J. Haydn: Symphony No. 47 in G major

1. how you come across to it:
I must be in primary school when I first heard that there was this remarkable man, Haydn, who composed over a hundred symphonies.

2. why this piece?
The saga continues...

3. (and...)
In the opinion of Charles Rosen, this is one of Haydn's most brilliant symphonies before his Paris series. Mozart copied down themes of this symphony in his sketches, apparently planning on conducting it himself. The first movement opens with a line passing between the horns and unison strings: a dialogue so full of tension, and so exciting for the listener. The second movement is a variation built upon a gracious two-voice melody; perhaps not surprisingly, the voices are inverted in the theme's second half. The counterpoint employed here is not sophisticated, though it adds richness to this elegant movement. As in many other Haydn symphonies of this period, the Minuet is the most interesting: the second half of the dance is a literal, note-to-note repetition of the first half, except in retrograde motion. At the end of the first half, the downbeats are all accented so that in the beginning of the second half, the accented upbeats (as a result of the backward motion) are dramatic enough to alert the listener of this intricacy. The finale is, unfortunately, a disappointment. Neither is it substantial enough to sustain the drama in the previous movements, nor is it jovial enough to resolve any tension. But overall, this is no doubt an admirable work.