Exploring the Adventurous Side of

Joseph Haydn
Sonata in Eb Hob XVI/52 No. 62
(First movement)
A historical and pedagogical perspective

Sophia Fang Ying Lai 936611 Lecture Demonstration (Pedagogue Recital) University of Melbourne
 Introduction
Historical context

Analysis (Harmonic and musical)

Teaching and performance preparation

Joseph Haydn conducting a string quartet.© Archivo
Iconografico, S.A./Corbis
Historical Context
Composed by Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) in 1794, London.

Factors which influenced Haydn’s compositional style :

• Freedom away from demands as Kapellmeister in rural Hungary (Landon,
1988).
Landon and Jones (1988) wrote: In the event, London was by far the best choice for
Haydn. It might not have been the undisputed musical capital of Europe, but in the years
1791-1795 it was musically the most interesting centre; and more than that, it was in every
sense a free city in the country blessed with the greatest amount of freedom, political and
personal. (p. 228).
• Access to new Broadwood pianos (different to Viennese fortepianos)
• Therese Jansen (A fine pianist and strong influence), (Geiringer, 1982)
Brief Harmonic Analysis (Form)
 Figure a :

Figure b :
 Key Associations
Eb Major – Noble, proud, majestic.
Eb Major - The key of love, of devotion, of intimate conversation with
God, (Schubart, 1806)

Examples of other works – Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony, Piano

Concerto No. 5 ‘Emperor’, Mozart’s Horn concertos, Haydn’s Trumpet
Concerto in Eb, Jupiter from Holst’s The Planets, Mahler Eighth
Symphony (Harrison, 1997).

Neapolitan harmony (Eb – E)

 Teaching and Performance Preparation
Suggested level – AMEB LMus
Requires but not limited to:
• good finger dexterity and strength
• rapid scales, arpeggio passages (brilliant style)
• thirds,
• octave chords
• ornaments
• dotted rhythms
• dynamic contrasts
• varying articulations (staccato, portato)
 Technical Exercises

Figure c. Teaching Point (TP): This exercise is

Opening Bar 1 designed to create looseness in the wrist
for clarity of the chords.

• Lift the hand slightly after the dotted quarter

and allow it to bounce forward and upward
on the sixteenth notes.
• Helpful imagery - the skipping of a stone as
it propels forward over water.

Figure d.
Ex. 1
 Articulation

Figure e. Bar 28 Figure f. Bar 18

Staccato (Shorter than actual length of Portato - Slurred and dotted notes. Aim for longest duration of a note without
note) sounding legato

Ex. 2 TP. With this exercise, we imagine a scale where

1 is perfectly staccato and 5 is
legato:
1= staccato
2 = slightly shorter
Figure g. Ex. 2 3 = medium
4 = quite long
5= legato
 Dynamics
TP. Exercises to deal with variations in dynamics and
subito dynamic changes

Ex. 3
• As each chord is played, make sure to keep
fingertips firm, and the wrist should be flexible
but not too loose.
• Imagine the desired sound in the mind before
Figure g. you play. (Audiate)
Ex. 3 • Relax hand after playing each chord, while
fingers remain on the keys.

Ex. 4
• Student should anticipate the sudden change of
volume in their ear.
• Make sure the last beat of each bar is the same
dynamic as the rest of the bar. Easy to anticipate
Figure h. and change dynamic early.
Ex. 4
 Chunking
(Brilliant style passages)

Ex. 5
• Prepare hand to move between each group.
• Spring off the thumb each time toward the
following group of notes. The wrist will arch up
Figure i. Bar 40 and over toward the next note.
• Can be practised with different rhythms (dotted,
inverted dotted etc.)
• Chunking also works for memorization of
harmonies

Figure j.
Ex. 5
 References

Geiringer, K. (1982). Haydn: A creative life in music. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Harrison, B. (1997). Haydn's keyboard music: Studies in performance practice. Oxford:Clarendon Press.
Haydn, J., & In Landon, C. (1973). Sämtliche Klaviersonaten : The complete piano sonatas. Wien: Wiener Urtext
Edition.
Landon, H. C. R., & Jones, D.W. (1988). Haydn: His life and music. London: Thames and Hudson.
Rosen, C. (1971). The classical style: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven. New York: Viking Press.
Schubart, C. F. D. (1806). Christ. Fried. Dan. Schubart's Ideen zu einer Ästhetik der Tonkunst. Degen.

Thank you for listening!