Mr. Peabody Says:
The nickname “La passione” did not originate with the Haydn himself. Haydn wrote music for plays, and often that music got into his symphonies. It appears he was writing music for a comedy about an uptight Quaker. As is so often true, the real story is way more fun than the made up one!
Klaus Mäkelä
- Purcell March (not part of the symphony)
- Adagio, F minor
- Allegro di molto, F minor
- Menuet e Trio, F minor
- Presto, F minor
Adam Fischer:
Instruments:
- two oboes, bassoon
- two horns
- strings
- continuo
The real story:
The nickname “La passione” did not originate with the Haydn himself. This symphony is mostly likely theatrical, common for Haydn, and linked to a characterization of an earnest Quaker figure of Nicolas Chamfort, a French writer who was born nine years after Haydn.
Form:
This symphony is a “church sonata”, which in fact often had nothing to do with playing in church music. It is a symphonic form that starts with a slow 1st movement, and all the movements are in the same key, in this case F minor.