There is evidence that Joseph Haydn began composing some of the London Symphonies starting with the slow movements, sometimes including extramusical allusions that today go unnoticed. He would then plan the remaining movements to ensure the most fitting framework. This was likely the case with Symphony No. 101. The London audience quickly recognized in its second movement the characteristic sound of a ticking clock. It thus became known as the Clock Symphony.
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Symphony No. 101 belongs to the group of six symphonies Haydn composed for his second London season, between February 1794 and August of the following year. Since his previous visit, during the year and a half he remained in Vienna, ideas had been flowing in his imagination, fueled by the enthusiasm from his first experience and, above all, the unexpected resurgence of his career as he approached sixty years of age. This youthful energy is felt from the first to the last measure, contributing to the symphony becoming one of his most popular works, especially at its first hearing in the English capital. It took place on a cold March day, at an extraordinary concert that also featured the prestigious bass Ludwig Fischer performing operatic arias, the virtuosity of violinist Giovanni Battista Viotti, and other attractions. After the intermission, Haydn’s symphony was premiered, and judging by press reviews, it was the most enthusiastic moment of the evening.
As with most of the London symphonies, the Clock Symphony opens with a slow introduction, somewhat tense and somber. However, this serves only as a buildup, preparing the ground for a lively first movement that calls on all sections of the orchestra for a spirited exchange centered around always-short melodic motives and danceable rhythms. Then follows the spirited Andante, in which a melody that immediately invites humming unfolds in variations that are alternately playful or dramatic, always accompanied by the pulsation that many say imitates the short, precise sound of a clock’s mechanism. In the Minuet, the orchestra transforms the charm and elegance instantly associated with 18th-century Viennese salons. Surprises abound, such as key changes and unexpected passages, revealing the composer’s sense of humor and creative good spirits. The Finale rushes forward with contagious rhythmic vitality, marked by conspicuous use of syncopations and emphatic chords. Thus concludes an extraordinarily sophisticated symphony for its time and, above all, a mood that highlights how calling classical period music “serious music” can sometimes seem quite inappropriate.
Rui Campos Leitão
Image: English clock from the 17th century. Source: Timelessmoon