Haydn, Symphony No. 94 in G major “Surprise”

Listening

Haydn, Symphony No. 94 in G major “Surprise”

First Movement – Sonata Form

Slow Introduction

0:00  First theme

Mood: peaceful, pastoral → serious, uncertain, dark, ominous, unsettling

Key: G major (G minor)

Tempo: slow (Adagio)

Harmony: diatonic → chromatic, ending on the dominant (V⁷)

Compositional technique: pedal point; call and response; ascending sequence

Exposition

1:39  First theme

Mood: dance-like, joyful, lively, light-hearted, energetic

Key: G major

Instrumentation: Violin I, then joined by Violin II, flute, and oboe

Harmony: off-tonic beginning (tonic chord → point of arrival)

Accompaniment: “oom-pah-pah” rhythm; obbligato accompaniment (subsidiary → thematic)

2:10  Transition

Thematic ideas: begins with a restatement of the soft opening theme and continues with a long passage for full orchestra; reappears in minor mode in the middle

Key: begins in G major, then modulates to D major (dominant key); veers off into D minor before finally settling on D major in anticipation of the second theme

Cadence: perfect cadence in D major

2:46  Second theme

Mood: dance-like (a pastoral / bucolic dance), graceful, lively, spirited → triumphant

Thematic ideas: long notes, legato bowing, moves mostly by steps

Accompaniment: “omm-pah-pah” rhythmic pattern → waltz

Rhythm: syncopation

Key: D major

Cadence: perfect cadence / perfect authentic cadence (ends on I) in D major

3:05  Closing theme

Mood: calm, peaceful, joyful → triumphant

Key: D major

Cadence: perfect cadence / perfect authentic cadence (ends on I) in D major

Exposition (repeated)

3:43  First theme

4:15  Transition

4:52  Second theme

5:11  Closing theme

Development

5:50  Based on thematic ideas from the first theme

Key: unstable, frequent modulations (C major, F minor)

6:14  Based on thematic ideas from the transition

Key: predominantly minor mode (B minor)

Recapitulation

6:55  First theme

Same as exposition

7:22  Transition

7:34  Second theme

Key: G major

Coda

8:18  First theme

8:37  Closing theme

 

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Haydn, Symphony No. 94 in G major “Surprise”

Second Movement – Theme and Variations

Theme

0:00  Theme

Key: C major

Instrumentation: violins; later doubled by flutes and oboes an octave above

Dynamics: piano, then pianissimo, punctuated by a sudden fortissimo chord

Articulation: staccato in first half, alternating with legato bowing in the second half

Accompaniment: strings playing in pizzicato in the first half, chordal texture in the second half

Harmony: cadence on the dominant key (G major) at the end of A section; dominant pedal in B section (first half); back to tonic key at the end

Form: rounded-binary form (A BA)

Variation 1

1:12  Variation 1

Instrumentation: violin 2 (doubled by viola); countermelody by violin 1 in semiquavers

Dynamics: alternates between forte and piano; occasional sforzandos in the countermelody

Variation 2

2:20  Variation 2

Dynamics: extreme (alternate between fortissimo and piano)

Key: C minor (parallel minor) → Eb major (relative major) → C minor (V)

Texture: monophonic texture (all parts play in unison); homophonic texture; imitative texture

Instrumentation: strings + woodwinds + trumpet + timpani

Compositional technique: sequence, imitation (call and response)

Variation 3

3:34  Variation 3

Key: C major

Instrumentation: (first A section) oboes; then violin 1 & 2 plays the principal melody, countermelody by the flutes and oboes

Form: internal repetitions are written out (change of texture)

Variation 4

4:43  Variation 4

Form: double variation (A1 A2 B2 B1) with contrasting textures

Instrumentation:

(1) tutti orchestra; principal melody in flutes, horns and trumpets

(2) played predominantly by strings

Dynamics: (1) fortissimo/forte; (2) piano

Mood: (1) triumphant; (2) lyrical, sweet (dolce)

Coda

5:57  Coda

Rhythm: stop/arrest the musical flow by a fermata, signaling the end of the movement

Instrumentation: melody in the oboe

 

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