, four horns and strings. It is one of the few classical-era symphonies to include four horns rather than two. This work is closely related to the Hornsignal Symphony because of its many soloistic horn passages.Oxford Composer Companions: Haydn, ed. David Wyn Jones, Oxford University Press, 2002. ISBN 0-19-866216-5]

The date of this composition is earlier than its number suggests. This work is not well chronologically placed in the Hoboken numbering system: it was composed fifteen to twenty years before the neighboring works.

Movements

*I. Allegro
*II. Andante
*III. Menuet & Trio
*IV. Finale: Andante (Thema. Var. I-VI) - Presto

The horns are silent in the second movement. In their place are solo passages for flute and violin.HC Robbins Landon, Haydn: Chronicle and Works, 5 vols, (Bloomington and London: Indiana University Press, 1976-) v. 1, Haydn: the Early Years, 1732-1765]

The finale is a set of marching variations that features many soloists accompanied by strings. The first variation features solo flute, the second a solo cello, the third a solo violin and the fourth a solo violone. The fifth variation is scored for oboe, two horns and strings while the sixth variation is for flute, oboe, bassoon, four horns and strings. The movement concludes with a Presto coda and featuring a final horn flourish.

Notes