Symphony No. 74 in E major, Hoboken 1/74, is a symphony by Joseph Haydn composed in 1780 or 1781.
Music The symphony is scored for flute, two oboes, bassoon, two horns, and strings.
There are four movements:
The first movement opens in standard Italian style with three loud chords followed by a quiet response. The second theme group is based on an inversion of the quiet response.Brown, A. Peter, The Symphonic Repertoire (Volume 2). Indiana University Press (), pp. 184–186 (2002).
The second movement opens like a serenade with muted violins playing a melody over a guitar-like accompaniment in the cello. What follows is a set of three loosely structured variations which avoid the simple strophic pattern of previous sets by allowing the lead-ins and interludes to overlap and a coda which features a small fugato.
The minuet features Lombard rhythms and the trio lets the first violin and the bassoon carry the melody.
The finale is gigue-like and in sonata form.
Notes
References Haydn: Chronicle and Works, 5 vols, (Bloomington and London: Indiana University Press, 1976– ) v. 2, Haydn at Eszterhaza, 1766–1790 Oxford Composer Companions: Haydn, ed. David Wyn Jones, Oxford University Press, 2002.