Haydn’s Passion Symphony
It was long believed that the nickname La passione or ‘The Passion’ was derived from the nature of the music itself: the slow opening movement and its minor key modality in the context of Haydn’s ‘Sturm und Drang’ output which pointed to a serious, possibly sacred, subject.
A source from the Northern German city of Schwerin in 1790 records the name ‘La Passione’ with Symphony No. 49 in association with a single performance during Holy Week there. It is also recorded that the work was performed on Passion Sunday in the crypt of the Göttweig Abbey in Lower Austria each year between 1774 and 1786.
Other research suggests that, along with several other symphonies thought to be connected to theatrical works performed at Esterháza and in Vienna around the time of composition, this symphony was actually written as music for a well known play of the time - "Il Quakuo [recte quacquero] di bel'humore" ( The Good-humoured Quaker). This lends support for the belief that the correct name should be more like ‘The Good Quaker’.
The play ‘Die Quäker’ was the title under which Chamfort's 1764 comedy La jeune indienne was published in German. It was a popular stage piece in Vienna during the late 1760s and early 1770s which aligns with the time this work was written.
Things to listen for:
1st movement - The work opens with a slow and sombre theme that is also very beautiful.
At [2:21] Listen for the sudden change in the pace of the music.
Last movement - [22:59] This is a very dramatic, fast paced movement that has youl on the edge of your seat. Notice how Haydn creates this effect by having the accompanying parts in the bass line play a continual pulsing quaver figure throughout.
LISTEN HERE
Recording: L'Estro Armonico, dir. Derek Solomons