Symphony No. 93 in D major, Hob. I:93
Joseph Haydn
F
or nearly three decades, from 1761 to
1790, Joseph Haydn was employed by the
Esterházy Princes, powerful Austro-Hungarian aristocrats who ruled over vast expanses
of Central Europe. A princely succession in
September 1790 led to severe cutbacks in the
court’s arts programs, leaving Haydn free to
explore the world beyond the circuit of Esterházy castles in Austria and Hungary. The
German-born violinist Johann Peter Salomon, then working as a concert impresario in
England, had been angling to present Haydn
for some time. The two quickly reached an
accord whereby Haydn would travel to London and be richly rewarded for new works he
was to unveil there, not to mention publication deals and income from a benefit concert.
Following his first voyage by sea, Haydn
arrived in London on January 1, 1791, and
found that Salomon had proved an exemplary advance man. “My arrival caused a
great sensation throughout the whole city,”
Haydn wrote to his friend Maria Anna von
Genzinger, wife of the Esterházy court physician, “and I went the rounds of all the newspapers for three successive days. Everybody
wants to know me.” After the initial flurry, he
embarked on a leisurely schedule of musicmaking and social appearances that included
being fêted by the Royal Family and receiving a doctorate from Oxford University. He
returned to Vienna in the summer of 1792,
having enjoyed his time in England so much
that he happily accepted a second invitation
to visit in 1794.
For each of his visits Haydn wrote sets of six
symphonies — Nos. 93–98 for the first trip, Nos.
99–104 for the second — and ever since they
have been dubbed the “London” or “Salomon”
symphonies. The works exhibit great diversity,
but as a whole they are grander in scope and or30 | NEw YORk PhILhARMONIC
chestration than anything Haydn had previously produced, in every way representing the
apex of his symphonic achievement. It appears
that he came prepared with a few of his symphonies already written (including No. 93), but
most were penned on English soil.
While the symphony played here is assigned the opening spot among Haydn’s “London” Symphonies, that position reflects that
it was the first of the group performed at Salomon’s concert series, not that it was the first
composed. Chronologically, it was the third of
the bunch to be written, preceded by what became known as the Symphonies Nos. 96 and
95. An unidentified Haydn Overture (that
term being used somewhat interchangeably
with “symphony” at the time) was given in
London by a different concert organization
four days before Salomon’s opening concert,
but the latter event attracted greater attention.
Salomon’s concert, on February 17, 1792, was a
characteristic grab bag of symphonies (or
movements thereof), concertos (for oboe, for
IN SHORT
Born: March 31, 1732 (almost certainly, since
he was baptized on April 1) in Rohrau, Lower
Austria
Died: May 31, 1809, in Vienna
Work composed: 1791
World premiere: February 17, 1792, at the
Hanover Square Concert Rooms in London,
led by the composer
New York Philharmonic premiere: March 2,
1932, Sir Thomas Beecham, conductor
Most recent New York Philharmonic
performance: October 16, 1979, Erich
Leinsdorf, conductor
Estimated duration: ca. 21 minutes
harp, and for violin), and vocal selections by
various composers. Haydn was represented by
his “New Grand Overture,” which opened the
second half. The composer wrote in his diary,
“In the 1st concert the Adagio of the new Symphony in D was encored.”
Three newspapers covered the concert, all
admiringly. The Times informed its readers
that Haydn’s symphony displayed “such a
combination of excellence … as inspired all
the performers as well as the audience with
enthusiastic ardour.” The Morning Herald
stated that “the new grand Overture of Haydn
was a composition of very extraordinary
merit; and proved that his genius, active as it
has been, is as vigorous and fertile as ever.”
The Diary; or, Woodfalls Register concurred:
The Concert under the firm of Haydn and
Salomon commenced for the season last
night, before a very brilliance [sic] auditory, and was such as might be expected
from the union of talents so distinguished.
We have not room to expatiate on the merits of this agreeable treat, but it would be
highly improper to pass over the excellence of Haydn’s new Concerto [sic], which
exhibited all the fire of his bold imagination, and which in the opinion of every
musical critic, was a composition at once
grand, scientific, charming and original.
Instrumentation: two flutes, two oboes,
two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, timpani, and strings.
Party Time
After the flurry of activity that preceded the premiere
of Haydn’s Symphony No. 93 on February 17, 1792, the
composer had a less stressful and apparently festive
week before the piece was repeated on February 24, at
the second concert of Salomon’s series. In a later notebook, Haydn recalled:
Lord Clermont [Claremont] once gave a large
Soupé, and when the King’s health was drunk, he ordered the wind band to play the well-known song
“God save the King” in the street during a wild snowstorm. This occurred on 19th Feby 1792, so madly do
they drink in England.
Haydn, portrait by Johann Zitterer, 1795
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