# The daunting catalogues of Mozart and Haydn



## xpangaeax (Oct 1, 2013)

Even with Symphonies alone we're at 147 compositions. Throw in Concerti, Chamber Music, Operas, and there's a whole lot of music to be had by just these two. I'm only familiar with Mozart's Operas, which I love, and a couple piano concerti and symphony excerpts largely from the soundtrack to Amadeus. I haven't even thought about touching Haydn.

As I'm new to classical music collecting, I certainly don't want to leave these two untouched, but don't really know the best route to take. Having started by really diving into the music of Beethoven, Mahler, and Tchaikovsky - it's perfectly manageable to get full symphony cycles. Are there Mozart addicts who have multiple copies of all 30 piano concerti? What about the 101 Haydn Symphonies? I'm considering going through each piece semi-randomly on say, Spotify, and if something really stands out looking into it further. How have other people approached these two? What's your Mozart story?


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

Don't worry. I've been listening to classical for going on five decades, and I still haven't heard all of Mozart and Haydn's symphonies. 

I'm pretty much approaching it as you suggest, randomly sampling and collecting a few at a time, but I do have a suggestion. For me the later symphonies of both composers begin to sound a little closer to the awe inspiring scope of Beethoven which you have dived into. You might find their earlier works disappointing at this stage. So I might recommend focusing on the later symphonies first. I find Haydn's Symphony No. 100 "Military" to be his most similar to Beethoven's style. A rule of thumb, if a work has a nickname, it may be more popular, and if it's more popular there's probably a reason. 

As for performances, I like Thomas Fey for Haydn and Harnoncourt for Mozart, but many will disagree with me on this.


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

With composers who had prolific and illustrious careers, such as Mozart and, in particular, Haydn, who lived to be about 80, starting with the late period and working back to the middle period can cut the enormity of it all down somewhat. Also, some composers are known for certain phases in their output, eg., Haydn's Sturm und Drang Symphonies, the Paris Symphonies, the London Symphonies.


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## Guest (Dec 10, 2014)

You have to select the essential works. For Mozart, the last four symphonies, the COMPLETE piano concerti (yes!), the "Haydn" string quartets, the violin concertos, the mass in C minor, the two piano quartets, the string quintets, the requiem, the clarinet quintet... 

... and if you crave more, you'll still have a lot of chamber music to discover, and more concerti, the piano sonatas... and opera, opera, opera!! 

For Haydn, I haven't explored as much, but currently listening to the Opus 76 string quartets and every single one of them is a masterpiece.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

I always collected Mozart very selectively and gradually until some old fellow put on Craigslist the Brilliant Classics set of his complete works for $25. He'd bought it for his wife and she didn't want it, and it took me about five seconds to go pick it up. I'm delighted I did. Not every performance is necessarily going to be your ideal version, but almost everything is good, much is excellent, and you'll be amazed at the diversity of music Mozart turned out in his short life. I don't know what the set goes for now, but second-hand on Amazon is always a good place to look.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Be it Mozart, Haydn or any other composer, my story remains the same. I acquire single discs mostly, sets of two or three discs every now and then. I never buy large box sets; don't want to get bogged down in overkill.

Doing it as I have, I still managed to collect all the Mozart and Haydn symphonies and anything else I really want. Also, I've never had a strategy of acquiring a composer's late works and then collecting backwards. I like to move forward.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

brotagonist said:


> With composers who had prolific and illustrious careers, such as Mozart and, in particular, Haydn, who lived to be about 80, starting with the late period and working back to the middle period can cut the enormity of it all down somewhat. Also, some composers are known for certain phases in their output, eg., Haydn's Sturm und Drang Symphonies, the Paris Symphonies, the London Symphonies.


Haydn lived to be about 80? News to me!!


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

hpowders said:


> Haydn lived to be about 80? News to me!!


1809 - 1732 = 77, or about 80


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

With Mozart, you probably can't go wrong by having a collection of the Complete Piano Concertos. Aside from the first handful, these works prove magical, each one seeming better than the last, until you revisit that last one again.

The early half of the Mozart symphonies are perhaps a touch dismissive. Necessary for fans, of course. (I listened to the complete Mozart during year 2006, hearing at least one work on every day of the year, starting with his K.1 on Jan 1 and ending with a hearing of the Requiem on Dec. 31. In between I fit in all of the symphonies -- and everything else that was available by way of a "complete" Mozart box set and additional discs....) But the latter half of the symphonies are "must hears", presenting some of the most lyrical and profound music ever composed. It's fun to have a Complete box set (or several!); it's also fun to scour the catalog for critically acclaimed individual interpretations. It's fun to listen to Mozart. And it's life affirming, too.

I enjoy a Haydn symphony every March 31, selecting that day the particular symphony that matches my age. I've been doing so without interruption for a couple of decades. I hope to continue through the entire set, and start over with number 1 when I am 105. There are a couple of great Complete sets of these works (I have at least three), but Forum poster brotagonist above has provided an essential list of Haydn symphonies to start with. The "late" symphonies are definitely "must hears".

And yes, it is daunting. But aren't we all glad that is so. And don't we all wish it could be even _more_ daunting (especially in the case of W.A. Mozart!)? Don't we all wish he were still alive writing symphonies and piano concertos, operas, sonatas, and, well ... rock and roll and movie scores! You gotta love Mozart.

And I love Haydn. (The great thing is -- I don't have to wait till March 31 to enjoy a Haydn symphony. I dip into his ouevre all through the year. Wonderful stuff, this Haydn music.)


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## xpangaeax (Oct 1, 2013)

Weston said:


> I'm pretty much approaching it as you suggest, randomly sampling and collecting a few at a time, but I do have a suggestion. For me the later symphonies of both composers begin to sound a little closer to the awe inspiring scope of Beethoven which you have dived into. You might find their earlier works disappointing at this stage. So I might recommend focusing on the later symphonies first. I find Haydn's Symphony No. 100 "Military" to be his most similar to Beethoven's style.


This is actually a good tip. I definitely lean toward the Romantic style, so it stands to reason that the later works of each would be the groundwork for the period. I know especially with Mozart some of the early symphonies were written in childhood, so it's likely some of them may serve mostly as novelty, and maybe visiting after consuming the mature works would make a little more sense.


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## xpangaeax (Oct 1, 2013)

SONNET CLV said:


> I enjoy a Haydn symphony every March 31, selecting that day the particular symphony that matches my age. I've been doing so without interruption for a couple of decades. I hope to continue through the entire set, and start over with number 1 when I am 105.


This is so great. Might "borrow" this idea...


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

Woodduck said:


> I always collected Mozart very selectively and gradually until some old fellow put on Craigslist the Brilliant Classics set of his complete works for $25. He'd bought it for his wife and she didn't want it, and it took me about five seconds to go pick it up. I'm delighted I did. Not every performance is necessarily going to be your ideal version, but almost everything is good, much is excellent, and you'll be amazed at the diversity of music Mozart turned out in his short life. I don't know what the set goes for now, but second-hand on Amazon is always a good place to look.


If memory serves, the complete set comprises some 180 CDs. It's quite astonishing really: in modern terms, Mozart released six new albums per year, for thirty years. For the last ten or so years of those thirty, every single album was a masterpiece. It would take more time to completely analyze and assimilate his music than it took him to write it.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

I know someone who listens to a Haydn symphony a day (or so), and starts the cycle all over again when finished. She has several versions of the later symphonies and each listening cycle would take each turn.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Weston said:


> Don't worry. I've been listening to classical for going on five decades, and I still haven't heard all of Mozart and Haydn's symphonies.
> 
> I'm pretty much approaching it as you suggest, randomly sampling and collecting a few at a time, but I do have a suggestion. For me the later symphonies of both composers begin to sound a little closer to the awe inspiring scope of Beethoven which you have dived into. You might find their earlier works disappointing at this stage. So I might recommend focusing on the later symphonies first. I find Haydn's Symphony No. 100 "Military" to be his most similar to Beethoven's style. A rule of thumb, if a work has a nickname, it may be more popular, and if it's more popular there's probably a reason.
> 
> As for performances, I like Thomas Fey for Haydn and Harnoncourt for Mozart, but many will disagree with me on this.


The same, except for me it's six decades. And I know I never will!


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## bigshot (Nov 22, 2011)

I don't know why lots and lots of good stuff would be daunting. To me, it's exciting. I just dive in and start and go from there. I have the complete Brilliant Classics Mozart and three complete Haydn symphony cycles, as well as hundreds of individual recordings and operas, and I love all of it.


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## xpangaeax (Oct 1, 2013)

bigshot said:


> I don't know why lots and lots of good stuff would be daunting. To me, it's exciting. I just dive in and start and go from there. I have the complete Brilliant Classics Mozart and three complete Haydn symphony cycles, as well as hundreds of individual recordings and operas, and I love all of it.


I'm excited for sure, just trying to find a starting point. I sort of did with Mozart based on upcoming performances (namely Piano 20 and Don Giovanni) that I'm anticipating. From there, I will just absorb the rest at random (or as performances are announced.)

No Haydn performances in the current Richmond season (Symphony nor Chamber Music Society) so, that I could do either at random, front to back, or, as suggested above, back to front. Probably a mix. Whatever, it will be a fun ride.


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## xpangaeax (Oct 1, 2013)

bigshot said:


> I don't know why lots and lots of good stuff would be daunting. To me, it's exciting. I just dive in and start and go from there. I have the complete Brilliant Classics Mozart and three complete Haydn symphony cycles, as well as hundreds of individual recordings and operas, and I love all of it.


I'm excited for sure, just trying to find a starting point. I sort of did with Mozart based on upcoming performances (namely Piano 20 and Don Giovanni) that I'm anticipating. From there, I will just absorb the rest at random (or as performances are announced.)

No Haydn performances in the current Richmond season (Symphony nor Chamber Music Society) so, that I could do either at random, front to back, or, as suggested above, back to front. Probably a mix. Whatever, it will be a fun ride.


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## bigshot (Nov 22, 2011)

For Haydn start with the London Symphonies and the String Quartets.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

I don't care to hear all of Mozart and Haydn. I am content to be familiar with all their masterworks after 60 years of listening.


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## bharbeke (Mar 4, 2013)

Start with the type of compositions that you tend to like best, then branch out from there. Their high quantity of musical output just lengthens the process, but it does not change it.

There are some helpful playlists on YouTube from ComposersByNumbers for Mozart and Haydn if you really want to hear everything they did.


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

For me I've been just selective whenever to comes to their catalogues. For me, I start off with their symphonies, piano concerti, and string quartets. And also a good dose of Mozart operas too.


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