Symphony No. 4 (Haydn) Explained

Joseph Haydn's Symphony No. 4 in D major, Hob. I/4, is one of the earliest symphonies he wrote, believed to have been composed roughly between 1757 and 1761.

The work is scored for 2 oboes, bassoon, 2 horns, strings and continuo. As usual for the period, it is in three movements:

  1. Presto,
  2. Andante in D minor,
  3. Tempo di menuetto,

The second movement features a syncopated second violin part. The walking eighth-notes of the second violins are offset by half a step (a sixteenth note) from the first violins that play above it.

The finale is marked Tempo di menuetto, but is not in the time of a minuet, but in the time which is typical of Haydn's other early symphonic finales. Also, unlike other minuets, the movement lacks a central trio section.

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