Haydn: Piano Sonatas Nos. 59-62

Jeno Jan

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Cat No: 8550657

Release Date: 12 January 1999

Label: Naxos - Nxc / Naxos Classics

Packaging Type: Jewel Case

No of Units: 1

Barcode: 4891030506572

Genres: Classical

Composer/Series: HAYDN

Description
Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809)Piano Sonatas Vol. 1 Sonata No.59 in E Flat Major, Hob. XVI: 49 Sonata No.60 in C Major, Hob. XVI: 50 Sonata No.61 in D Major, Hob. XVI: 51 Sonata No.62 in E Flat Major, Hob. XVI: 52Joseph Haydn was born in the village of Rohrau in 1732, the sonof a wheelwright. Trained at the choir-school of St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, hespent some years earning a living as best he could from teaching and playing the violin orkeyboard, and was able to learn from the old musician Porpora, whose assist an the became.Haydn's first appointment was in 1759 as Kapellmeister to a Bohemian nobleman, Count vonMorzin. This was followed in 1761 by employment as Vice-Kapellmeister to one of therichest men in the Empire, Prince Paul Anton Esterhazy, succeeded on his death in 1762 byhis brother Prince Nikolaus. On the death in 1766 of the elderly and somewhat obstructiveKapellmeister, Gregor Werner, Haydn succeeded to his position, to remain in the sameemployment, nominally at least, for the rest of his life.On the completion of the magnificent palace at Esterhaza, inthe Hungarian plains under the new Prince, Haydn assumed command of an increased musicalestablishment. Here he had responsibility for the musical activities of the palace, whichincluded the provision and direction of instrumental music, opera and theatre music, andmusic for the church. For his patron he provided a quantity of chamber music of all kinds,particularly for the Prince's own peculiar instrument, the baryton, a bowed stringinstrument with sympathetic strings that could also be plucked.On the death of Prince Nikolaus in 1790, Haydn was able toaccept an invitation to visit London, where he provided music for the concert seasonorganized by the violinist-impresario Salomon. A second successful visit to London in 1794and 1795 was followed by a return to duty with the Esterhazy family, the new head ofwhich had settled principally at the family property in Eisenstadt, where Haydn hadstarted his career. Much of the year, however, was to be spent in Vienna, where Haydnpassed his final years, dying in 1809, as the French armies of Napoleon approached thecity yet again.The classical keyboard sonata developed during the eighteenthcentury, the changes in its form and content taking place during Haydn's life-time. Thisformal development took place during a period when keyboard instruments themselves werechanging, with the harpsichord and clavichord gradually replaced by the new hammer-actionfortepiano. There are some fourteen early harpsichord sonatas attributed to Haydn. Of his47 1ater keyboard sonatas, dating from about 1765, the first thirty were designed forharpsichord and the next nine for harpsichord or piano. The remaining eight sonatasinclude seven specifically intended for piano and one for piano or harpsichord. Theprincipal musical difference between music for harpsichord and that for the piano lies inthe possibilities for gradual dynamic change, indications of which appear
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