What do musicians traditionally do during the performance of Haydn's Farewell Symphony? Joseph Haydn - "farewell symphony" The history of the creation of the 45th Haydn symphony.

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So, Joseph Haydn "Farewell Symphony"

The peculiarity of this symphony is that it is performed by candlelight, mounted on the musicians' music stands; The traditional finale is followed by an additional slow part, during which the musicians stop playing one by one, extinguish the candles and leave the stage. First, all wind instruments are excluded. In the string group, the double basses are switched off, then the cellos, violas and second violins. The symphony is completed by only the first 2 violins (one of which was played by Haydn himself at one time, since the first violinist was also the conductor of the orchestra), who, after completing the music, extinguish the candles and leave after the others (from Wiki)

However, the history of its creation is not as clear as it is written in school textbooks of musical literature.

One thing, according to Haydn himself, was preserved in the memoirs of his contemporaries. At the time of writing this symphony, Haydn served in the chapel of Prince Esterhazy, one of the Hungarian magnates, whose wealth and luxury rivaled those of the Emperor. In January 1772, Prince Nikolaus Esterhazy ordered that during his stay at the estate the families of the chapel musicians (there were 16 of them at that time) should live there. Only in the absence of the prince could the musicians leave Eszterhaz and visit their wives and children. An exception was made only for the bandmaster and the first violinist. That year, the prince remained at the estate for an unusually long time, and the orchestra members, exhausted by their bachelor life, turned to their leader, the bandmaster, for help. Haydn cleverly solved this problem and managed to convey the musicians' request to the prince during the performance of his new, Forty-fifth Symphony.

Another legend is exactly the opposite: the prince himself decided to dissolve the chapel, leaving the orchestra members without a livelihood.

And finally, the last, dramatic one, put forward by the romantics in the 19th century: The Farewell Symphony embodies farewell to life. However, the title is missing from the score manuscript. The inscription at the beginning - partly in Latin, partly in Italian - reads: “Symphony in F sharp minor. In the name of God from me, Giuseppe Haydn. 772,” and at the end in Latin: “Praise God!”

The first performance took place in Eszterhaz in the autumn of the same 1772 by the princely chapel under the direction of Haydn.

Material taken from the website of the Murmansk Philharmonic Orchestra.

This is what Yuri Levitansky wrote about this work

Haydn's Farewell Symphony

The birches in the autumn forest are quietly extinguishing, the rowan trees are burning out.
And as the leaves fly away from the autumn aspens,
The forest becomes more and more transparent, revealing such depths,
That the whole secret essence of nature becomes clear.

I love these days when the idea is clear and the theme is guessed,
And then faster and faster, obeying the key, -
Like in the “Farewell Symphony” - towards the end you remember Haydn
The musician, having finished playing his part, extinguishes the candle.

And he leaves - the forest is becoming more and more spacious now - the musicians are leaving -
The foliage score burns line by line -
The candles in the orchestra go out one by one - the musicians leave -
Soon, soon all the candles in the orchestra will go out one by one.

More and more space, more and more wilderness in the autumn forest - the musicians are leaving.
Soon the last violin will fall silent in the violinist's hand.
And the last flute will die in silence - the musicians leave.
Soon, soon the last candle in our orchestra will go out...

But here is a humorous interpretation of its ending - watch from the fourth minute

Orchestra composition: 2 oboes, bassoon, 2 horns, strings (no more than 9 people).

History of creation

At the turn of the 60s and 70s, a stylistic turning point occurred in the composer’s work. One after another, pathetic symphonies appear, often in a minor key. They represent new style Haydn, connecting his search for expressiveness with the German literary movement of Sturm und Drang.

The name Farewell was assigned to Symphony No. 45, and there are several explanations for this. One thing, according to Haydn himself, was preserved in the memoirs of his contemporaries. At the time of writing this symphony, Haydn served in the chapel of Prince Esterhazy, one of the Hungarian magnates, whose wealth and luxury rivaled those of the Emperor. Their main residences were located in the town of Eisenstadt and the Esterhaz estate. In January 1772, Prince Nikolaus Esterhazy ordered that during his stay in Esterhazy the families of the chapel musicians (there were then 16 of them) should live there. Only in the absence of the prince could the musicians leave Eszterhaz and visit their wives and children. An exception was made only for the conductor and first violinist.

That year, the prince stayed at the estate for an unusually long time, and the orchestra members, exhausted by their bachelor life, turned to their leader, the bandmaster, for help. Haydn cleverly solved this problem and managed to convey the musicians' request to the prince during the performance of his new, Forty-fifth Symphony. According to another version, the request related to the salary that the prince had not paid to the orchestra for a long time, and the symphony contained a hint that the musicians were ready to say goodbye to the chapel. Another legend is exactly the opposite: the prince himself decided to dissolve the chapel, leaving the orchestra members without a livelihood. And finally, the last, dramatic one, put forward by the romantics in the 19th century: The Farewell Symphony embodies farewell to life. However, the title is missing from the score manuscript. The inscription at the beginning - partly in Latin, partly in Italian - reads: “Symphony in F sharp minor. In the name of God from me, Giuseppe Haydn. 772,” and at the end in Latin: “Praise God!”

The first performance took place in Eszterhaz in the autumn of the same 1772 by the princely chapel under the direction of Haydn.

The farewell symphony stands apart in Haydn's work. Its tonality is unusual - F-sharp minor, rarely used at that time. The eponymous major, in which the symphony ends and in which the minuet is written, is also not typical for the 18th century. But what is most unique is the symphony's slow conclusion, a kind of additional adagio following the finale, which is why the Farewell Symphony is often considered a five-movement symphony.

Music

The pathetic character of the first movement is already determined in the main part, which opens the symphony immediately, without a slow introduction. The expressive theme of the violins, falling along the tones of a minor triad, is aggravated by the characteristic syncopated rhythm of the accompaniment, juxtapositions of forte and piano, and sudden modulations into minor keys. A side part sounds in one of the minor keys, which is unexpected for a classical symphony (the major key of the same name is assumed). The secondary, as usual with Haydn, is not melodically independent and repeats the main one, only with a falling moaning motif of the violins at the end. The short final game, also in a minor key, with winding, seemingly pleading moves, further enhances the woeful pathos of the exposition, almost devoid of major foundations. But the development immediately affirms the major, and its second section forms a bright episode with new topic- peaceful, gallantly rounded. After a pause, the proclamation is proclaimed with sudden force main topic- the reprise begins. More dynamic, it is devoid of repetitions and is full of active development.

The second part - adagio - is light and serene, refined and gallant. The sound is predominantly of a string quartet (the double bass part is not highlighted), and the violins are muted, the dynamics are within the pianissimo range. A sonata form with similar themes is used, with a development performed by strings alone, and a compressed reprise, in which the main part is decorated with a “golden move” of horns.

The third movement - the minuet - is reminiscent of a village dance with a constant juxtaposition of the effects of piano (only the violin) and forte (the whole orchestra), with a clearly articulated theme and an abundance of repetitions. The trio begins with a “golden move” of horns, and at the end there is an unexpected darkening - the major gives way to the minor, anticipating the mood of the finale. The return of the first section makes one forget about this fleeting shadow.

The fourth part figuratively echoes the first. The side part is again not melodically independent, but, unlike the minor main part, it is colored in carefree major tones. The development, although small, is a truly classic example of the mastery of motivic development. The reprise is gloomy, does not repeat the exposition, but suddenly ends on the rise... After a general pause, a new adagio with variations begins. The gentle theme, presented in thirds, seems serene, but the sonority gradually fades away, and a feeling of anxiety arises. One by one, the instruments fall silent, the musicians, having finished their part, extinguish the candles burning in front of their consoles and leave. After the first variations, the wind instrument players leave the orchestra. The departure of the string section musicians begins with the bass; a viola and two violins remain on stage and, finally, a duet of violins and mutes quietly finishes their touching passages.

Such an unprecedented finale always made an irresistible impression: “When the orchestra members began to extinguish the candles and quietly leave, everyone’s hearts sank... When the faint sounds of the last violin finally died away, the listeners began to leave, silent and moved...” wrote the Leipzig newspaper. in 1799. “And no one laughed, because it was not written for fun,” Schumann echoed almost forty years later.

A. Koenigsberg

At the turn of the 60s and 70s, a stylistic turning point occurred in the composer’s work. One after another, pathetic symphonies appear, often in a minor key. They represent Haydn's new style, linking his search for expressiveness with the German literary movement of Sturm und Drang.

The name Farewell was assigned to Symphony No. 45, and there are several explanations for this. One thing, according to Haydn himself, was preserved in the memoirs of his contemporaries.

At the time of writing this symphony, Haydn served in the chapel of Prince Esterhazy, one of the Hungarian magnates, whose wealth and luxury rivaled those of the Emperor. Their main residences were located in the town of Eisenstadt and the Esterhaz estate. In January 1772, Prince Nikolaus Esterhazy ordered that during his stay in Esterhazy the families of the chapel musicians (there were then 16 of them) should live there. Only in the absence of the prince could the musicians leave Eszterhaz and visit their wives and children. An exception was made only for the conductor and first violinist.

According to another version, the request related to the salary that the prince had not paid to the orchestra for a long time, and the symphony contained a hint that the musicians were ready to say goodbye to the chapel. Another legend is exactly the opposite: the prince himself decided to dissolve the chapel, leaving the orchestra members without a livelihood. And finally, the last, dramatic one, put forward by the romantics in the 19th century: The Farewell Symphony embodies farewell to life.

However, the title is missing from the score manuscript. The inscription at the beginning - partly in Latin, partly in Italian - reads: “Symphony in F sharp minor. In the name of God from me, Giuseppe Haydn. 772,” and at the end in Latin: “Praise God!” The first performance took place in Eszterhaz in the autumn of the same 1772 by the princely chapel under the direction of Haydn. The farewell symphony stands apart in Haydn's work. Its tonality is unusual - F-sharp minor, rarely used at that time. The eponymous major, in which the symphony ends and in which the minuet is written, is also not typical for the 18th century.

But what is most unique is the symphony's slow conclusion, a kind of additional adagio following the finale, which is why the Farewell Symphony is often considered a five-movement symphony. Music The pathetic character of the first movement is already determined in the main part, which opens the symphony immediately, without a slow introduction.

The expressive theme of the violins, falling along the tones of a minor triad, is aggravated by the characteristic syncopated rhythm of the accompaniment, juxtapositions of forte and piano, and sudden modulations into minor keys. A side part sounds in one of the minor keys, which is unexpected for a classical symphony (the major key of the same name is assumed). The secondary, as usual with Haydn, is not melodically independent and repeats the main one, only with a falling moaning motif of the violins at the end. The short final game, also in a minor key, with winding, seemingly pleading moves, further enhances the woeful pathos of the exposition, almost devoid of major foundations. But the development immediately asserts the major key, and its second section forms a bright episode with a new theme - peaceful, gallantly rounded. After a pause, the main theme is announced with sudden force - the reprise begins. More dynamic, it is devoid of repetitions and is full of active development. The second part - adagio - is light and serene, refined and gallant. The sound is predominantly of a string quartet (the double bass part is not highlighted), and the violins are muted, the dynamics are within the pianissimo range. A sonata form with similar themes is used, with a development performed by strings alone, and a compressed reprise, in which the main part is decorated with a “golden move” of horns. The third movement - the minuet - is reminiscent of a village dance with a constant juxtaposition of the effects of piano (only the violin) and forte (the whole orchestra), with a clearly articulated theme and an abundance of repetitions. The trio begins with a “golden move” of horns, and at the end there is an unexpected darkening - the major gives way to the minor, anticipating the mood of the finale. The return of the first section makes one forget about this fleeting shadow. The fourth part figuratively echoes the first. The side part is again not melodically independent, but, unlike the minor main part, it is colored in carefree major tones. The development, although small, is a truly classic example of the mastery of motivic development. The reprise is gloomy, does not repeat the exposition, but suddenly ends on the rise... After a general pause, a new adagio with variations begins. The gentle theme, presented in thirds, seems serene, but the sonority gradually fades away, and a feeling of anxiety arises. One by one, the instruments fall silent, the musicians, having finished their part, extinguish the candles burning in front of their consoles and leave. After the first variations, the wind instrument players leave the orchestra. The departure of the string section musicians begins with the bass; a viola and two violins remain on stage and, finally, a duet of violins and mutes quietly finishes their touching passages. Such an unprecedented finale always made an irresistible impression: “When the orchestra members began to extinguish the candles and quietly leave, everyone’s hearts sank... When the faint sounds of the last violin finally died away, the listeners began to leave, silent and moved...” wrote the Leipzig newspaper. in 1799. “And no one laughed, because it was not written for fun,” Schumann echoed almost forty years later.

"Haydn's Farewell Symphony"

Essay

Completed by 7A class student Timofey O.

Introduction

Symphony - piece of music for orchestra. As a rule, symphonies are written for a large orchestra of mixed composition, but there are also symphonies for string, chamber, wind and other orchestras; The symphony can include a choir and solo vocal voices.

About the composer

Joseph Haydn was born on March 31, 1732 (baptized on April 1, 1732) in the village of Rohrau (Lower Austria).

At the age of six, Haydn was sent to school in Hainburg, where he learned to play various musical instruments and singing. Already in 1740, Haydn, thanks to his beautiful voice, became a choirmaster at St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna. He sang in the cathedral choir until 1749. Living in extreme poverty and need, Haydn found joy only in playing music. In the Austrian capital, he met the Italian poet, playwright and librettist P. Metastasio, who in turn introduced Haydn to the composer and teacher N. Porpora.

From 1753 to 1756, Haydn worked as an accompanist for Porpora and at the same time studied the basics of composition. In 1759, he received the position of conductor of the chapel from the Czech Count Morcin. At the same time, he wrote his first symphony, which was a great success and won him the sympathy of Prince Esterhazy, who offered Haydn the position of conductor in his orchestra.

The musician accepted this offer in 1761 and served with the prince for 30 years. After Esterhazy's death in 1790, Haydn was left without a specific position, but his name as a composer was already widely known. Haydn was especially glorified by his symphonies. In total, he wrote 119 symphonies, including the 45th “Farewell” (1772), six Paris symphonies (1785-1786), the 92nd “Oxford” (1789), twelve London symphonies (1791-1786). 1795), which were a response to trips to London in 1791-1792 and 1794-1795.

In addition to symphonies, the composer wrote 22 operas, 19 masses, 83 string quartets, 44 piano sonatas and many other works.

History of creation

"Farewell Symphony". It is also called "Symphony by Candlelight". For number 45. F sharp minor. Written by Joseph probably in 1772. As you know, Haydn served as bandmaster under Prince Esterhazy for thirty years. There were times when writing “to order” was considered the norm. And this music “to order” was impeccable, soulful, emotional, imbued with the creative spirit of the composer. So, Mr. Esterhazy, a passionate fan of music, ordered it for numerous family holidays and more.

And then one day it happened that Prince Esterhazy did not let the musicians go on vacation for a long time, and according to another version, he stayed on his estate for a long time, delaying his return to Vienna. The musicians were bound by the harsh terms of the contract and could not leave the estate without permission. They were exhausted from work and waiting for rest, many of the choir members despaired and asked Joseph to write a piece with a hint. Then Haydn, a wise leader and sensitive composer, wrote an extremely subtle emotional symphony with an unusual structure. The 4 movements that usually make up the standard structure of a symphony were supplemented with a 5th movement. A surprise awaited the prince and his guests..! And it was in part 5 that the musicians, one after another, extinguished the candles on the consoles, leaving the stage. The last to leave was the first violin, Haydn himself. Only after finishing the sad and tremulous melody did the maestro leave. The hall plunged into darkness. Legend has it that Prince Esterhazy, a very educated man with a keen understanding of music, understood everything and left for Vienna, letting the chapel rest.

Sound description

The pathetic character of the first movement is already determined in the main part, which opens the symphony immediately, without a slow introduction. The expressive theme of the violins, falling along the tones of a minor triad, is aggravated by the characteristic syncopated rhythm of the accompaniment, juxtapositions of forte and piano, and sudden modulations into minor keys. A side part sounds in one of the minor keys, which is unexpected for a classical symphony (the major key of the same name is assumed). The secondary, as usual with Haydn, is not melodically independent and repeats the main one, only with a falling moaning motif of the violins at the end. The short final game, also in a minor key, with winding, seemingly pleading moves, further enhances the woeful pathos of the exposition, almost devoid of major foundations. But the development immediately asserts the major key, and its second section forms a bright episode with a new theme - peaceful, gallantly rounded. After a pause, the main theme is announced with sudden force - the reprise begins. More dynamic, it is devoid of repetitions and is full of active development.

After a general pause, a new adagio with variations begins. The gentle theme, presented in thirds, seems serene, but the sonority gradually fades away, and a feeling of anxiety arises. One by one, the instruments fall silent, the musicians, having finished their part, extinguish the candles burning in front of their consoles and leave. After the first variations, the wind instrument players leave the orchestra. The departure of the string section musicians begins with the bass; a viola and two violins remain on stage and, finally, a duet of violins and mutes quietly finishes their touching passages.

“And no one laughed, because it was not written for fun,” Schumann echoed almost forty years later.

Conclusion

The Farewell Symphony, written for such a seemingly random occasion, still lives today. Until now, the orchestra players, one after another, leave the stage, and the orchestra sounds quieter and weaker: the lonely violins still fade away... The result is a very pleasant and melodic piece

We are waiting for *Farewell Symphony*.
Last minutes.
Suddenly the candles go out in the hall
For some reason.

For two hundred years the tradition has been this:
All the musicians begin to play,
When the candles light up in front of them -
The piece will be performed.

Trembling, as if worried,
Candle flames.
And the music is beautiful
Endlessly.

They take off so quickly, alarmingly
Bows. And it’s impossible to tear yourself away
From the sounds that penetrate your soul.
And I want to listen to them, listen, listen...

The melody is in a hurry (and not in vain)
Express everything until the fire goes out.
It sounds, and there is no doubt about it,
Which is in unison with my heartbeat.

And that monologue is called musical
The creator of his farewell symphony.

Prepared by Yulia Bederova

One of the few minor symphonies by Haydn and the only symphony of the 18th century written in the inconvenient key of F sharp minor for those times. In the finale, the musicians take turns leaving the stage, the parts of different instruments are gradually turned off from the music, and at the end only two violins remain to sound.

According to legend, the customer, Prince Esterhazy Haydn served as the prince's bandmaster, and the Esterhazy family actually owned the rights to all of his music and even managed the free time of the musicians., owed the members a vacation (according to another version - a salary) - this is what they hinted at with such an unusual ending. It is not known whether justice was achieved with this witty technique, but the slow finale of the Farewell Symphony, the music of which was influenced by the sturmership "Sturm und Drang"(German: Sturm und Drang) is a pre-Romantic literary and artistic movement that influenced many composers in music, from Haydn and Mozart to Beethoven and the Romantics. Representatives of the movement are called Sturmers., in turn, influenced the subsequent history of symphonies - from Beethoven to Tchaikovsky and Mahler. After the Farewell, slow finals became possible, which the classical model did not envisage.