SMITHSONIAN STUDIES IN HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY • NUMBER 38 

i:he Musical 

Instruments of 

Joseph i^agcln 

; ^ SOA,,::^^^^ AN INTRODUCTION 

{ FEB18 1S52 )j IJ 

Helen Kice Hollis 

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION PRESS • CITY OF WASHINGTON • 1977 
ABSTRAC T 

Hollis, Helen Rice. The Musical Instruments of Joseph Haydn: An Introduction. 

Smithsonian Studies in History and Technology, number 38, 33 pages, 18 figures, 

1977. This paper is concerned with the musical instruments of Joseph Haydn's 

time—his early experiences with the instruments and his use of them. Sections are 

devoted to keyboards, instrumentation of the piano trios, wind instruments, timpani, and the baryton. The paper contains material that has not appeared previously, and it includes 18 illustrations of musical instruments, some of which are in 

the Smithsonian collection. The latter have never been assembled for publication 

in this context and some have never been published at all. Dr. H. C. Robbins 

Landon. internationally known musicologist and recognized authority on Joseph 

Haydn, has written a foreword. 

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION DATE is handstamped in a limited number of initial copies and is recorded 

in the Institution's annual report, Smithsonian Year. Co\ ER: Portrait of Joseph Hadyn by Thomas 

Hardy, London, 1792. (Royal College of Music, London.) 

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data 

Hollis, Helen Rice 

The musical instruments of Joseph Haydn. 

(Smithsonian studies in history and technology ; no. 38) 

Bibliography; p. 

Supt. of Docs, no.: SI 1.28:38 

1. Haydn, Joseph, 1732-1809. 2. Musical instruments. I. Title. II. Series: Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian studies in history and technology ; no. 38. 

ML410.H4H59 780'.92'4 [B] 76-608256 

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office 

Washington. D.C. 20402 

Price 51.30 Stock Number 047-001-00131-I 
(Tonttnts 

Page 

FOREWORD v 

ACKNOWLEDGMENT . vi 

HAYDN'S EARLY EXPERIENCES WITH MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS . . 1 

HAYDN'S USE OF INSTRUMENTS ... . ... . 7 

Keyboards . . ... . 7 

Instrumentation of the Piano Trios 21 

Wind Instruments .. . 22 

Timpan i 26 

T h e Baryton 26 

HAYDN IN LONDON ... . 29 

CONCLUSION . ... . 30 

NOTES 31 

SOURCES CITED .. . 33 

111 
Jforettiorfl 

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov used to say that Haydn was the 

greatest orchestrator who ever lived. Opinions may differ about 

the superlative, but it is clear that Haydn was an orchestrator of 

immense ability and astonishing technical knowledge. Thus it is 

curious that there is no survey of Haydn's use of musical instruments, and Mrs. Hollis's essay fills a real gap. Being a gifted pianist 

in her own right, she is more than competent to write discerningly 

and sensitively about Haydn's principal instrument (which he 

persists in calling "clavier," a wooly term at best). Mrs. Hollis is 

also connected with the Smithsonian Institution, the musical instruments collection of which includes one of the most beautiful 

fortepiani extant of the south-German school, and also a fine 

Broadwood of the year 1794 (in which year Haydn composed his 

greatest keyboard sonata, No. 62 [52] in E flat, the autograph 

manuscript of which is in the Library of Congress); and so it is 

appropriate that the Institution should be host of Mrs. Hollis's 

useful and timely monograph. 

Vienna, June 1976. 

H. C. ROBBINS LANDON 
acknottileiJpent 

Of the many students of Joseph Haydn who are indebted to 

Dr. Landon, none is more deeply so than I. Without his generous encouragement, suggestions, corrections, and additions, I 

should not have had the audacity to attempt this study. 

HELEN RICE HOLLIS 

VI 
i:he MuBical Instruments 

of Joseph i^agdn 

AN INTRODUCTION 

Helen Rice Hollis 

Haydn's Early Experiences with Musical Instruments 

The first musical instrument Joseph Haydn heard was a small 

harp played by his father, self-taught, to accompany folk songs. 

In a thatched cottage, that was little more than a peasant's 

hut, little Joseph joined his mother and father in the singing, 

it is said, "with perfect intonation and a beautiful voice."^ 

There must indeed have been something exceptional about his 

voice; as late as 1795 in London he wrote of singing to his own 

accompaniment at the urging of the guests at a musical soiree 

attended by the king and queen and other royal personages, 

but he said, self-deprecatingly, that his voice was only the size 

of his top little finger joint. 

When shown a picture of the simple Haydn dwelling in Rohrau, Beethoven on his death bed was moved to say, "Strange 

Helen Rice Hollis, Division of Musical Instruments, National Museum of 

History and Technology, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20560. 
SMITHSONIAN STUDIES IN HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 

that so great a man should have been born in so poor a homel"^ 

If physical comforts were minimal, however, the spiritual life of 

the family was enriched by sincere and unaffected enjoyment 

of music and deep and cheerful religious faith, both strong 

forces in the life of the future composer. 

The schoolmaster of the village played the violin, and it is said 

that Joseph, longing to play it too, took two sticks and imitated 

his motions, keeping time so well that he attracted the attention 

of his elders. 

Once established in Hainburg, where his selfless parents sent 

him even before he was six years old to give him opportunities 

for education not available in their small village, the little boy 

quickly became familiar with all the instruments in use there. It 

is not certain on how many of them he actually became proficient, but he later wrote that in his sixth year he could take part 

in the singing of masses in the church choir and play a little on 

the clavier (clavichord and possibly harpsichord) and on the 

violin. 

If the story of his learning to play kettle drums may be apocryphal, it has been repeated often enough to have become legend. He had been placed in the care of a family connection, 

Johann Mathias Franck, who was a school principal as well as 

choirmaster of the church of St. Philip and St. James in Hainburg. Franck was disconcerted by the death of his drummer, 

who was needed desperately for the processions of the Week 

of the Cross. Franck hit upon the idea of using Joseph in the 

emergency, gave him some sticks, showed him the strokes, and 

left him to practice. The child took a bread basket covered with 

a cloth, set it on a chair, and beat on it with such vigor and concentration that he failed to notice that the flour was spilling out 

and soiling the chair.^ Bread basket or no, he was able to march 

in the procession playing the kettle drums hung on the back of 

a hunchback, who was small enough to put the drums within 

easy reach. What a pity no artist recorded the event, but Haydn 
NUMBER 38 

may have recalled it many years later during his London concert appearances when he surprised and impressed a timpanist 

by demonstrating to him exactly how he wanted a passage 

performed. 

Franck had available to him an extensive library of music in 

manuscript. Besides the organ, the instruments of the church included violins, cellos, double bass, trumpets, horns, and timpani. 

Haydn was often put to work copying parts and inevitably became familiar with a large body of sacred music as well as instrumentation. Life was hard in Hainburg, and Franck severe, 

but the eager boy made the most of his varied musical experiences in the two years spent there. He was then ready for 

the more sophisticated musical life of Vienna when the opportunity came to become a choirboy under the direction of Karl 

Georg Reutter, court composer and choirmaster of St. Stephen's 

Cathedral. 

Reutter worked his choirboys mercilessly, fed them poorly, 

made them learn to sing and sight-read expertly, and to play 

clavier and violin, but his concern for them went only so far as 

they were useful to him, and no general training in musical composition and theory was provided. Haydn once said, "Proper 

teachers I never had. I always started right away with the practical side, first in singing and in playing instruments, later in 

composition."^ 

But just to be in Vienna was an education in itself — no city 

of Europe was richer in music; it was a passion with the court 

and the nobility. Haydn heard and participated in a vast number of performances of the music of contemporary composers 

during his nine years at St. Stephen's, and his diligence was extraordinary. In later life he recalled that while his comrades 

played at their games, he took his small clavier (an old wormeaten clavichord) and went to his miserable little attic quarters 

to play it in solitude. When Haydn's voice broke at the onset of adolescence, Reutter had no further use for him nor concern for his 
SMITHSONIAN STUDIES IN HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 

future; for a time the youth was in dire straits indeed. Slowly, 

however, his situation improved as he came to the attention of 

members of the nobility, the only hope for a musician of his day 

to achieve any respectable position. He acquired some pupils, 

among them a countess who was a gifted singer and keyboardist. In a working day of 16 to 18 hours Haydn accepted various 

engagements: playing the first violin at daybreak in church, going from there to play the organ in the chapel of a Viennese 

count, later singing tenor at St. Stephen's, and finally passing a 

good part of the night at a clavier, played for his own delight 

to raise his spirits and quiet his worries. He also participated at 

times in the summer-night serenades that were a charming feature of Viennese life. It is possible, then, that he could play a 

wind instrument passably; an eighteenth-century Viennese almanac describes the serenades as being played by a trio or quartet 

of wind instruments.^ 

Haydn took advantage of a period of servitude as accompanist and valet to Nicola Porpora to pick up whatever he could 

from this irascible master of singing, composition, and Italian, 

and he was able to scrape enough money together for violin lessons. The violin became for him, in fact, a strong second instrument. An English singer appearing in a Mozart opera in Vienna 

in 1784 recalled that Haydn and Dittersdorf played first and 

second violins, Mozart viola, and Wanhal cello at a quartet 

party.*' Mozart frequently invited Haydn to participate in such 

events and on occasion the latter played viola. 

His first string quartets were written in the 1750s for a group 

that gathered outside Vienna in the small castle of an ardent 

musician to whom Haydn was introduced. The enthusiasm of 

this agreeable circle stimulated his interest in composition for 

this medium. 

With his capacity for concentration and hard work plus some 

social graces acquired in his association with nobles and aristocrats, to soften the rough edges of his peasant demeanor, Haydn 
NUMBER 38 

was well qualified for the first important position that was offered to him — that of music director and composer for the Bohemian Count Ferdinand Maximilian von Morzin. An orchestra 

of about 16 members was maintained by the count and countess the year around, playing in Vienna in winter and in their 

country house in summer. 

Little is known of the two years or so of this association — no 

letters or notes exist from this period — but the ambience must 

have been agreeable. The Morzins were true lovers of music. 

The countess sang well, and one of Haydn's pleasant duties was 

to accompany her at the piano. (The piano would have been 

a square model; except for the pianos of Gottfried Silbermann 

— quite outside the mainstream of the development of the German piano and not to be considered in this connection — the 

grand piano did not make its first appearance in Germany until 

about 1773, the date of Johann Andreas Stein's earliest known 

grand.) 

When the post of court musician to Prince Paul Esterhazy was 

offered in 1761, there surely could have been no one better qualified musically or temperamentally than Haydn. He had acquired 

self-confidence as a composer, was totally familiar with all instruments, and had had ample experience in composing and performing on demand. He was in fact a real trouper and, moreover, had learned how to deal diplomatically and firmly with the 

whims and exigencies of royalty. As his notes indicate later, he 

was able to insist on what he considered proper or appropriate 

in matters of musical performance, personal freedom, and relations with the musicians under his direction. The contract outlined formidable musical duties and responsibilities and set forth 

detailed strictures on personal behavior for himself as well as 

other court musicians. It also stipulated that, "as the Vice-Capell 

master is proficient on various instruments, he shall take care 

himself to practice on all that he is acquainted with.'"^ 

When Haydn assumed his post the orchestra in Eisenstadt was 
SMITHSONIAN STUDIES IN HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 

small, but scarcely more than a year later he was able to increase the number to comprise five violins, one cello, one double 

bass, one flute, two oboes, two bassoons, and two horns — all fine 

performers and some of them truly outstanding. 

When Prince Paul Anton died in March of 1762 and was succeeded by Nicolas, a golden age of music in the Esterhazy realm 

was inaugurated and was to flourish for nearly 30 years. Prince 

Nicholas's love of splendor and ostentation was balanced by a 

sincere devotion to music, a generous nature, and a kind heart. 

It is customary to lament the servile position of Haydn at the 

court, but it must be remembered that this was the order of the 

day expected and philosophically accepted by Haydn. In truth, 

no composer in history has had a more fortuitous opporunity 

to try out new ideas, to develop those that were workable and 

reject those that were not. It was a composer's dream: daily 

rehearsals always with the same musicians, endless performances 

in all musical media, close personal association with the performers, a sophisticated, critical, and appreciative audience, and ungrudging support of a patron who spared no expense to achieve 

the best of everything. Haydn said, "My prince was content 

with all my works. I received approval. I could, as head of an 

orchestra, make experiments, observe what enhanced an effect 

and what weakened it, thus improving, cutting away, and running risks. I was set apart from the world. There was nobody in 

my vicinity to confuse and annoy me in my course, so I had to 

be original."s After the great castle of Eszterhaza^ was completed 

in 1766, the quantity, quality, and variety of musical activities 

were unsurpassed during the 25 years of Prince Nicolas's life. 

In view of the excellent biographies that are available, a recapitulation of the story of Haydn's life would be gratuitous 

here, except for aspects of it that provide background for a consideration of his use of instruments. The intention of the foregoing remarks is to stress those aspects. 
NUMBER 38 

Haydn's Use of Instruments 

Keyboards 

Without question keyboard instruments were dominant in 

Haydn's life. From his earliest musical experiences to the end of 

his days he was dependent on them in a variety of ways. In his 

early youth, isolated by his poverty, Haydn turned for solace to 

his clavichord, and many years later he spoke of the consolation his piano gave him in melancholy moments. If not a virtuoso keyboard performer he must indeed have been a competent and effective one, performing as soloist as well as accompanist, conducting his operas and symphonies from the keyboard 

— early a harpsichord, later a piano — and composing always 

at the keyboard, a practice not frowned upon in his time. His 

musical ideas and inspiration came always from improvisation 

at the keyboard. Near the end of his life he told Dies that musical ideas crowded into his head to the point of obsession, that 

his imagination played on him as though he were a keyboard 

and, continuing, he said, "I really am a living keyboard."^** 

In his later life he even took a lively interest in the development 

of piano-making. 

The subject of Haydn's keyboard preferences is clouded by the 

word clavier. In the linguistic use of the time it usually meant 

clavichord in Germany, but it was used also in the generic sense 

to refer to any keyboard instrument. 

Information is sketchy concerning the keyboard instruments 

at the court of Eszterhaza in Haydn's time, but records survive 

that pertain to maintenance of instruments, e.g., regulating and 

quilling of harpsichords, voicing of organ pipes, and orders for 

tuning-hammers and strings. One of the court musicians received 

an increase in salary with the provision that he would be responsible for stringing, requilling, and tuning harpsichords, maintain-
SMITHSONIAN STUDIES IN HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 

ing the musical clocks, and supplying crow quills from his 

property. Most of the notations have to do with harpischords 

but a clavichord is mentioned once. It is not clear when a piano 

appeared at the court, but a communication with the piano-maker 

Anton Walter in 1781 may have led to the purchase of one, and 

in 1796 he was commissioned to tune two pianos for the prince. 

No keyboard instruments from the court are known to have 

survived.^^ 

When Haydn turned decisively to the piano is a question as 

fascinating as the definitive answer to it is elusive. That it happened well before 1790 is certain. In this year, returning after 

a happy time in Vienna to Eszterhaza, where by now he felt isolated and restless, he wrote to his dear friend Marianne von Genzinger that, "nothing could console me, my whole lodging was 

in disorder; my piano that I usually love in other times was 

moody and disobedient and provoked my displeasure more than 

it consoled me."^- There is no mention of his harpsichord or 

clavichord. In the same year he advised a friend to give away 

[!] his harpsichord and buy a piano, adding that he no longer 

played his harpsichord. He also lamented that Frau von Genzinger had no piano, saying that he could no longer compose harpsichord sonatas for her.^^ j ^ 1775 Burkat Shudi and John Broadwood 

sent him a harpsichord from England, an instrument that was 

already tolling its own death knell in that it was equipped with a 

machine stop and a Venetian swell for effects not characteristic of 

the Baroque — a type that, indeed, represents the transition from 

Baroque to Classicism and from harpsichord to piano. 

Geiringer states unequivocally: "It must be emphasized here 

that the clavier used by Haydn was the same instrument that 

Mozart also employed for his keyboard compositions: the pianoforte.'' He continues ".. . although some of the earliest of Haydn's 

sonatas may also be played on the clavichord . . . and most of 

Haydn's concertos on the more powerful harpsichord, Haydn's 

main instrument was certainly the delicate hammerklavier of the 
NUMBER 38 

eighteenth century.''^^ Two of the clavier concertos, however, 

actually specify "cembalo" rather than "clavier," and all except 

one of 1784 in D major date from before ca. 1770. If some of 

the earlier ones were conceived for piano, it must have been the 

square model, expressive but limited in volume. 

FIGURE 1.—Gouache painting of a typical eighteenth-century opera performance with the conductor and probably composer, formerly purported to be 

Haydn, at the harpsichord. The setting and the opera are presently unidentified. (Theatre Museum, Munich.) 
10 SMITHSONIAN STUDIES IN HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 

Later studies by Horst Walter reconsider the subject. His article, "Haydns Klaviere,"^^ is the source of many of the observations made here. The harpsichord was in use throughout most 

of the century in instrumental ensemble groups and opera as a 

"lead" instrument from which the conductor worked, but for the 

earliest sonatas the clavichord must be considered along with the 

harpsichord. If there were no pianos at Eszterhdza until at least 

1781, it is doubtful that Haydn had the opportunity to become 

intimately familiar with one before that date. Dr. Landon is inclined to believe that Haydn was not particularly interested in 

the harpsichord except for those works in which it was a part of 

the orchestral texture.^® 

Such dynamic markings as are indicated before 1780 could apply to the harpsichord as well as to the clavichord or piano, e.g. 

forte, piano, — effects possible on a two-manual instrument. The 

first crescendo mark appears in the Artaria edition of the C minor 

Sonata in 1780, but as this passage is not preserved in the autograph, even this is possibly a later addition.i'^ 

FIGURE 2.—Clavichord by 

Johann Bohak, Vienna, 1794. 

(Royal College of Music, 

London.) The only extant 

instrument definitely known 

to have belonged to Haydn. 

The stand is not original. 
NUMBER 38 11 

FIGURE 3.—Harpsichord by 

Shudi and Broadwood, 

London, 1775. 

(Kunsthistorisches Museum, 

Gesellschaft der 

Musikfreunde, Vienna.) 

Formerly believed to have 

belonged to Haydn, this is 

most likely similar or 

identical to the one he 

received from the Shudi 

and Broadwood firm in 

1775. Most of their 

harpsichords, after 1766, that 

have survived are similarly 

equipped, i.e., 2' x 8', 1' x 4', 

lute, buff, machine, 

Venetian swell, 6 hand stops, 

2 pedals. The keyboard 

compass is CC to f^. 
12 SMITHSONIAN STUDIES IN HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 

FIGURE 4.—Square piano by 

Johann Schantz, late 

eighteenth century, Vienna, 

(Kunsthistorisches 

Museum, Gesellschaft der 

Musikfreunde, Vienna.) 

During the decade before, Johann Andreas Stein of Augsburg 

was not only perfecting his piano but was experimenting with 

instruments that combined the harpsichord and the piano. The 

transitional period was labored and the early pianos imperfect 

— uneven from one register to another — and difficult to control. 

Closely related in structure to the contemporary harpsichord, the 

new instrument was often equipped with devices for controlling 

the dynamics mechanically, while at the same time harpsichords 

were being provided with machine stops and "Venetian" and 

"nag's head" swells. 
NUMBER 38 13 

FIGURE 5.—Grand piano by 

Johann Schantz, Vienna, 

ca. 1795. (Collection of R. R. 

Henshaw, Bath, England.) 

Johann Schantz worked with 

his brother Wenzel until 

the latter's death in 1791, 

when he took over the 

shop. None of Wenzel's 

pianos, so much admired 

by Haydn, has survived, 

but it is reasonable to assume 

that they were similar or 

identical to this. 

Harpsichord is indicated (Cembalo or Clavicembalo) in Haydn's 

autographs of keyboard works up to 1770, e.g.. Concerto per il 

clavicembalo. Divertimento per il clavicembalo solo. Divertimento per il cembalo con 2 violini e Basso, and 20 Variazioni 

per il cembalo. 

In general, clavier trios from 1784 specify on the title page 

"per il clavicembalo o forte piano" or "pour le clavecin ou pianoforte avec un violon et violoncello oblig." As late as 1800, however, Haydn indicated for his Trio No. 9 "per il cembalo col 

violino e violoncello." 
1 4 SMITHSONIAN STUDIES IN HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 

In 1788 Haydn wrote to his publisher, Artaria, that he had 

bought himself "a new Fortepiano .. . in order to compose your 

three Clavier Sonatas [the piano trios nos. 11, 12, 13] especially 

well." Artaria was requested to pay Wenzel Schantz "organ and 

instrument maker" for it. This piano is now lost — there is in 

fact no piano by this maker known to have survived — and there 

is no indication as to whether it was a grand or square model. 

The low price of 31 ducats suggests the latter, a Tafelklavier, 

but one would like to believe it a grand and to hope the maker 

offered it to the master at a special price. Walter assumes that it 

was the instrument Haydn possessed until near the end of his 

life, when he sold it for a good price.^^ He described the Schantz 

pianos as having "a very light and facile quality and an agreeable 

touch."1^ It is worth mentioning that although he abandoned the 

harpsichord, the clavichord retained his affection. When Haydn 

finally left Eszterhaza for Vienna he gave away his clavichord, 

saying he had composed most of The Creatioyi on it.^^ 

In 1796 the harpsichord, by now almost obsolete, is indicated 

for some of the songs, but, further confusing the issue, Haydn 

refers later to his piano accompaniments for some of these same 

songs. 

The nagging question of "which clavier?" is better understood, 

perhaps, when one recalls that Haydn was practical — and so 

were his publishers — and the designation of pianoforte on the 

title page of a composition would tend to discourage its purchase 

by one who had not yet been able to replace his harpsichord with 

the newer instrument. It is certain that after 1788 Haydn was 

composing primarily for the piano. 

A consideration of the problem on stylistic grounds leads one 

to the conclusion that most of the keyboard works are intended 

for a dynamically touch-sensitive instrument, whether clavichord 

or piano, and that the trios and later sonatas are unquestionably 

for piano. But like the choice of instruments for The Well-Tempered Clavier, this is a subject for continuing discussion and de-
NUMBER 38 15 

bate and one not likely to be settled to the complete satisfaction 

of anyone. 

It must be admitted that many of the keyboard compositions 

do not "work" well when played on a modern piano in twentiethcentury pianistic style. If an eighteenth-century German, Viennese, or English piano is not at hand, the performer must at least 

know their characters in order to realize the musical intent and 

beauty of Haydn's keyboard music. Th e potentialities as well as 

the limitations of these instruments have to be taken into consideration for faithful re-creation of the music. 

On his first visit to London, Haydn lived near the piano-manufacturing establishment of John Broadwood, son-in-law of the 

harpsichord maker Burkat Shudi. Broadwood was then, as now, 

the greatest name in English piano-making, and here Haydn was 

introduced to an English piano, quite different in construction, 

mechanism, tone, and touch from the German and Viennese instruments. When Haydn moved to Lisson Grove, the Bohemian 

composer and pianist Johann Ladislav Dussek generously lent 

him his own Broadwood. It was a five and one-half-octave-^ instrument that Dussek had requested the Broadwoods to make 

instead of the five octaves^^ of continental pianos, and it possessed 

pedals instead of the knee levers of Austrian pianos. Dussek himself used the pedals effectively and was among the first to write 

out pedal instructions in his music. Haydn's directions "open 

pedal" in the first movement of the C major Sonata of 1794, although impractical to follow precisely, are made with the English pedal in mind and most likely were influenced by Dussek, 

whose "astounding" pedal effects were much admired.-'^ But 

if Haydn availed himself of the pedal resources of the English 

piano, the additional half octave was virtually wasted on him. 

In only one keyboard work does he venture beyond the compass 

of his country's instruments and then only as far as a^ — this in 

the slow movement of the C major Sonata previously mentioned. 

This was expedient, of course, since he expected his works to be 
16 SMITHSONIAN STUDIES IN HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 

m 

FIGURE 6.—Grand piano by John Broadwood and Son, London, 1794. (Smithsonion Institution.) This is the type of piano lent to Haydn in London for 

which his last three sonatas and some of his piano trios were composed. The 

right pedal lifts the dampers, the left shifts the action to cause the hammers 

to strike two of the three strings for each key, or still further to strike only 

one of the three. 
NUMBER 38 17 

played also on the continent (English pianos with a compass to 

^3 -were available in Berlin in 1792^'*) but more than this, there 

is nowhere in his compositions any suggestion of frustration with 

either the tonal resources or the keyboard compass of the piano 

of his time. There are no stories of broken hammershanks or 

strings and no passages that seem to be conceived to continue 

beyond the five-octave limits as with Beethoven. Apparently, 

however, he did make use of the extra treble notes in improvisational passages.2^ It cannot be overemphasized that Haydn 

accepted the limitations while realizing superbly the capabilities 

of his instruments. 

The English piano of the eighteenth century lacks the bell-like 

clarity of its German or Viennese contemporary but its fuller 

sound, enhanced by the damper pedal, is extremely effective. 

It is possible with the left pedal to shift the action so that the 

hammers strike two of the three strings for each note and, still 

further, to strike only one for each note to achieve interesting 

coloristic effects not attainable on the continental pianos. It can 

hardly be doubted that Haydn as well as Dussek took full advantage of these resources. 

Several times Haydn strongly stated his preference for Schantz 

pianos over other Viennese instruments, but there is no mention 

of his favoring the Viennese over the English action, and he 

seems to have experienced no difficulty in adjusting to the heavier action and fuller tone of the latter. His execution of solo passages was described by a London musician and writer in 1792 

as "indisputably neat and distinct . . with accuracy and 

precision."26 

Geiringer^'^ says that Haydn conducted from the harpsichord 

at the first Salomon concerts but Dr. Burney, music historian and 

critic, wrote that he presided at the pianoforte. Haydn's own 

words were "at the clavier,"^^ which is no help at all. Still, 

London newspapers depict him at the harpsichord and he is 

quoted in Jackson's Oxford Journal of May 1791 as saying, "I 
18 SMITHSONIAN STUDIES IN HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 

FIGURE 7.—Upright grand piano by John Broadwood & Sons, London, ca. 1815. 

(Smithsonian Institution.) 

(a) This is the style of piano that was brought out by William Stodart in 

London in 1795 and admired by Haydn. Several other makers, including the 

Broadwood firm, copied the idea. 

(b) This view shows bookshelves installed in the space left by the bent side. 
NUMBER 38 19 

FIGURE 8.—Grand piano by 

Longman and Broderip, 

London, late eighteenth 

century. (Collection of 

Dr. H. C. Robbins Landon, 

Vienna.) Believed to have 

belonged to Haydn. 
20 SMITHSONIAN STUDIES IN HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 

faithfully promised to play the harpsichord" and it was Dussek 

who was promoted as "pianoforte soloist." On the second London visit it was firmly stated, "Dr. Haydn will direct his compositions at the Pianoforte."29 The weight of evidence points to the 

conclusion that in London, Haydn was more often at the piano, 

which, after all, he had come to prefer before 1790, but if a 

harpischord was to be used he was not averse to it. 

FIGURE 9.—Grand piano by 

Erard Freres, Paris, 1801. 

(Finchcocks collection, 

Richard Burnett, Goudhurst, 

Kent.) This must be a 

near if not identical twin 

of Haydn's Erard of the 

same date. The four pedals 

are: bassoon on the lower 

strings (a wooden bar to the 

underside of which a loose 

roll of paper is attached can 

be lowered by the pedal 

so that the paper touches the 

strings producing a buzzing 

sound when they are struck) ; 

damper; moderator (moves 

forward felt tabs graduated in 

thickness, through which 

the hammers strike) ; due 

corda. A knee lever is an 

una corda device. 
NUMBER 38 21 

Even with his busy schedule in London, Haydn found time to 

take an interest in the innovations of the piano-makers. He wrote 

to the musician and inventor Charles Clagget, who had a musical museum of sorts, to compliment him on his improvements in 

harpsichords and pianos.^o He called on William Stodart and 

expressed interest and delight in the possibilities of his new 

design for a vertical piano, "an upright giand in the form of a 

book case."31 In Vienna in 1795 Johann Jakob Konnicke built 

a "new" type of piano, evidently with an enharmonic keyboard, 

which was tried and praised by Haydn when it was introduced.2-

The inventory of Haydn's estate listed a piano by Erard et 

Freres and one by Longman and Broderip dating from the 1790s 

— the precise year of its manufacture is uncertain. The latter may 

have been a gift from the firm, also a publishing house, with 

which Haydn had dealings. It is believed to have come into the 

hands of Abbe Stadler, who said he had often heard Haydn 

play on it. Dr. Landon thinks the one he now owns — the only 

Longman and Broderip piano ever to be found in Austria — may 

be Haydn's although a portion of the necessary documentation 

is lacking.33 The Erard of 1801, probably also a presentation 

from the makers, has disappeared but it is described as having 

a five and one-half-octave compass, the case of mahogany veneer 

with metal (ormolu) ornamentation. Recently discovered correspondence between Haydn and Erard reveals that Haydn understood very well the intricate mechanism of the piano.^'^ 

Instrumentation of the Piano Trios 

The instrumentation of the piano trios is a subject of peculiar 

interest. Even to the last one, Haydn calls them clavier sonatas 

with violin and cello obligato — and indeed they are. Some of 

his most beautiful musical ideas are set forth in the trios, but the 

three instruments are by no means equal partners — the piano is 
2 2 SMITHSONIAN STUDIES IN HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 

totally dominant. While the writing for the violin is beautiful and 

often brilliant, Haydn seems to have one foot in the Baroque 

where the cello is concerned, for it is, for the most part, treated as 

a coritinuo instrument and is given only an occasional moment 

to rise above this subordinate role. This is not easy to understand, even recognizing that the piano trio was a new form. Certainly there was no lack of competent cellists, and the quartets 

and symphonies show that Haydn knew how to write effectively 

for the instrument as is further evident in the two cello concertos. The neglect of the trios, due to the unevenness of interest in 

the three parts, is regrettable. 

W/nJ Instruments 

One cannot accept Haydn's lament that he had only just 

learned how to use wind instruments when the time came for 

him to leave the world. His contemporaries, as do today's musicians, found his instrumentation remarkable in the way it 

brought out the special qualities of the individual instruments 

and in the independence he gave them. The horn concerto written when the composer was only 30 is not considered to be one 

of his great works, but no one has ever complained that it was 

not idiomatic for the solo instrument. In the trios for two flutes 

(or flute and violin) and cello, the unusual combination succeeds 

because of Haydn's sensitive feeling for the timbres and the balance of the instruments. The trumpet concerto in E flat of 1796, 

written for the court trumpeter Anton Weidinger and his experimental keyed trumpet, shows the composer successfully adapting to and taking full advantage of the resources of the new instrument that, unlike the natural trumpet, could play chromatically in all registers. Effective passages in the symphonies for 

wind instruments, solo or in various combinations, are so numerous that one need not belabor the point. 
NUMBER 38 23 

FIGURE 10.—Orchestral hand 

horn with crooks for key 

changes by unknown maker, 

ca. 1800. (Smithsonian 

Institution.) 

FIGURE 11.—Flute by Heinrich 

Grenser, Dresden, late 

eighteenth century, with 

one key and six extra 

tuning joints. (Smithsonian 

Institution.) 
24 SMITHSONIAN STUDIES IN HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 

FIGURE 12.—Natural trumpet by Christian Wittman. Nuremberg, eighteenth 

century. (Smithsonian Institution.) Early experiments in adding valves to the 

trumpet were made in Haydn's time (see p. 22) . 

Not surprisingly, Haydn's use of clarinets was sparing until 

the second series of the London symphonies. The clarinet had 

not emerged as an accepted instrument of the orchestra until ca. 

1750 and was introduced in Mannheim in 1758. It was not until 

1764 that the first clarinet tutor was published. 

Haydn used clarinets several times in works composed in or 

about 1761: in a Divertimento for two clarinets, and two horns; 

in another, now lost, for two clarinets, one bassoon (possibly 

two), and two horns; in the Cassatio for two clarinets, two horns, 

and strings.35 Their next appearance is in the Eight Notturni 

of 1790, composed for the King of Naples, and, finally, all of the 

last six of the London symphonies, except for No. 102 in B flat, 

include two clarinets in the scoring. More than 50 years after its 

composition, the Missa Brevis of 1749 or 1750 was rescored "at 

the order of the composer by Mr. Heidenrich,"36 and two violins, organ, and bass were augmented by one flute, two clarinets, 

two bassoons, two trumpets, and drums. 
NUMBER: 25 

FIGURE 13.—Bassoon 

by William Milhouse, 

Newark, England, 1763-1788, 

with four keys. 

(Smithsonian Institution.) 

FIGURE 14.—Oboe by William Milhouse, 

London, late eighteenth century, 

with two keys. (Smithsonian Institution.) 
26 SMITHSONIAN STUDIES IN HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 

FIGURE 15.—Clarinet in E flat, Bartholomaus Lutz, Wolfhalden (Canton 

Appenzell, Switzerland) , end of 18th century. (Riick collection in the 

Gcrmanisches Nationalmuseum.) Nuremberg. 

This clarinet, with 5 keys, is of the type in use in Haydn's time. The most 

common ones at that period, however, were in B, A, or sometimes C. The 

invention of the clarinet, an improvement of the chalumeau in the eighteenth 

century, is credited to Christian Denner and his son of Nuremberg. It was 

during Haydn's lifetime that it became an accepted member of the orchestra. 

Timpani 

Haydn was one of the first composers to score for the timpani 

in real notation. The signature for the timpani part in Symphony 

No. 103 in E flat major contains two flats. Mozart always wrote 

for timpani in C, the performer transposing (i.e., retuning) as 

required.3^ 

Tloe Baryton 

When one thinks of the fanciful instrument known as the baryton, Haydn immediately comes to mind. Prince Nicolas was devoted to the baryton and must have played it very well — his 

demand for music for it was insatiable. Haydn's own catalog 

listed 165 compositions that used it and there are, additionally, 

12 short divertimenti for two barytons and bass. Most of these 

works are for baryton, viola, and cello. This large body of music, 

catering to the enthusiasm of a single patron for a particular 

instrument, is comparable only to the more than 550 harpsichord 

sonatas that Domenico Scarlatti composed for the queen of Spain. 

The baryton is a complex instrument and difficult to play. It 

is completely obsolete now and Haydn's contemporaries were in 

disagreement as to whether its merits outweighed its disadvantages. Some hearers were moved to tears by its sound; others 
NUMBER 38 27 

FIGURE 16.—Timpani, Germany, eighteenth century. 

(Smithsonian Institution.) 

found it an ungrateful instrument with an embarrassment of 

strings. It is a relative of the bass viola da gamba, having six or 

seven bowed gut strings above an equal number of metallic 

strings strung close to the belly and passing underneath the neck. 

T h e metallic strings cannot be bowed but vibrate in sympathy 

with the bowed strings, and they can also be plucked by reaching the left hand behind the neck so that one, if dexterous 

enough, might play col arco and fnzzicato simultaneously. Whatever the merits of the instrument, performers and composers 

were discouraged by the awkwardness of handling it and the 

difficulty of keeping all the strings tuned. Thinking to surprise 

the prince, Haydn started to learn in secret to play the baryton. 

T h e prince was less than pleased, however, and Haydn recognized that he was expected only to compose for, not to play, the 

baryton. 
28 SMITHSONIAN STUDIES IN HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 

FIGURE 17.—Baryton by Daniel 

Achatius Stadlmann, Vienna, 

1732. (Kunsthistorisches Museum, 

Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde, 

Vienna.) Formerly believed to have 

belonged to Haydn. 

FIGURE 18.—Baryton by Joann Joseph Stadlmann, 

Vienna, shown with its case. (Hungarian National Museum, 

Budapest.) Formerly belonged to Prince Esterhazy. 
NUMBER 38 29 

Haydn in London 

When Haydn was invited to go to London he was 58, a venerable age in the thinking of the time, and his geographial world 

had been bounded by Vienna, Eisenstadt, and Eszterhaza. His 

dream of visiting Italy, the home of opera, had never been realized. Except for his mother tongue the only language he knew 

was Italian. His friends were anxious for him — for the journey 

itself, a formidable one of 17 days or so plus the dreaded crossing of the channel, and for the unknown dangers that might 

await him in that tremendous sinful city. But when Mozart said 

with dismay, "Oh, Papa, you have had no education for the wide 

world, and you speak so few languages," Haydn was undaunted 

and calmly replied, "But my language is understood all over the 

world." And so it was, but more than that, his fame had preceded him far more than he could have imagined. His works had 

been published in Germany, France, Holland, and England, 

probably often without revenue to him. A Spanish poet had devoted a passage in one of his long poems to praise of Haydn's 

music; from Spain, Boccherini had sent him messages of admiration; a musical society in Italy had accorded him recognition 

by electing him an honorary member; and for at least 10 years 

publishers had been vying with each other to bring out his works. 

But still he scarcely realized that he had in fact become an international celebrity and his welcome in England astounded and 

delighted him. His response to the challenges of the London 

visits is both touching and inspiring. 

The London orchestra was larger and stronger than that of 

Eszterhaza, and Haydn instantly grasped its greater potentialities. Even though he knew not a word of English when he arrived, 

rehearsals presented no problem since he was able to establish 

the kind of empathic rapport with the members of the orchestra 

that he had enjoyed at home. They appreciated his patience and 

courtesy, respected his knowledge and competence, and responded 
3 0 SMITHSONIAN STUDIES IN HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 

instantaneously. The very first concert was electrifying and 

Dr. Burney described the enthusiasm of the audience as amounting almost to frenzy. The English took Haydn to their hearts 

without reservation. His symphonic creation ends in a dazzling 

burst of glory with the London symphonies, the radiant crown 

of his vast output for orchestra. 

As a conductor he was scrupulous in his concern for details. 

His standard of elegance in his orchestral performances may be 

imagined from his instructions to a copyist to arrange the parts 

so that the players need not turn their pages all at once in order 

not to weaken a lightly scored passage.^^ 

Conclusion 

In the study of Haydn's life one is repeatedly made aware of 

his intense love for instruments. Like a good parent with his children, he drew from the instruments the maximum of which they 

were capable and resisted testing them beyond their practical 

limits. There is no passage that is "unplayable" and each instrument speaks always idiomatically. His instrumental style expanded in relation to the facilities of the London orchestra, even 

as his keyboard style flowered in response to the development 

of the piano. 

Mstislav Rostropovich tells a story of a horn player who, in a 

rehearsal of a work of Glazunov conducted by the composer, 

complained that a certain note in the score was impossible to 

take. Haydn's close affinity with instruments and with his players makes it unlikely that he ever had such an experience. The 

story continues, however, that Glazunov took the horn and, after 

a brief warm-up, was able to demonstrate that the note could 

indeed be played. One can be fairly certain that, if necessary, 

Haydn could have done the same, whatever instrument was 

in question. 
Botes 

(Full references in Sources Cited) 

1. Geiringer, page 21. 

2. Ibid, page 19. 

3. Dies, A.C. Biographische Nachtrichten iiber Joseph Haydn. 

Vienna, 1810. Quoted in English translation by Geiringer, page 24. 

4. Geiringer, page 32. 

5. Ibid, pages 38, 39. 

6. Michael Kelly, Reminiscences quoted by Hughes, page 56f. 

7. Geiringer, page 53. 

8. Somfai, page 41. 

9. The modern official Hungarian spelling of the castle of the Esterhdzy 

family is Eszterhaza. 

10. Hughes, pages 105, 106. 

11. Information on instruments at the court, Walter, pages 257, 258. 

12. Haydn letter 9 February 1790. 

13. Letter of 7 June 1790. 

14. Geiringer, page 191. 

15. Haydn Studien, volume II, number IV. 

16. Conversation with H. C. Robbins Landon. 

17. Landon, Christa, preface, page xv. 

18. Walter, page 275. 

19. Letter to Marianne von Genzinger, 20 June 1790. 

20. Walter, page 268. 

21. FF toe*. 

22. FF to P. 

23. Walter, page 269. 

24. Ibid, page 269. 

25. Ibid, page 272. 

26. Ibid, page 272. 

27. Geiringer, page 99. 

28. Walter, page 271. 

29. Ibid, page 272. 

30. Ibid, page 271. 

31 
32 SMITHSONIAN STUDIES IN HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 

31. Harding, page 60. 

32. Walter, page 271. 

33. Conversation with Dr. H. C. Robbins Landon. 

34. To be published in Dr. Landon's forthcoming biography of Haydn. 

35. Dr. Landon supplied this information. The following is quoted from his 

letter: 

Divertimento 11:14 for two clarinets and two horns (autograph: Leningrad, U.S.S.R., dated 1761; new edition (H.C.R. Landon) Doblinger, 

Diletto Musicale series) ; in the lost Divertimento 11:5 for two clarinets, one (two?) bassoon (s) and two horns, the instrumentation listed 

by Haydn himself in his Entwurf Katalog; and in the Cassatio 11:17 

for two clarinets, two horns and strings (earliest mss: Prague, Monastery of Seitenstetten, Monastery of St. Paul, Monastery of Schlagl) . 

36. Groves Dictionary of Music and Musicians, fifth edition, volume IV, page 

167. 

37. According to Dr. Landon. 

38. In the Cantata "Applausus"; Hughes, page 42, footnote 1. 
Sources ©ted 

Geiringer, Karl. Haydn: A Creative Life in Music. New York, 1946. 

Harding, Rosamond E.M. The Pianoforte: Its History Traced to the Great 

Exhibition of 1851. Cambridge, 1933. 

Hughes, Rosemary. Haydn. London, revised edition, 1962. 

Landon, Christa. The Complete Piano Sonatas. Vienna, 1964. 

Landon, H.C. Robbins. The Collected Correspondence and London Notebooks 

of Joseph Haydn. London, 1961. 

. The Symphonies of Joseph Haydn. London, 1955. 

. Haydn. London, 1972. 

Somfai, Laszlo. Joseph'Haydn: His Life in Contemporary Pictures. London, 

1969. 

Walter, Horst. "Haydns Klaviere.' Haydn Studien, volume II, number IV, 

(December 1970) . Haydn Institute, Cologne. [Privately translated by Judith 

S. Britt.] 

33 

is U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE; 1977 O 220-ld5