DCCCXIX. HAYDN, Franz Joseph: Symphony #83 in G Minor

DCCCXIX. HAYDN, Franz Joseph (1732-1809)

Symphony #83 in G Minor (1785)
1. Allegro spiritoso
2. Andante
3. Menuet: Allegretto -- Trio
4. Finale; Vivace
Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra
Andrés Orozco-Estrada, cond.
(22:47)

La Poule

The Chicken.

Most sobriquets aren't given to the piece by the composer, (which is why I rarely include them in the titles) ... some listener heard the "chicken" motif described below, and then someone one else hears it and soon the symphony has a nickname.

First movement

The powerful theme encapsulates one of Haydn's many magic tricks, present throughout the symphony ...

• The leading tone interrupting a triad;
• The other direction -- an appoggiatura on the F-Sharp Diminished (B-Flat to A)
• After a tonic cadence, Haydn creates a beautiful secondary dominant moving to D Minor -- the first two bars are E-Flat Major, 1st inversion (VI⁶) -- then that weird C-Sharp appears and the cello descends from a B-Flat to an A, and the basses are sawing away on G -- this is the secondary document -- an A dominant seventh chord, in third inversion (V of V) leading to D Minor.
  
• The dotted 1/8th-16th riff becomes prominent. The pecking fowl is imagined ...

• The acciaccatura -- a fancy word for a quick grace note -- is the magic trick that makes the chicken really happen (do you think it's really possible Haydn wasn't thinking of a chicken here?) -- here at the introduction of the second theme.
• But when the oboe enters with the 1/8th-1/16th riff against those quicky grace notes -- we now have what I dare say is the indisputable sound of a pecking chicken.

 

• When Haydn switches the oboe riff to a flute, the chicken-image is perhaps at its clearest.
  
  

Haydn became adept (copied by Beethoven) at halting the proceedings for a bar of rest and a change of dynamics.

Here, he recaps the first theme in two-bar phrases -- outlining chords in D Minor/D dominant seventh/G Minor/D dominant seventh/ and finally, a D dominant seventh with a flatted-ninth!

Second movement

A delicate melody starting with repeated notes ...

Later, the seconds and violas play that opening F quietly for a few bars and then -- a ff explosion. If the symphony didn't already have a nickname it might have been called "Surprise."

Third movement

A tuneful menuet

with a lovely Trio:

Fourth movement

A traditional 12/8 gigue, with lots of interesting key changes.

A really great symphony!