Symphony Nº 103 in E-flat major ("Drum Roll")

Franz Joseph Haydn: Sinfonía nº 103 en Mi bemol Mayor ("Redoble de Tambor").
Edited by Karl Geiringer.

In 1790, Haydn's stint as Kapellmeister (director of music) for the Esterházy family came to an end when Prince Nicholas ("The Magnificent"), the great patron of the arts and an admirer of Haydn's music, passed away. Offers to work came to Haydn from many quarters; the composer ultimately accepted an invitation from the impresario J. P. Salomon to work in the more burgeois atmosphere of the London concert scene. For his last visit there, during the years 1794-95, Haydn produce his final six London symphonies (Nos. 99-104).

Haydn directed the first performance of his Symphony No. 103 ("Drum Roll") at the second of the newly launched "Opera Concerts" at King's Theatre, where, under the artistic direction of Giovanni Battista Viotti, an unusually large and competent orchestra of sixty musicians was put at his disposal.

This edition of the score presented in this volume was prepared by Dr. Hubert Unverricht, for the scholarly edition of this work published by G. Henle Verlag in 1962. The main sources used were Haydn's original autograph score and the orchestral parts written by Johann Elssler, which includes numerous corrections and additions by Haydn.

CONTENTS

-Preface
-Historial background
. Karl Geiringer
. G. A. Griesinger
-The Score of the Symphony
. 1st Movement. Adagio-Allegro con spirito
. 2nd Movement. Andante più tosto allegretto
. 3rd Movement. Menuet
. 4th Movement. Finale: Allegro con spirito
. Textual note
. The original conclusion of the Finale
-Analysis
. Donald Francis Tovey
. Hermann Kretzschmar
. H. C. Robbins Landon
. W. H. Hadow
. Rosemary Hughes
. Marion M. Scott
-Views and comments
. Charles Burney
. Anonymous (1794)
. Paul Henry Lang
. Karl Geiringer
. Charles Rosen
-Bibliography