MU111: Supplementary Listening #10

The Joke as Art:
The Music of Franz Josef Haydn

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The only listening for our next class is the finale (last movement) of Haydn's Symphony No. 88 in G Major. The movement to this symphony is in a clear rondo form (in this case, ABACA + coda). Listen to the piece twice. On first listening identify the major sections of the rondo form, particularly the returns of the main theme or "A" section. What is the "form-within-a-form" of that A theme?

Listen a second time and think about a more difficult question: are there any passages that you think are funny, or at least sections that embody wit or humor? Finally think about an even deeper question. Even if you don't hear any humor, many listeners do; how in the world can music--without recourse to words--be humorous?