# Suggested Haydn works?



## soundwave

I've just started getting into classical music and I was hoping someone could inform me of some of Haydn's best works. Thanks.


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## Leporello87

Soundwave, welcome to the forum!

Here's a list of some Haydn pieces I like to listen to:

(1) Symphonies Nos. 82-104: lots of great stuff here. #82-87 fall into the grouping of the Paris Symphonies, and #93-104 are the London Symphonies. (To add to the confusion, Symphony No. 104 is sometimes, on its own, called the "London Symphony.")
Other famous Haydn Symphonies include No. 22, 43, 44, 45, 48, 49, 53, 73. One good technique is to go for anything with a nickname attached  

(2) Cello Concertos: No. 1 in C, No. 2 in D

(3) If you're into choral/vocal music, there are several masses, such as the Nelson Mass and the Harmoniemesse. Also, oratorios like "The Creation" and "The Seasons" have some very nice music.

(4) The last several piano trios.

(5) Lots of string quartets! Op. 76 is a famous set, but the Op. 64 set is also quite popular. I think most of these sets will have their fans, as many of these pieces are a lot of fun.

(6) Piano sonatas, especially some of the later ones. The last several (Nos. 48-52) are generally my favorite of these.

(7) I'm not a big fan of his piano concerti, but No. 11 in D (I believe it is) is quite popular, and probably one of my favorites in the bunch.

I'm sure others will weigh in with their favorites. Enjoy! And welcome to the forum.


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## Handel

Leporello gave you a good answer. There is not very much I could add.

Maybe Haydn op. 20 (String quartets) which I consider with op. 76 his greatest. 

Check out for symphonies 6-8 (matin-midi-soir). A gem of early classical era. If Paris and London symphonies symphonies, don't forget the 5 symphonies between them (88-92) who are superb too.


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## Guest

soundwave said:


> I've just started getting into classical music and I was hoping someone could inform me of some of Haydn's best works. Thanks.


These are my favourite works by Haydn. They are also generally regarded as his best works:
*Symphony: *Nos 94, 101, 103, 104

*Oratorios:* The Creation; The Seven Last Words Of Christ

*Chamber:* String Quartets Op 76 No 3, Op 76 No 4

*Mass:* No 11

*Trumpet Concerto*

*Cello Concerto No1*​
Haydn is at his best in the choral works in my view. The Creation is really magnificent. It just grows on you. The Cello and the Trumpet Concertos will be very familiar. The best piece of Haydn chamber is undoudtedly Op 76 String Quartet which is up there with the very best of the rest. The symphonies which I mention are, without doubt, very good, and you will most likely enjoy them.

In his own lifetime, Haydn was revered and respected. He is another great Classical composer whose memory it grieves me enormously to see besmirched so heavily by a certain individual who lurks around this Forum like a nasty virus.


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## Kurkikohtaus

I will sing the same song as everyone else and succinctly suggest Symphony 104.

This is a piece which I always forget how much I like until I perform it again. I have conducted it about 4 or 5 times, and it always seems fresh, new happy and fun to me. I can imagine that many people like other pieces better, but I simply cannot imagine that anyone _doesn't_ like this piece.

Furthermore, something that I enjoy immensly about it is how *Un-Mozartian* it sounds. I won't spoil the fun of listing why... see if you can spot the differences in style.


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## opus67

Welcome to TC, soundwave. 

I second Mango's suggestion of the trumpet concerto. It's a very nice work, indeed. I've heard The Creation only once and it was great to listen to.


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## Edward Elgar

In my opinion - Haydn's speciality was the string quartet.
The fifths and emperor quartets are among my favourite.

Other works I would recomend are "Three Pieces for a Musical Clock", the Trumpet Concerto and Symphony No. 104 the finale.


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## soundwave

wow, thanks for the suggestions, they've been really helpful


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## aresrin

Clearly this thread is dead, but I thought I would throw in my 2 cents for any future readers. A few days ago I found myself in the same position as the original poster. I recently took an audio course on Haydn by The Teaching Company which has sparked my interest in his music. In my search for a concise list of his best works I found classicalcdguide.com. They have a Top-10 list for a handful of the most famous classical composers. Their list for Haydn is as fallows:

Symphony No. 103 in E-flat major, "Drumroll"; Symphony No. 104 in D major, "London"
Mass No. 11 in D minor, "Lord Nelson Mass"
String Quartets, Op. 76 (Nos. 1-3, Nos. 4-6)
Symphony No. 45 in F-sharp minor, "Farewell"
The Creation
"London" Symphonies, Nos. 93-94, 97, 99-101
String Quartets, Op. 33, Nos. 3, 5, 6
Piano Sonatas Nos. 32-33, 53-54, 58-62
Trumpet Concerto in E-flat major
Symphonies Nos. 82-87, "Paris"
Piano Trios Nos. 27-30


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## TrazomGangflow

In addition to the other recommendations I would also suggest Symphony no. 27. It is less well known but still a joy to listen to. Haydn is a good place to begin if you are a good listener. His pieces are very enjoyable and have memorable melodies.


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## Oyente

I haven't had the oportunity for listening too much Haydn, although I've always been a classical music fan.
Lately, I have been looking for "The Last Seven Words of Christ", and I have only found it in the instrumental form, in spotify and youtube. Any ideas about where I could find it in the choral presentation?
PS: sorry for my unrefined English, but I am Chilean, so Castilian is my native language.


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## Ras

*7 last words... Choral version.*

Oyente said:


> I haven't had the oportunity for listening too much Haydn, although I've always been a classical music fan. - Lately, I have been looking for "The Last Seven Words of Christ", and I have only found it in the instrumental form, in spotify and youtube. Any ideas about where I could find it in the choral presentation?







*The link above should take you to Harnoncourt's period recording of Haydn's "The Seven Last Words" in the choral version. 
*
My favorite version of this work is the string quartet as played by the Fitzwilliam Quartet:


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## SONNET CLV

soundwave -- Welcome to the Forum. Another "soundwave" is always welcome here.

I'm glad the Trumpet Concerto was mentioned. It remains essential Haydn.

I count myself a Haydn fan. A few years back, starting on Jan 1, I undertook a mission to listen to a complete Haydn symphony cycle (107 symphonies, 104 officially numbered) in numerical order beginning with the first and ending with the last, one symphony a day, for a hundred and seven days. The experience proved revelatory, and I plan to do the same thing again, soon, using another one of the "complete symphony" sets of Haydn that I have in my collection.

Of course, I'd likely heard all of the Haydn symphonies prior to that experiment, but I always enjoy the composer. I often rank him as my favorite composer. I do recall that the first Haydn symphonies I ever heard were coupled on one of the first LP records I ever owned -- the "Surprise" and the "Clock" symphonies. These two are essential Haydn, and not a bad place to start exploring the man's music. Combine that with the Trumpet Concerto, either of the Cello Concertos, and perhaps String Quartet Op.76 No.3 "Emperor", and you'll soon know whether or not you wish to pursue Haydn further.

You might find it entertaining to listen to what are called "the name symphonies". Haydn has quite a few, and many prove amusing. One could have an enlightening Haydn experience just from hearing the "name symphonies", of which the above mentioned "Surprise" and "Clock" are but two.

Enjoy. And, again, welcome to the Forum.


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## flamencosketches

I am a new Haydn fan, so take my words with a grain of salt. But the works that got me hooked on Haydn personally (and surely many, many others) were the London symphonies, nos. 93 through 104. Colin Davis has recorded all of them with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and they are amazing. I also really like the string quartets I've heard, which are the op.76 set and the op.20. Haydn is one of the most consistent composers in history. Some listeners interpret this as samey-ness, but I really can't agree. Listen to any one of his symphonies. Formula or not, you can tell he was an absolute master of form, melody, harmony, and just about everything else that mattered in 18th century music. 

Excellent composer. You have a lot of joy ahead of you in discovering his music.

Off topic note: you created your account 12 years ago, never posted until now (it's amazing that you remember your password) and you're just now getting into classical music? :lol: better late than never my friend. I've been a music lover my whole life and just started getting into classical music this past winter, and now it's a full blown obsession. Changed my life.


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## fliege

SONNET CLV said:


> soundwave -- Welcome to the Forum. Another "soundwave" is always welcome here.
> 
> I'm glad the Trumpet Concerto was mentioned. It remains essential Haydn.


Unfortunately soundwave posted twice on this thread over a decade ago and hasn't been seen since. Nonetheless, we can still talk about Haydn. Who likes the 13th Symphony?


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## Rogerx

I wonder if soundwave even remember posting this question in 2007 :lol:


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## DavidA

The Creation - absolutely marvellous


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## flamencosketches

Wow :lol: I wrote that reply thinking this was a recent thread.

Never mind that.


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## Bulldog

Of many dozens of Haydn exceptional works, my three favorites are: Cello Concerto no. 1, String Quartet op. 20 no. 2, and Piano Sonata no. 58.


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## Olias

I'd like to see Symphonies 88-92 nicknamed the "Channel" symphonies.


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## Mandryka

Bulldog said:


> Cello Concerto no. 1,


Thanks for this, my father used to love the D major concerto because of Feuermann's recordings and so it's something which has been in my life for ever. But I don't think I'd ever heard the first before you made this post, I agree it's a fine bit of music.

This is what I'm listening to


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## Bulldog

Mandryka said:


> Thanks for this, my father used to love the D major concerto because of Feuermann's recordings and so it's something which has been in my life for ever. But I don't think I'd ever heard the first before you made this post, I agree it's a fine bit of music.
> 
> This is what I'm listening to
> 
> View attachment 117977


That's a fine version. The one I consider "perfect" comes from Coin/Hogwood.


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## Mandryka

There are three orchestral things by Haydn which have caught my imagination a lot. One is the second movement of Symphony 51. The other is the third movement of Symphony 68. The third is the whole of Symphony 80 - I was nearly arrested by the police because of that one (listening in the car I apparently went through a red light. )


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## Enthusiast

^ Are you someone who listens to music with your eyes closed? I'm grateful for the pointer to 80 as it has not been one I have especially noticed. It's a fine symphony and I am enjoying it as I write. But I'm not sure it stands out among many others. So many of them are fine symphonies to me, miraculously so. But that is the difficulty with Haydn. He wrote so much and so much of that has distinct character that it can be hard to take it all in.


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## Johnnie Burgess

Rogerx said:


> I wonder if soundwave even remember posting this question in 2007 :lol:


If the person even looks at this site. Has not logged in the last 12 years.


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## CnC Bartok

Olias said:


> I'd like to see Symphonies 88-92 nicknamed the "Channel" symphonies.


Ha! But are you, by that, also suggesting they are shallow? :devil:


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## Olias

CnC Bartok said:


> Ha! But are you, by that, also suggesting they are shallow? :devil:


Haha, no not at all. Its just they are the symphonies between the Paris symphonies and London Symphonies. We could go further and nickname Symphony 88 the "Calais" and Symphony 91 the "Dover"


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## Enthusiast

And will they get longer (perhaps by repeating the repeats) after Brexit?


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