Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 88 in G major Hob. I:88 (1787)

0:10 Adagio - Allegro
6:34 Largo
12:15 Menuetto & Trio. Allegretto
16:56 Finale. Allegro con spirito
Score video of Haydn's Symphony No. 88. Description by Chris Morrison.
Haydn's Symphony No. 88 is a tuneful and inventive work that has rightly become a concert and recording favorite. It and its successor, the Symphony No. 89 in F, were written in 1787 for Johann Peter Tost, a violinist in Haydn's orchestra at the Esterházy court. Tost, who was also a not-quite-trustworthy businessman, sold the publishing rights for these two symphonies, along with Haydn's Op. 54 and 55 string quartets and some other music (including one work by the composer Adalbert Gyrowetz which Tost passed off as Haydn's) to the publisher Sieber in Paris, then managed to forget to forward the 300 gulden payment to Haydn.
The early life of the Symphony No. 88 is not well known. The work may have been premiered at Esterháza; it may also have been written with a Parisian audience in mind, as were the Symphonies Nos. 82-87 (collectively known as the "Paris" Symphonies). No. 88 was certainly performed in London in 1789, and helped to create the enthusiastically receptive atmosphere that greeted Haydn when he traveled there two years later. The nickname "Letter V" sometimes attached to this work refers to the catalog of the Royal Philharmonic Society in London; in the nineteenth century, many of Haydn's symphonies were known by their call letters in the Society's catalog.
The symphony's first movement is brilliant and energetic, its slow introduction leading into a fast main theme. After a dramatic development section, the main themes are repeated with added woodwind commentary. Of the main melody of the Largo second movement, Johannes Brahms is alleged to have said, "I want my Ninth Symphony to be like this!" The melody, stated initially by solo oboe and cello, is indeed sublime, and features a rich variety of accompaniments in its many returns. One particularly dramatic punctuation comes from the full orchestra, including the surprising first appearance of the trumpets and timpani. The succeeding Minuet is stately and rhythmic; its folksy middle section is played over a bagpipe-like drone. The Finale's main theme also has a folkish cast, and it is subjected to a brief but sophisticated development with much contrapuntal play (including a canon between the upper and lower strings). A rousing coda brings the work to a brilliant conclusion.
Source: Allmusic.
Antal Dorati & Philharmonia Hungarica
Decca

no trio has ever made me feel the way this one has this is an experience oh my god 😭😭

[@Tstorm731]

Trio at 14:28-15:45 is absolutely breathtaking in this recording. Thanks for this!

[@loganfruchtman953]

The largo makes me cry it’s so beautiful!

[@mattmaloney2445]

That trio sounds like its from the future, very cinematic scoring. Remarkable.

[@erika6651]

The drone bass and Slavic flava give it a Dvorak feeling. The genius composers have these brilliant wtf moments in their compositions!

[@tejasnair3399]

It’s a folk music topic. Haydn is full of excellent uses of the folk music topic, more than Mozart and Beethoven who also used it as well; it was/is a recognizable topic of the Classical genre

[@gradwhan]

Thanks for the score. In my opinion the best Haydn Symphony. There is so much depth in it.

[@Punchkid]

Yes it is🎵🫡

[@christianwouters6764]

​It is because the performance observes H's dynamic and expression marks to the letter, what most other directors do not. There are no bad H symphonies, only bad performances A pity that metronome marks didn't exist then, I have the impression the finale is smw to slow..​@@Punchkid

[@sergioazevedo7390]

Bethoven surely remembered the transition to the reexposition in this Symphony 88 in his own 3rd and 5th Symphonies :)

[@鬼丸尚-r5o]

The great sympony !

[@fabrizio1655]

El cuarto movimiento, "Finale: Allegro con spirito," presenta una fuga en su desarrollo. Esta sinfonía, compuesta en 1787, es conocida por su brillantez y energía, y la fuga en el movimiento final muestra la maestría de Haydn en la escritura contrapuntística.

[@paololupo3716]

grazie per chi posta. grande Haydn!

[@antoniocarlosantunesantune3217]

The best Symphony of Haydn!

[@elaineblackhurst1509]

There’s no such thing as ‘best’ symphony of Haydn - nor any other composer; you can have favourites though, but that’s a different thing.

[@antoniocarlosantunesantune3217]

@@elaineblackhurst1509 For me it is better. I didnt't ask for your opinion ok.

[@elaineblackhurst1509]

⁠​⁠@@antoniocarlosantunesantune3217
You publicly stated that 88 is:
‘The best Symphony of Haydn!’.
It’s an opinion, *not* a fact, and therefore open to challenge and comment, especially as there’s no such thing as ‘best symphony’ of Haydn, nor Mozart, Beethoven, nor anyone else.
PS. You’re right, it is a very fine symphony.

[@mr-wx3lv]

The opening theme of the slow movement, like Schubert 5 second movement..

[@katewages2404]

14:28 - Trio
17:13 - Finale
18:08- solo

[@samanthago3884]

1:16 - expo
3:58 - devo
5:09 - recap

[@deshiliu]

2.6:35
3:12:20
4:16:59

[@marianmrazik9813]

14:28 Trio

[@su4509]

Adagio 00:10
Allegro 01:16
4:00
Largo 6:35

[@Punchkid]

I found it💙

[@nurlatifahmohdnor8939]

Page 225
The Colon
PPO/1843/1844/1845
Page make-up and origination by Elite Typesetting
Techniques, Southampton

[@ImagineOwen]

beat goes hard 1:49

[@fyzd3r]

Hi there!
I am working for a music school in Canada, making a promotional video and I am looking to use 1min30 of the first mouvement.
Who do I need to contact exactly to get the rights for diffusion?

[@calvinblackmon_sax]

i can’t imagine this isn’t public domain

[@comradech.8646]

16:57

[@rolandmeyer3729]

Yeah, it's OK. 😐

[@coln7334]

12:15

[@joshscores3360]

Super early lol :)