The genre of concert symphony in the works of Haydn and Mozart

Abstract

The article focuses on the concert symphony (fr. symphonie concertante, it. sinfonia concertata) – a classical music form which remains little studied in Russian musicology – as is exemplified in the works of Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The study raises three questions crucial for the history and theory of the genre. First, the article analyses the development of ideas about concertante as well as relevant terminology. Reference books and scientific works of the 18th-early 21st centuries provide different points of view on the genre. Some highlight its symphonic nature, while others take a middle position or lean toward its concert-related aspects. Second, the article analyses different models of concert symphonies shaped in different regional traditions. The study has allowed to distinguish two mainstream lines of genre development – German and French (C. Stamitz and A. Stamitz, C. Cannabich, J.B. Davaux, G. Cambini, F. J. Gossec, and others), and Austrian (J. Haydn, C.D. von Dittersdorf, W.A. Mozart, I. Pleyel, F.A. Hoffmeister, L. van Beethoven, and others). In both traditions, concert symphonies are generally cyclic orchestral works with elaborated parts for two or more solo instruments. They are often marked by virtuoso cadences in one or several movements as well as a major tonality and cheerful festive mood. However, in many aspects Austrian concert symphonies differ from German and French ones. The article examines the features of Austrian concertante (the third aspect of the research) based on the evidence from concert symphonies and concerts for several solo instruments by Mozart and Haydn. The key features include a three- or four-part cycle, a variety of musical forms with sonata-like features as a backbone, thoughtful intonation patterns and thematic connections, equal standing of soloists and orchestra or, at times, the predominance of the latter. The study suggests that Austrian concert symphonies are closer to the symphonic interpretation in contrast to more concert-like German and French compositions written in this genre.