Symphony No. 89 (Haydn)
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Joseph Haydn's 89th Symphony in F major, dates from 1787. The work is scored for flute, two oboes, two bassoons, two horns and strings.
The 89th Symphony is in four movements:
This symphony frequently suffers by comparison with the companion Symphony no. 88 in G major, one of Haydn's finest works. But this work has charms of its own and shows much of Haydn's ingenuity as a composer. In this symphony, as stated in the Oxford Composer Companion to Haydn, (p.401) "vigour is tempered by elegance". The first movement, opens with five stacatto chords followed by a flowing melody. Those familiar with musical structure will notice something highly unusual in this movement. There is no recapitulation per se. After the opening exposition, Haydn proceeds to vary and develop his themes, but he only gets to what would appear to be the development section at the conclusion of the movement. The work, as is so much of Haydn, is full of surprises. With this ingenious movement, we can understand perhaps why Haydn borrowed from an earlier composition in the second and fourth movement of this symphony. Both these movements are taken from a "Concerto for Lira Organizzta" that Haydn composed in 1786, two years before this work, for the King of Naples. The second movement is a siciliene in 6/8 with a flowing theme. The third movement is a minuet in which the winds have the predominant role. There is a lovely flute solo in the trio. The finale starts quickly and includes an unusual musical marking -- strascinado -- which instructs the performers to drag the beginning of the opening theme.
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