63

"La Roxelane"

C major

Order by Hoboken
Hob.I: 63
Chronological order
74
Key
C major
Title
"La Roxelane"
Period
Late Esterház-sinfonias 1774 to 1782; The period of the „opera-symphonies“
Date of composition
end of 1779
Customer
Prince Nikolaus I. Joseph Esterházy
Number of movements
4
Authenticity proof
Entwurfs-Katalog
Score edition

Sinfonien um 1777-1779
Herausgeber: Sonja Gerlach und Stephen C. Fisher; Reihe I, Band 9; G. Henle Verlag München

Symphony No. 63 in C major ('La Roxelane')
Of all the symphonies in this volume, this one most clearly exemplifies Haydn's 'entertainment' mode of the late 1770s, offering 'easy', interesting, varied pleasure. All the movements are in the major, instantly apprehensible, lightly textured; they move within familiar styles and conventions and include few moments of expressive intensity. In the beginning of the first movement, the contrasts of dynamics, instrumentation, and texture between the opening theme and its counter-statement are crystal-clear, such that the more rapid and complex contrasts that follow are intelligible as well. The second group, which enters without transition, falls into a series of block-like, again internally contrasting, phrases which occasionally resemble the opening movement of Symphony N0.82 'The Bear', in the same key and metre. The development restricts itself to closely-related keys and avoids remote or 'difficult' modulations; on the other hand it is unusually long in proportion to the exposition, with extensive repetition of thematic blocks; Haydn compensates for this with extensive cuts in the recapitulation.
The Allegretto is a double variation movement (A-B-A’-B’-A2-B2) on a sprightly tune which the sources label 'La Roxelane'; it is not known whether it was drawn from incidental music Haydn composed for Favart's play in 1777 or newly composed in 1779. Although the usual modal organisation is reversed the 'main' theme is in C minor, the contrasting one in the major the major predictably wins out in the end. The final minor variation slightly alters the harmonies and phrase rhythm, while the full-band scoring of the repeated final major strains resembles the conclusions of more elaborate variation movements in C major and duple metre in the 'Surprise', 'Military' and 'Drum Roll' Symphonies.
The galant minuet may sound old-fashioned, but there is nothing 'pat' about Haydn's play with the piano 'Scotch snap' motive first heard at the end of the initial strain; the trio is a duet for oboe and bassoon accompanied by pizzicato strings. The sonata-form finale, by contrast, includes numerous disruptions and stylistic mixtures: outbursts on remote sonorities, and harmonically indirect retransition to the recapitulation, and even some four-part counterpoint in the development. These events might suggest that Haydn was violating his implied generic orientation of 'pure' entertainment, except that they are merely juxtaposed with other 'easy listening' passages, rather than being integrated into the movement as a later aesthetic would have demanded.

Analysis

Analyse

Analysis of the movements

1. movement
74,1
Title of the movement
Allegro
Key
C major
Form
sonataform
2. movement
74,2
Title of the movement
Allegretto più tosto allegro
Key
c minor
Form
variationform
3. movement
74,3
Title of the movement
Menuet / Trio
Key
C-C major
4. movement
74,4
Title of the movement
Presto
Key
C major
Form
sonataform
Duration
appr. 22 min.

Musicians

Musiker

Musicians

Due to the unclear time of origin of most of Haydn’s symphonies - and unlike his 13 Italian operas, where we really know the exact dates of premieres and performances - detailed and correct name lists of the orchestral musicians cannot be given.  As a rough outline, his symphony works can be divided into three temporal blocks. In the first block, in the service of Count Morzin (1757-1761), in the second block, the one at the court of the Esterházys (1761-1790 but with the last symphony for the Esterház audience in 1781) and the third block, the one after Esterház (1782-1795), i.e. in Paris and London.  Just for this middle block at the court of the Esterházys 1761-1781 (the last composed symphony for the Esterház audience) respectively 1790, at the end of his service at the court of Esterház we can choose Haydn’s most important musicians and “long-serving companions” and thereby extract an "all-time - all-stars orchestra".

Direction
Joseph Haydn
Instrumentation
1|2|0|1 – 2|0 – 0 – Str.
Cast oft he orchestra
1|2|0|1 – 2|0 – 0 – Str.
Cast
Flute Franz Sigl 1761-1773
Flute Zacharias Hirsch 1777-1790
Oboe Michael Kapfer 1761-1769
Oboe Georg Kapfer 1761-1770
Oboe Anton Mayer 1782-1790
Oboe Joseph Czerwenka 1784-1790
Bassoon Johann Hinterberger 1761-1777
Bassoon Franz Czerwenka 1784-1790
Bassoon Joseph Steiner 1781-1790
Horn (played violin) Franz Pauer 1770-1790
Horn (played violin) Joseph Oliva 1770-1790
Timpani or Bassoon Caspar Peczival 1773-1790
Violin Luigi Tomasini 1761-1790
Violin (leader 2. Vl) Johann Tost 1783-1788
Violin Joseph Purgsteiner 1766-1790
Violin Joseph Dietzl 1766-1790
Violin Vito Ungricht 1777-1790
Violin (most Viola) Christian Specht 1777-1790
Cello Anton Kraft 1779-1790
Violone Carl Schieringer 1768-1790

Medias

Medien

Music

Antal Dorati

Joseph Haydn
The Symphonies
Philharmonia Hungarica
33 CDs, aufgenommen 1970 bis 1974, herausgegeben 1996 Decca (Universal)

1. movement
74,1
2. movement
74,2
3. movement
74,3
4. movement
74,4



Score

63









Haydn13

1757

1. Periode
Hob.I:1

1757-1759

1. Periode
Hob.I:37
Hob.I:18
Hob.I:2

1757-1760

1. Periode
Hob.I:4
Hob.I:27

1758-1760

1. Periode
Hob.I:10
Hob.I:20

1761/1762

1. Periode
Hob.I:36
Hob.I:33

1766

4. Periode

1771

4. Periode
Hob.I:52
Hob.I:42

1773/1774

4. Periode
Hob.I:50

1774/1775

5. Periode
Hob.I:68

1776

5. Periode
Hob.I:61

1777/1778

5. Periode
Hob.I:53 "L'Impériale"

1778/1779

5. Periode
Hob.I:71

1780

5. Periode
Hob.I:74
Hob.I:62

1781

5. Periode
Hob.I:73 "La chasse"

1787

8. Periode
Hob.I:89

-1788

8. Periode
Hob.I:88

1788

8. Periode
Hob.I:90
Hob.I:91

1789

8. Periode
Hob.I:92 "Oxford"

1791/1792

9. Periode
Hob.I:98

1793

10. Periode
Hob.I:99

1794

10. Periode
Hob.I:102

1796

1799

1801

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I. Periode
Acide
 
I. Periode
 
I. Periode
 
I. Periode
La canterina
I. Periode
 
I. Periode
Lo speziale
 
I. Periode
 
I. Periode
Le pescatrici
 
I. Periode
 
I. Periode
 
II. Periode
 
II. Periode
 
II. Periode
 
II. Periode
Il mondo della luna
 
II. Periode
 
III. Periode
 
III. Periode
La fedeltà premiata
 
III. Periode
Orlando paladino
 
III. Periode
Armida
 
III. Periode
La vera costanza II