Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

Symphony No. 94 in G major "Surprise": I. Adagio
Franz Joseph Haydn Lyrics


No lyrics text found for this track.

The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@elaineblackhurst1509

Haydn’s biographer Griesinger who knew the composer well asked Haydn about this during the visits he made to him in the ten years before his death whilst gathering material; it’s an urban myth.

The newspaper reports, along with Haydn’s own words are clear that there was huge applause after the first movement, and Haydn mentions ‘…countless Bravos’; in other words, the chances of anyone being asleep are next to zero.

In fact, Griesinger asks Haydn specifically whether or not he had composed the Andante to waken the sleeping English audience:

Haydn replied:
‘No, but I was interested in surprising the public with something new, and in making a brilliant debut…’*

The less reliable Dies in his contemporary biography does peddle the sleeping audience story in his usual chatty style, but it is Griesinger who tells us the truth.

* Many of the ‘London’ symphonies have these novel special effects, so the ‘Surprise’ symphony is not alone in having one (or more); the keyboard solo written for himself in the finale of Symphony 98, the percussion in Symphony 100, or the opening drum roll in Symphony 103 - and it’s unexpected return later in the first movement - are some of the more obvious examples.



@elaineblackhurst1509

@Theoden the Renewed
I agree with vey little of your interesting comment - but that’s my problem; thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Qualitative judgements that are objective, in both cooking and music - and most other things - are possible; food created by professional chefs is the product of mastering a wide range of skills, something that can only be done after long training and practice along with a creative, and artistic imagination.
This puts a Michelin starred chef’s food some way above a basic wage earning, student part-time employee, with minimal training, heating up burgers, or putting fries in the fryer.*

Similarly with music, Mozart - rather heavy-handedly - makes my point: the ‘Jupiter’ symphony (K551) is clearly, measurably, and objectively superior to Ein musikalischer Spass (K522).

Subjectivity only comes into it if someone prefers a string quartet by Gyrowetz to one by Haydn, or a symphony by Eberl to one by Beethoven, and if people prefer the Gyrowetz and Eberl to Haydn or Beethoven - that’s cool.
However, the Haydn quartet, or Beethoven symphony, are indubitably superior by any and every qualitative measurement and judgement.

Whilst in all these cases, ‘best’ can easily be demonstrated; ‘favourite’ is a different matter, and in the case of both music and food, is no business of myself or anyone else.

* I realise that this sounds very snobby, and is not intended to be; the burger chains are fantastically successful world-wide, and I enjoy it as much as anyone.



@JacobWHill

A Classical period Symphony by Haydn. Movement 3 is a Minuet and Trio. Movement 4 is a Rondo.
Minuet form is:
A (Minuet)
|: a :||: b a’:|
B (Trio)
|: c :||: d c’:|
A (Minuet)
a b a'
Minuets have Triple Meter (emphasis every third beat) and a moderate tempo.

Rondo form is:
A B A C A
or
A B A C A B A
or
A B A C A D A



@elaineblackhurst1509

@Herpy Derpy
Good point; I think my problem is that more than most composers, Haydn is stuck with a baggage of apocryphal and spurious nonsense to a degree that afflicts no other great composer, and it detracts from - in this case - a very fine symphony, and more generally, trivialises and undermines the reputation of a very great composer.

Nobody would ever dream of suggesting that the opening of Beethoven 5 was conceived by the composer to wake up a dozing audience and let them know that the work was beginning, simply because it is too stupid for words, yet we merrily mis-apply these silly stories to Haydn.

In almost all his later symphonies - from the ‘Paris’ set onwards - Haydn strove to build in novel effects into each of his symphonies, such as the French folk song into the slow movement of 85, the false ending in 90, the keyboard solo into the finale of 98, the military percussion in the slow and the final movements of 100, the timpani opening into 103, and so forth.

The loud chord here in 94 comes from the same source - it is a special effect, conceived to be memorable, and ensure that in the competitive market of London concert life at the time, that the audiences and newspapers talked about Haydn, not rivals like Pleyel who had been appointed to direct the Professional Concerts series in London for the 1791/92 season in direct competition with the Salomon/Haydn concerts.

You’re quite right though, I do sometimes miss jokes, even when written in my own language!



All comments from YouTube:

@symphony-7526

0:00 I. Adagio – Vivace assai
8:25 II. Andante
14:12 III. Menuetto: Allegro molto
19:44 IV. Finale: Allegro molto

@vibe971star

C'est quoi la datation de la musique

@wesleyprado2432

Thanks

@tikitak9132

1. 00:00 adagio- vivace assai X, adagio cantavile

@danvincent2600

This was one of those works I studied when I was 12 or so to understand sonats form. Deceptively simple is old papa Haydn!

@danvincent2600

@vibe 971 star 1785? Approx

@joshscores3360

Finally! A video of the WHOLE symphony! I'm SURPRISED this hasn't been done earlier. (Thanks, you just earned a new sub!)

@tpd1864blake

The second movement has a REALLY catchy theme. I had it stuck in my head for years trying to find the source until I randomly stumbled across it

@ExtrackterYT

The flow, energy, elegance, wit, humour, joviality and intelligence in Franz' music is something healthy to be exposed to.

@elaineblackhurst1509

The composer’s name is Joseph Haydn.

Not sure who you think ‘Franz’ is, but I presume you mean the great friend of Johannes Chrisostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart.

In the case of both composers, the extra names are Catholic baptismal names and were never used by either composer in their entire lifetimes - ever.

Referring to Haydn as ‘Franz’ is as odd as referring to Mozart as listed above, nobody ever did then, and neither should we today.

More Comments

More Versions