Haydn: Symphony No. 55 in E-flat major "The Schoolmaster" (with Score)

Franz Joseph Haydn:
Symphony No. 55 in E-flat major, Hob. I/55 "The Schoolmaster" (with Score)
Composed: 1774
Orchestra: Northern Chamber Orchestra
Conductor: Nicholas Ward

00:00 1. Allegro di molto (E-flat major)
05:46 2. Adagio, ma semplicemente (B-flat major)
13:19 3. Menuetto – Trio (E-flat major)
17:43 4. Finale. Presto (E-flat major)

Composed in 1774, this work is among the most conservative and least adventurous of Franz Josef Haydn's symphonies in the period between 1771-1774. Over the course of his magnificently prolific career with at least one hundred and four symphonies, we would expect that not everyone of his works in this genre are utter masterpieces breaking new ground at every turn. That is not to say that this work is not well structured; indeed it is elegantly constructed. However, it looks back to the older style of symphonic writing as opposed to the more classic style. It is hypothesized this work might be in reaction to the Esterhazy court's possible objections to Haydn's dramatic use of the Sturm und Drang in symphonies also written in this period, such as #52, #54, and #56.

This period was one of experimentation. Already a masterful composer, Haydn struggled with the notion of creating something new and exciting with every composition. Some compositions serve as a testing ground for new techniques. Though relatively conservative as a whole, the opening movement contains a relatively new, and successfully executed, technique of false recapitulation; after 31 measures of development, Haydn appears to begin the recapitulation of the first theme, but, in the witty style which would typify late Haydn, he deviates back into development for an extended period (over 30 measures) before bringing the true conclusion. Excepting this, however, the movement lacks somewhat in thematic/melodic material as well has the bold harmonic excursions found in contemporaneous works (such as Symphonies #52 and #54).

The second movement is certainly the strongest movement of this work, this 'adagio ma semplicemente' uses the structure of theme and variation for this section. Rather than the earlier rounded binary used in many earlier symphonies, this form would be often reused and become a very important one for his latest symphonies (e.g. 94, 'Surprise'). Although not terribly thematic, the elegant style used in the movement is a precursor for later, more mature works.

During this period, Haydn often struggled with the minuet movement; though he had the skill to always create a well-crafted work, he attempted as well to create something more interesting, either harmonically, melodically or with respect to form (such as in Symphony #46). Unfortunately, this work belongs to the well-crafted but relatively typical minuet and trio movement.

Since Haydn was a master craftsman, there is no doubt that this theme and variation finale is well put together. However, it is quite derivative, lacking thematic/melodic invention. This is understandable, as it is an exact copy of an earlier finale (from Symphony #42). As a result, the movement, like the symphony, while quite learned, appears a backwards step in this period of Haydn's life.

All Music Guide
(https://www.allmusic.com/composition/...)

Wikipedia article
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphon...)

Haydn107
(https://www.joseph-haydn.art/en/sinfo...)

International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)
(https://imslp.org/wiki/Symphony_No.55...)