Haydn Symphony 100 Military Sheet Music, Program Notes and recordings

Charming Elegance and Spectacular Theatrical Effects

By 1794, during his second triumphant visit to London, Joseph Haydn was an absolute master of his craft and a brilliant showman who knew exactly how to captivate his audience. Nowhere is this more apparent than in his Symphony No. 100 in G Major, the "Military. " Building on the success of his previous London works, Haydn created a symphony that combines his signature elegance, wit, and structural perfection with a spectacular and novel theatrical effect that caused an absolute sensation at its premiere. By incorporating a so-called "Turkish" battery of percussion instruments into its second movement to create the thrilling sound of a military battle, Haydn tapped into a popular craze and created his most successful and widely acclaimed symphony. It is a work of immense popular appeal, a perfect blend of graceful charm and thrilling, brilliantly orchestrated spectacle.

The "Turkish" Music Craze

Throughout the 18th century, Europe was fascinated by the culture of the Ottoman Empire, and this "exoticism" extended to music. The sounds of Turkish Janissary military bands, with their crashing cymbals, booming bass drums, and jingling triangles, were a source of great novelty and excitement for European composers. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart famously used this style in his "Rondo alla Turca" and his opera The Abduction from the Seraglio. Haydn, sensing that this thrilling sound would be a huge hit with the London public at a time when Britain was at war with revolutionary France, decided to import this military band directly into the symphony orchestra for the first time.

A Sensational Premiere

The premiere of the "Military" Symphony was the greatest triumph of Haydn’s career. The audience was whipped into a frenzy by the second movement, with its sudden explosion of percussion and a brilliant trumpet fanfare. A London newspaper reported: "It is the advancing to battle; and the march of men, the sounding of the charge, the thundering of the onset, the clash of arms, the groans of the wounded, and what may well be called the hellish roar of war increase to a climax of horrid sublimity! " The movement was immediately encored, and the symphony cemented Haydn’s status as the undisputed king of the London concert scene.

First Movement: Adagio – Allegro

The symphony begins with a gentle and lyrical slow introduction. This Adagio, with its beautiful, serene melody, gives no hint of the military drama to come. The calm is broken by the main Allegro, a movement of brilliant energy and grace. The main theme is a charming, almost folk-like tune, introduced by the flutes and oboes. The movement unfolds with Haydn’s typical wit and sophistication, a masterpiece of sonata form that is more notable for its refined elegance than for any martial character.

Second Movement: Allegretto

This is the famous "Military" movement. It began its life as a movement from an earlier concerto, which Haydn then brilliantly re-orchestrated for this symphony. The movement is based on a simple, charming French folk song, "La gentille et jeune Lisette" (the same tune he used in Symphony No. 85, "La Reine"). The theme is presented in a graceful and simple setting. Then, without warning, the "military" percussion enters, first quietly, then with a terrifying fortissimo crash. The key shifts to a dramatic G minor, and the orchestra unleashes its full, terrifying power. A solo trumpet sounds a brilliant, unaccompanied fanfare before a final, thunderous onslaught brings this central "battle" section to a close. The charming, graceful opening theme then returns, as if after the battle has passed.

Third Movement: Menuetto: Moderato – Trio

The Minuet is one of Haydn’s grandest and most powerful. It has a stately, almost pompous character, a true ceremonial march rather than a courtly dance. The rhythm is strong and assertive, and the full orchestra, including the trumpets and timpani, gives it a sound of immense weight and splendor. The central Trio section provides a moment of typical Haydnesque contrast, with a more gentle and flowing character, before the grand and powerful Minuet returns.

Fourth Movement: Finale – Presto

The Finale is a brilliant and exhilarating conclusion, a whirlwind of high spirits and virtuosic display. The main theme is a bustling, almost giddy tune, and the entire movement is propelled by a relentless, driving rhythm. Haydn brilliantly incorporates the "military" percussion battery into this final movement, not for dramatic terror, but for added brilliance and celebratory effect. The triangle and cymbals add a festive sparkle to the texture, and the bass drum adds to the powerful momentum, bringing the symphony to a joyful, thunderous, and spectacularly triumphant close.

Haydn's Greatest Hit

The "Military" Symphony was Haydn’s most popular work during his lifetime and remains one of his most beloved creations. Its brilliant combination of graceful melodies and spectacular, novel orchestral effects was a stroke of genius. It is a work that demonstrates Haydn’s uncanny ability to gauge the tastes of his audience, a masterpiece of showmanship that is also a work of the highest artistic quality.