Joseph Haydn

Recognizing Phrases Through Haydn's Symphony

When we first started learning about Haydn in class, I had no idea who he was and that he composed classical music. Some would say Mozart is more known than Haydn but in fact Haydn had composed many more pieces of music than Mozart. Haydn had composed over 100 symphonies! Mozart had only composed around 40 symphonies. 

I used Haydn's Symphony No 91 in E-flat major to point out a phrase structure. You don't have to listen to the entire 25 minutes because I only used the first 17 seconds!

This is what I found listening to this piece over and over again:

The phrase diagram is labeled as a contrasting sectional period because both ideas start off differently making them contrasting ideas. The antecedent (opening phrase) ends on an interrupted authentic cadence (mi). This makes the period sectional because the harmony is resolved but the melody is not. The consequent (second phrase) ends on a perfect authentic cadence, or the tonic chord: do. This makes the two phrases a period because the antecedent ends on an "IAC" and the consequent ends on a "PAC".

The antecedent starts off strong and each three notes that are being played go up in scale, raising in pitch. The texture is smooth and you can clearly hear a flute, oboe, violin and cello. I'd like to describe the consequent the opposite of the antecedent because it starts high in scale and goes down in scale with each note being played, ending on the tonic chord. 

This phrase diagram can clearly represent the Enlightenment period we've been studying in class. It represents conversions thinkers would have in the salons. It brings together two different ideas that thinkers would argue over. At the end though the problem gets resolved and they come to a the best conclusion together. Two ideas are always better than one and that is what this phrase diagram represents.