Haydn’s “Farewell” to Middle Class Oppression

Franz Joseph Haydn served as a court musician in Vienna for almost thirty years, and in 1772 he composed one of his most famous symphonies, “Farewell” no. 45.  The clips of the symphony are only two of four movements that make up the entire composition. However, each movement is just as compelling as the others. During the time that “Farewell” was written, musicians that worked for the courts were unfairly treated.

Court musicians were forced to live 30 miles away from Vienna where the palace was located in an isolated area. They weren’t allowed to visit their families very often, and their families weren’t allowed to visit. There were so many court musicians forced to live in such small areas, that they were extremely cramped and felt oppressed by the upper class (in this case, royalty).

The “Farewell” Symphony is seen as a protest against the musicians’ living arrangements mainly because of how it is formatted. The most critical part to understanding Haydn’s protest lies within the last movement. The second clip is the last movement, and one can eventually start to notice the number of instruments dropping down until there are only two left. Not only is this unusual, but Haydn had the musicians slowly stop playing and leave the stage during the symphony. Even though this kind of thing wasn’t heard of, this was part of Haydn’s plan. It was in an effort to get the king to see just how much the musicians didn’t appreciate the way they were being treated.

I find this piece so interesting because not only is it unique and original for its time in order to get a point across, but the first movement makes me think of an argument. It is as though I can hear the musicians pouring their hearts out to the king about how sad they are. Then almost as a response, I can hear the king standing firm in his decisions about how he dare not change his ways. The music isn’t at all sad, but I can’t help but picture both sides of the story through Haydn’s music.

This symphony was not only popular because it helped the musicians get what they wanted by standing up for themselves, but it also gave others the courage to stand up for themselves too. The middle class deserved to break away from the oppressive barrier they had always been under. Using Haydn as a stepping stone, the middle class could easily start to stand up for themselves to say “Farewell.”

2 comments October 14, 2009