Symphony No. 45 in F-sharp minor ‘Farewell’ (Hob. I.45)

• Haydn, Franz Joseph

Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) wrote Symphony No. 45 in F-sharp minor ‘Farewell’ (Hob. I.45; ‘Abschiedssinfonie’ in German), the most well-known of his ‘Sturm und Drang’ symphonies, in 1772, and it is unique among musical works as it was composed as a solution to a labor dispute. In Haydn’s role as Kapellmeister to Prince Nikolaus Esterházy, he was tasked to manage the personnel of fine musicians that comprised the prince’s house orchestra. While Haydn and a few other employees were permitted to bring their families during the long summer stays at the remote Eszterháza, most of the musicians were not. In the summer of 1772, the prince elected to extend his stay by several weeks, keeping the musicians away from their wives and children longer than anticipated, resulting in complaints to Haydn. The composer opted to write a rather pointed symphony, where in a fifth and final adagio movement, each of the musicians, one by one, packed up their music and instruments and departed the stage. The prince, receiving the message, ordered that everyone may return home the very next day. Instrumentation: 0.2.0.1: 2.0.0.0: Str (4-4-3-3-3 in set).

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