Identify the work from symphony no 94 \"Surprise\". 3rd Movement by Joseph Haydn

Question

Identify the work from symphony no 94 "Surprise". 3rd Movement by Joseph Haydn and describe the way in which the composition expresses the specific qualities of the Classical music style. Explain what you like or admire about the work. Compare it to a specific modern musical work for which you might use the term "classic" or "classical".

The third movement of Symphony No. 94 (track 25.1) is in minuet-and-trio form. It is among Haydn’s greatest works. In the very first section of the movement, the graceful cadences of the minuet last for only about 13 seconds, but in that short span, Haydn changes dynamics four times. He then repeats this first section, so that in the first 30 seconds of the composition, a total of eight changes in dynamics occur. The violins alone play the quiet, or piano, passages, and the full orchestra the loud, or fortissimo, passages. This opening theme, with all its contrasting elements, is followed by the second theme of the opening minuet, after which the first theme briefly repeats, followed in turn by a repetition of the entire second theme. The trio manipulates the themes of the first minuet, lending them an entirely different texture, as first horns and violins alternate and then oboes and bassoons replace the horns, adding a sudden and surprising shift to a minor key. Finally, the entire minuet repeats exactly. The full effect is one of almost stunning emotional range.

Explanation / Answer

The Symphony No. 94 in G major (H. 1/94) is the second of the twelve so-called London symphonies written by Joseph Haydn. It is popularly known as the Surprise Symphony.

The Surprise Symphony is scored for a Classical-era orchestra consisting of two each of flutes, oboes, bassoons, horns, trumpets, plus timpani, and the usual string section consisting of violins (first and second), violas, cellos, and double basses. A typical performance of the Surprise Symphony lasts about 23 minutes

The first movement has a lyrical 3/4 introduction preceding a highly rhythmic main section in 6/8 time. The second, "surprise", movement, is an andante theme and variations in 2/4 time in the subdominant key of C major. The theme is in two eight-bar sections, each repeated. The repeat at the end of the first section is pianissimo with pizzicato in the lower strings to set up the surprise. Four variations of the theme follow, starting with embellishment in sixteenth notes by the first violins, moving to a stormy variation in C minor with trumpets and timpani, followed by solos for the first oboist and flautist, and concluding with a sweeping and lyrical forte repeat in triplets. In the coda section, the opening notes are stated once more, this time reharmonized with gently dissonant diminished seventh chords over a tonic pedal. The third movement is a minuet and trio, in ternary form in the tonic key (G major). The tempo, allegro molto (very quickly), is of note since it marks the historical shift away from the old minuet (which was played at a slower, danceable, tempo) toward the scherzo; by his last quartets Haydn had started marking his minuets presto. The fourth movement is a characteristically rhythmic, energetic and propulsive Haydn finale. The movement is written in sonata rondo form with the opening bars appearing both at the beginning and in the middle of the development section. The stirring coda emphasizes the timpani

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