Autograph manuscript leaf in the hand of the composer, oblong folio, on 10-stave paper, listing the incipits of all twelve London Symphonies, providing the first measure(s) of each and giving the keys of each symphony. A remarkable summation of the height of the composer's symphonic oeuvre, the manuscript and provenance is described in detail in Robbins Landon's “Haydn Chronicles” (Vol 3 p. 495): "There is an autograph sheet written by Haydn, listing the incipits of all twelve London Symphonies. It was sold...Autog Cat Leo Liepmansohn...1907, then formed part of the Westley Manning Collection in London...was sold at Sotheby's...1954...and is now owned by... Stargardt...The sheet is British paper with a dated watermark 1794, and includes as well Haydn's sketch for the slow movement of the 'Gypsy Rondo' Trio No, 39; here the Symphonies are listed as follows:...Obviously this catalogue was drawn up in the late Spring or early Summer of 1795...It purports to show the years in which the various Symphonies were first performed, not the date of composition..." In very fine condition. 12 x 9.5 inches (31 x 24.5 cm).
Haydn's last 12 symphonies, commissioned by the London impresario Johann Peter Salomon and composed between 1791 and 1795, are known as the London Symphonies, and are considered the composer's supreme achievements in the form. Composed between 1791 and 1795, they can be categorized into two groups: Symphonies Nos. 93–98, which were composed during Haydn's first visit to London, and Symphonies Nos. 99–104, composed in Vienna and London for Haydn's second visit. Here in Haydn's grandest symphonies, in both proportion and orchestration, the composer offers a compendium of late-18th-century symphonic thought, embracing the full range of style and topics found in the music of the classical period.
Autograph manuscript leaf in the hand of the composer, oblong folio, on 10-stave paper, listing the incipits of all twelve London Symphonies, providing the first measure(s) of each and giving the keys of each symphony. A remarkable summation of the height of the composer's symphonic oeuvre, the manuscript and provenance is described in detail in Robbins Landon's “Haydn Chronicles” (Vol 3 p. 495): "There is an autograph sheet written by Haydn, listing the incipits of all twelve London Symphonies. It was sold...Autog Cat Leo Liepmansohn...1907, then formed part of the Westley Manning Collection in London...was sold at Sotheby's...1954...and is now owned by... Stargardt...The sheet is British paper with a dated watermark 1794, and includes as well Haydn's sketch for the slow movement of the 'Gypsy Rondo' Trio No, 39; here the Symphonies are listed as follows:...Obviously this catalogue was drawn up in the late Spring or early Summer of 1795...It purports to show the years in which the various Symphonies were first performed, not the date of composition..." In very fine condition. 12 x 9.5 inches (31 x 24.5 cm).
Haydn's last 12 symphonies, commissioned by the London impresario Johann Peter Salomon and composed between 1791 and 1795, are known as the London Symphonies, and are considered the composer's supreme achievements in the form. Composed between 1791 and 1795, they can be categorized into two groups: Symphonies Nos. 93–98, which were composed during Haydn's first visit to London, and Symphonies Nos. 99–104, composed in Vienna and London for Haydn's second visit. Here in Haydn's grandest symphonies, in both proportion and orchestration, the composer offers a compendium of late-18th-century symphonic thought, embracing the full range of style and topics found in the music of the classical period.