The selected sonatas
The two sonatas performed on clavichord on this recording are early works in the galant style, written before or around 1760. Both belong to the category of Kenner sonatas, with rich textures and technically more challenging than Liebhaber works. The first movement of the Sonata in D, Hoboken XVI:14, Allegro moderato, is rich in its rhythmic vocabulary, and therefore, as is common in opening movements in Haydn’s early works, the pace of the quarter note is quite slow. It has a wonderful liveliness in its declamatory speaking style. There is no “slow” middle movement; rather, a minuet follows, which has brilliant runs in the minuet proper, contrasted with slower note values and an expressive minor mode in the trio. The highly energetic Presto finale exposes brilliant keyboard textures while expressing playful joy.
The first movement of the Sonata in B-flat, Hoboken XVI:2, shows some similarities to the opening movement of the previous sonata. This unhurried Moderato explores the speaking style, in spite of its fanfare-like opening motive. The hauntingly beautiful second movement in g minor is one of only two largos in Haydn’s entire sonata output. One reason it is so unusual might be the problem of sustaining the sound with the quick decay of tone of the keyboard instruments. In this movement, that problem is solved by the repetition of chords in the left hand which keeps the sound going, in the manner of a Vivaldi Largo for strings. This serious and Empfindsam movement displays rhythmic patterns and ornamentation which are quite unique to Haydn’s writing. The last movement is a carefree minuet in Ländler style containing a trio section with pleading motives in the minor mode.
More Galanterien than Empfindsamkeit can be heard in the Sonata in E-flat, Hoboken XVI:28, from 1776. In this Liebhaber type, directed to the Viennese amateur rather than the virtuoso professional, the music is accessible and direct. The Allegro moderato in 3/4 is pleasing and elegant. The relatively thin texture and slow harmonic pulse lightens the character. The Minuet has a noble character, and therefore the pace is a little restrained. The moderator (a strap of wool fabric inserted between the hammer heads and the strings) is used for the trio section in minor mode, to emphasize its introvert character. The spirited Finale presto in 2/4 is in strophic variation form. The theme has eighth notes as the fastest note value; therefore, the movement works best in a faster tempo.
The Sonata in g, Hoboken XVI:44, from around 1770, is introverted and personal. This two-movement chamber-style sonata shows a clear influence from the Empfindsamkeit and C. P. E. Bach. It is not known for whom it is written, and might just have been a personal reflection and experiment by Haydn. The Moderato is full of strong contrasts and rhetorical pauses, and is very rich in its emotional contents. By the end of the movement, there is a beautiful cadenza that captures the lyrical essence of the entire piece. The second movement, Allegretto, has the rhythmic character of a minuet or Ländler. It is a hybrid variation, and uses modal mixture, thus alternating minor and major as a contrasting element, a technique Haydn successfully used in several pieces, among them the f-minor variations.
The Sonata in F, Hoboken XVI:23, written in 1773, was dedicated to and printed for Haydn’s famous patron Prince Nikolaus Esterházy. The first movement lacks character designation, and should thus be played in the so-called tempo giusto, its own proper and natural tempo. It is written in 2/4 meter, but it is structurally rather a movement in 4/8 (a notation Haydn never uses), which influences the character of the metric accentuation and the pace. It starts out with a march-like motive, followed by the speaking style and later the brilliant style with a virtuosic display of keyboard figurations.
The serene Adagio in f minor is one of the most beautiful keyboard movements by the composer. The moderator is used throughout the piece, as is the damper pedal, imitating the early fortepianos where the damping device was operated by a lever, and thus was either on or off. The movement looks back to the Baroque in that it refers to the dance siciliano in the opening motive. Furthermore, it uses one continuous accompanimental figure throughout. The Presto finale is full of mischief and wit, nagging motives and humorous teasing. The texture is light and the higher register of the keyboard is often used, thus a fast pace and a lively character is the natural choice for performance.
Haydn was sensitive to the specific characteristics of pianos by different makers, and on his first trip to London in 1791 he had encountered the English action grand piano. His last three sonatas, which are dedicated to the gifted and acclaimed performer Therese Jansen Bartolozzi, bear witness on his musical response to its expansive sonorities and rich sound. The Sonata in E-flat, Hoboken XVI:52, from 1794, was published as a “Grande Sonate.” The full, rich chords, figurations spanning the entire compass, and shocking dynamic contrasts, are, for Haydn, new pianistic effects, and show that he is entering the early Romantic era.
The first movement displays a string of different and abruptly changing topics. The opening rhythm alludes to the French Overture style. Later there are examples of the galant style, brilliant style, legato style, and Sturm und Drang. One might find the pace of the quarter note unusually slow for a 4/4 Allegro. The music, however, is not slow; it is the musical contents that define the tempo. The rich and varied rhythmic vocabulary and the frequent use of thirty-second notes require sufficient time. Allegro is the designation for the character, not the metronomical tempo.
The sarabande disappeared as a dance by the end of the eighteenth century, but the style and its character as topic remained. We find this slow, serious dance, with its emphasis on the second beat, in the Adagio movement in E major. The form is ABA, and in the B section in e minor, the dance topic is less prominent and the music is dominated by a declamatory style.
The Finale presto is also inspired by dance topics like the contredanse and the musette, as well as the brilliant style. Its character is humorous and witty, topics that are constantly recurring in Haydn’s output. The choice of tempo is motivated more by the virtuosic brilliant texture than the sturdy contredanse.
The highly unusual key relationship between the movements—E-flat / E major / E- flat—presents a polarity that produces an enhanced contrasting expression.
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