The Symphony No. 51 in B major, Hoboken I/51, is a symphony by

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

, written in either 1773 or 1774, although the exact dating remains ambiguous.Daniel Heartz, ''Haydn, Mozart, and the Viennese School, 1740–1780''. W.W. Norton & Company (), pp. 363-364 (1995). Scored for 2 oboes, 2

horn Horn most often refers to: *Horn (acoustic), a conical or bell shaped aperture used to guide sound ** Horn (instrument), collective name for tube-shaped wind musical instruments *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various ...

s (B alto, E),

bassoon The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuo ...

and

strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

. The work is in four movements: #

Vivace In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

, #

Adagio Adagio (Italian for 'slowly', ) may refer to: Music * Adagio, a Tempo#Basic tempo markings, tempo marking, indicating that music is to be played slowly, or a composition intended to be played in this manner * Adagio (band), a French progressive m ...

# Menuetto – Trio I – Trio II, #

Allegro Allegro may refer to: Common meanings * Allegro (music), a tempo marking indicate to play fast, quickly and bright * Allegro (ballet), brisk and lively movement Artistic works * L'Allegro (1645), a poem by John Milton * ''Allegro'' (Satie), an ...

Sometimes described as "a concertante piece featuring the two horns, which are given parts of staggering difficulty."Antony Hodgson, ''The Music of Joseph Haydn: The Symphonies''. London: The Tantivy Press (1976): 78 The second, slow, movement contains high notes for the first horn (including a written F₆ for horn in E) and very low notes for the second horn.

H. C. Robbins Landon Howard Chandler Robbins Landon (March 6, 1926November 20, 2009) was an American musicologist, journalist, historian and broadcaster, best known for his work in rediscovering the huge body of neglected music by Haydn and in correcting misunderstand ...

, ''Haydn: Chronicle and Works'', 5 vols, (Bloomington and London: Indiana University Press, 1976– ) v. 2, ''Haydn at Eszterhaza, 1766–1790''.. The third movement contains an even higher note for horn, a written C₆ for horn in B alto (sounding as B₅), one of the highest notes ever written for horn. Heartz has noted the character of the fourth movement as reminiscent of the French ''rondeau''. The first contrasting section is an oboe solo in

E major E major (or the key of E) is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps. Its relative minor is C-sharp minor and its parallel minor is E minor. Its enharmonic equivalent, ...

and the second contrasting section is fortissimo and in G minor.

References

Symphony 051 Compositions in B-flat major 1773 compositions 1774 compositions {{symphony-stub