Clara Kim

The Evolution of Haydn Sonatas

Franz Joseph Haydn composed 62 piano sonatas in the span of his career. The large number of

piano sonatas developed by Haydn during his lifetime ranged from between the years 1762-1794.

Although Haydn composed a great deal of chamber music and symphonies, his major works can be

identified with his sonatas, and these generally represent his growth as a composer from his early years

until 1794, the date of his final three sonatas. The instruments readily available during Haydn’s years of

composing the sonatas affected their style and writing throughout the years. Haydn’s early sonatas were

mostly written for harpsichords, and later switched to fortepiano style writing during his late period.

The early sonatas are set in the galant style and were composed mainly as teaching pieces for students. A

next, more matured stage of Haydn’s life is his Sturm und Drang period. During this period, Haydn

experiments with minor keys and prolongs the exposition and developmental sections. In 1794, the first of

three of his most matured and developed sonatas were written. Haydn’s late sonatas reflect a… “mature

and refined piano compositional style, with a noticeable growth of virtuosic elements in Hob. XVI: 50 &

52” (120). Comprehensively, Haydn’s sonatas can be said to have matured with time with his addition of

dynamic markings, ornaments, and emotional content.

Joseph Haydn’s sonatas are generally identified from one person to the next by referencing to

“Hob” and “L” followed by a number. The term “Hob” originated from a man named Anthony van

Hoboken who took over the Breitkopf und Hartel edition, a publishing company dedicated to producing

and numbering the sonatas written between the years 1800 and 1806, and published a Haydn catalogue. It

noted the numbering of the arrangement made by Pasler, an editor of the Breitkopf und Hartel catalogue.

Nearly 68 years later, Christa Landon presented a different set of chronological ordering by adding on five

new discovered works.

The collection of about twenty early sonatas (up to around 1766) first were named partitas and

divertimentos but was later altered to sonatas. From 1755 to 1796, the primary instrument available

during Haydn’s composition affected his style of writing and most likely contributed to the way Haydn

decided to write his sonatas. The earlier “divertimentos” and “partitas” were mostly in three short

movements, each being a figure of binary. These sonatas were clearly written in reference to the galant

style for it carried characteristics comprised of the following qualities: very few dynamic markings, light

and entertaining qualities, and written stylistically with the intention of utilizing them as teaching pieces

for students. The first sonata ever composed by Haydn was his sonata No. 1 in G Major, Hob. XVI. 8, and

was published between 1799 and 1803. This work, along with a large portion of the earlier keyboard

sonatas is comprised of galant style qualities. An example of an earlier sonata with these characteristics is

his sonata in Sonata in G Major, Hob. XVI:G1, where the work is denominated as a divertimento. The

work is longer in comparison to his first two sonatas, with the exposition being 29 measures long, the

development, 28, and the recapitulation, 53 measures. During this period of early experimentation, it was

clear that Haydn’s musical maturity was not fully present in these sonatas. Although these sonatas were

far from being musically and technically challenging, they carried signs of future brilliance to come.

Haydn’s experimentation during his Sturm und Drang period involved elements such as writing

his sonatas in minor keys, which created musical intensity and darker emotions. There are several works

that exemplify his transition into this period. His sonata in c minor, Hob. 20, L. 33 contains three

movements, and a “sizable number of dynamics” (106), The exposition and recapitulation of the work

consists of a cadenza and longer, more lyrical phrases. Measure 14 is marked as f p f p to emphasize

certain notes from others. Ornaments such as the turn and trill are used frequently throughout the entire

work. Two other works that greatly exemplifies his compositional style during his Sturm und Drang

period were his sonatas, one in C sharp minor, Hob.XVI:36, and the other in D major, Hob.XVI:37. Both

works incorporate virtuosic passages and technical levels of increased maturity.

! The final period of Haydn’s experimental and matured phase as a composer was one of great

profundity for it contains virtuosic technical passages, and bold, emotional content. During this period,

three major keyboard sonatas are to be noted, his sonata in C Major, Hob. XVI: 50, L. 60, Sonata in D,

Hob. XVI: 51, L. 61, and Sonata in E-flat, Hob. XVI: 52, L. 62. All three sonatas were composed in

London and all share the following characteristics: the broad range of dynamic markings, dissonance on

the downbeats, and ornamentation in nearly every measure. Indications made by Haydn clearly show the

intention of his later sonatas being played on the pianoforte. A particular characteristic of the last sonata in

E-flat that differed from Haydn’s early and middle sonatas was his ability to create grandeur, or

impressive sound, with the usage of big chords. Also, Haydn integrated many running thirds and sixths in

both hands, broken octaves, and sudden modulation to create a more heightened sense of dramatic

sentiment.

Franz Joseph Haydn composed 62 piano sonatas in the span of his career. The large number of

piano sonatas developed by Haydn during his lifetime ranged from between the years 1762-1794.

Although Haydn composed a great deal of chamber music and symphonies, his major works can be

identified with his sonatas, and these generally represent his growth as a composer from his early years

until 1794, the date of his final three sonatas. The instruments readily available during Haydn’s years of

composing the sonatas affected their style and writing throughout the years. Haydn’s early sonatas were

mostly written for harpsichords, and later switched to fortepiano style writing during his late period.

The early sonatas are set in the galant style and were composed mainly as teaching pieces for students. A

next, more matured stage of Haydn’s life is his Sturm und Drang period. During this period, Haydn

experiments with minor keys and prolongs the exposition and developmental sections. In 1794, the first of

three of his most matured and developed sonatas were written. Haydn’s late sonatas reflect a… “mature

and refined piano compositional style, with a noticeable growth of virtuosic elements in Hob. XVI: 50 &

52” (120). Comprehensively, Haydn’s sonatas can be said to have matured with time with his addition of

dynamic markings, ornaments, and emotional content.

!!

Bibliography

!Gordon, Stewart. "Franz Joseph Haydn." A History of Keyboard Literature: Music for the Piano and Its

Forerunners. New York: Schirmer, 1996. 91-121. Print.

!Somfai, László, and Charlotte Joyce Greenspan. "For What Kind of Instrument Did Haydn Compose."

The Keyboard Sonatas of Joseph Haydn: Instruments and Performance Practice, Genres and Styles.

Chicago: U of Chicago, 1995. 23-40. Print.

!Haydn, Joseph, and Karl Päsler. Complete Piano Sonatas in Two Volumes: V. 2 (Hoboken Nos. 30-52).

New York: Dover Publications, 1984. Print.