Caught Off Guard by Haydn's Symphony No 94 in G major, Hob. I:94 "Surprise"
IV. Finale: Allegro di molto
Symphony No. 94 in G major, Hob. I:94
I'm Joseph Haydn, and I'm happy to explain the IV. Finale: Allegro di molto movement of my Symphony No 94. Near the end, a timpani roll sends the music veering into E flat, a second surprise that proves the Andante wasn't my only trick. Here on this site, my fellow composers and I also teach you to recognize our pieces when they play, so see how you do yourself.
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Keep One Ear on the Fiddles and One on the Drum
Let me tell you how I'd listen to this last movement, since it moves quickly and you'll want a few handholds. Follow the strings first, because they carry the main tune and zip along as if the concert hall were about to close. Then let your ear drift to the woodwinds and horns, which add colour and little answering phrases around the strings. Keep the timpani in the back of your mind too, because the player with the drums waits patiently and then takes a bigger part toward the end.Why I Call the Last Movement a Finale
I call it a Finale for the plainest reason: it comes last, and it's there to send you out of the hall in a good mood. The words Allegro di molto simply tell the players to go very fast, though editions don't always agree on the exact wording. After the famous chord in the Andante and the brisk minuet, I wanted to end with energy rather than another lesson in manners. So the title is really a promise that the symphony finishes with a quick, cheerful run to the double bar.Choosing a Shape, or a Small Architectural Argument
The form took some thought, because I wanted something that could be both a rondo and a sonata movement. In the end I wrote it in sonata rondo form, which means a main tune keeps coming back, but the movement also has the development and return of a sonata. Think of it as a favourite tune that keeps knocking on the door, with the music wandering off between visits to see what else it can find. I'll take the sections one at a time, so you can notice each return and each detour as it happens.Section 1: The Tune Introduces Itself
The movement starts at once with its main theme, light, bouncy and very quick, with no slow introduction to hold you back. It's a tune you can hum after one hearing, and that's deliberate, because you'll be meeting it again and again. The mood is bright and a little playful, like a dance step that is easy to pick up. Listen closely to how it begins, because those opening bars become important later.Section 2: A Short Trip Away From Home
Once the main tune has said hello, the music moves on to new material that contrasts with it. The energy stays high, but the melodies change shape and the music travels away from where it began. That is the rondo side of the form at work: the new ideas make you glad when the familiar tune comes back. Don't worry about where exactly one idea ends and the next begins, because the pace carries you along.Section 3: The Development, Where I Shake Things Up
This is the middle of the movement, where I take my ideas apart and play with them, so the music becomes more restless and unpredictable. Then, right in the middle of this development, the opening bars return, and it feels like a friend turning up in the middle of a crowded party. I like that moment because it mixes the rondo's habit of coming home with the sonata's habit of exploring. After that, the music keeps working through its ideas and heads back toward the familiar ground.Section 4: Coming Home, a Little Changed
Now the main material returns and the earlier ideas find their places again, and you should feel that the journey is nearly over. The tune is no longer a stranger, so you can enjoy it the way you enjoy a song you already know. The mood is confident and warm, with the same quick pace and no sign of tiring. This calm return is the setting for the finish, and I wanted you to feel settled just before I gave you something extra.Section 5: The Coda, with a Drum Roll and a Second Surprise
The coda is the stirring last stretch of the movement, and here the timpani really take centre stage. A timpani roll pushes the music into E flat, which is a long way from where you'd expect to be. I think of it as my second surprise in this symphony, because the first one gets all the attention and I couldn't resist another. Then the music finds its way back and finishes with a bright, decisive flourish.Your Turn: Press Play
Now it's your turn to hear the Finale for yourself, so press play and let the music carry you along. As you listen, remember the main tune, the way the opening bars return in the middle, and the drum roll near the end. You don't need to know anything about classical music to enjoy it, only a willingness to listen. I hope you have as much fun hearing this Finale as I had writing it.---
I hope you've enjoyed this listen guide to the Finale: Allegro di molto of my Symphony No 94 in G major, Hob. I:94 "Surprise". Now that you've heard how the finale rushes along, you may notice that the symphony feels like a conversation that never quite goes where you expect. I always liked ending a piece with a little something left in reserve, and the timpani roll that pushes the music into E flat near the close is one more surprise after the famous one. If you listen again, I think you'll catch small details that slipped past you the first time, and that's one of the great pleasures of coming back to a piece you know. There is still a good deal more to explore in this symphony, from the way it came to life in London to the other movements and the stories around them. Please click on the links below to keep exploring my Symphony No 94 in G major, Hob. I:94 "Surprise" at your own pace.