FRANZ

 JOSEPH  HAYDN    
Sonata  No.  62  in  E-­‐flat  major,  Hob.  XVI:52        
Allegro                                                                                                                                
Adagio    
Finale–Presto    
Born:  March  31,  1732,  in  Rohrau,  Austria  
Died:  May  31,  1809,  in  Vienna  
Work  composed:  1794–95  
World  premiere:  1795,  in  London,  Therese  Jansen  performing  
 
Long-­‐lived  Franz  Joseph  Haydn  may  not  have  actually  “fathered”  the  symphony  and  string  
quartet,  but  through  diligence  and  genius  he  polished  and  bequeathed  finished  models  of  both  
genres  for  succeeding  generations  of  composers.  He  wrote  imaginatively  in  all  the  instrumental  
and  vocal  forms  of  his  day,  including  opera,  which  he  abandoned  because  he  felt  that  Mozart  
was  clearly  the  master  of  the  genre.  Haydn  also  wrote  extensively  for  the  rapidly  changing  
piano,  creating  more  than  four-­‐dozen  sonatas  that  reveal  the  same  degree  of  variety  and  
innovation  one  finds  when  surveying  his  100-­‐plus  symphonies  and  more  than  80  string  quartets.    
 
In  1794  and  1795  Haydn  wrote  three  sonatas  for  Therese  Jansen,  a  highly  regarded  pianist  and  
student  of  the  pianist/composer  Muzio  Clementi.  No.  62  in  E-­‐flat  major,  Hob.  XVI:52,  was  the  
third  of  the  set  and  Haydn’s  final  sonata  to  boot;  it  is  a  large-­‐scale  essay  considered  by  many  
commentators  as  the  greatest  of    his  keyboard  works.  
 
The  Allegro  asserts  its  drama  and  ample  proportions  with  a  rippling  bold  forte  chord  that  
launches  the  movement  with  imposing  power.  As  the  opening  thematic  group  unfolds  one  hears  
dotted  (long–short)  figures  that  impart  the  flavor  of  a  Baroque  “French”  overture,  reminding  us  
that  Haydn  grew  up  while  Bach  and  Handel  were  plying  their  trade.  Emphatic  rhythms  and  
jabbing  sforzando-­‐like  interjections  suggest  connections  with  Haydn’s  erstwhile  student,  the  
young  and  impatient  Beethoven,  who  despite  occasional  jabs  at  his  mentor  obviously  learned  a  
lot  from  the  older  composer.  The  profusion  of  unexpected  harmonic  departures  from  the  tonic  
key  adds  a  sense  of  bold  exploration  to  the  music,  once  again  reminding  us  of  Beethoven  
waiting  impatiently  in  the  wings.  
 
Even  more  unusual,  the  ensuing  Adagio  is  cast  in  remote  E  major,  harmonically  at  odds  with  the  
E-­‐flat  tonality  of  the  first  and  third  movements.  Yet  Haydn  had  already  made  a  brief  detour  into  
E  major  during  the  Allegro,  perhaps  hinting  at  its  use  in  the  Adagio.  Haydn  composed  the  sonata  
for  performance  on  the  larger  pianos  created  by  makers  in  England,  further  enhancing  dynamic  
range  and  timbral  richness.  By  and  large,  the  music  proceeds  in  sequences  of  dotted  passages  
alternating  with  scales  and  repeated  single  notes.  Emotions  range  from  introspective  
murmurings  to  sudden  dramatic  outbursts.  
 
A  return  to  E-­‐flat  informs  the  concluding  Finale–Presto,  a  movement  that  celebrates  Haydn’s  
considerable  musical  wit,  recalling  the  legendary  conductor  Wilhelm  Furtwängler’s  observation  
that  “…the  joys  of  life  are  captured  in  handfuls  in  Haydn’s  music.”  Vivacious,  energetic  and  
requiring  a  fine  technique,  the  Finale  supports  contemporary  reports  of  Mlle.  Jansen’s  fluency.  
Note  that  the  movement  opens  with  five  repeated  G  naturals  that  serve  to  erase  the  lingering  G-­‐
sharp  of  the  final  E-­‐major  chord  that  closes  the  Adagio.  The  repeated  notes  recur  frequently,  
imparting  a  heady  élan,  another  anticipation  of  Beethoven.