MUSIClassical notes: Haydn... Symphony No. 2 in C major

Joseph Haydn's Symphony No. 2 in C major, Hoboken I/2, is believed to have been written between 1757 and 1761. Some sources say 1764. It is the only one of Haydn's symphonies that contains no repeat signs. It is also one of his shortest symphonies; performances generally last less than ten minutes. From around 1758 he was employed by Count von Morzin of Bohemia and though it was to be rather short appointment (in 1761 Haydn would move on to the vice-Kapellmeistership at Eisenstadt), the Morzin period did yield the first 5 of Haydn’s 104 symphonies. Haydn is popularly known as the “father” of the symphony with thanks largely to Haydn and Mozart in the late 1750s. Haydn's earliest symphonies are notable for the three part (fast-slow-fast) structure. The Symphony No. 2 is both traditional and “modern” as it blends the expected lightness of its time with some interesting compositional innovations. From the start, Haydn displays the signature wit and creative spark that made his later works so instantly recognizable and legacy-worthy. Prince Esterházy certainly saw something important in the young composer’s Morzin-period* symphonies, important enough that he offered Haydn the most significant job of his life in 1761. * Morzine, a french mountain resort - Morzine is an ideal village resort in the french Alps, in the heart of Portes du Soleil.

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