The Symphony No. 98 in B major, Hoboken I/98, is the sixth of the twelve London symphonies (numbers 93–104) composed by Joseph Haydn. It was completed in 1792 as part of the set of symphonies composed on his first trip to London. It was first performed at the Hanover Square Rooms in London on 2 March 1792. Some musicologists and historians interpret this symphony as Haydn’s tribute to his friend Mozart who had died on 5 December 1791.
History
Haydn composed the symphony in early 1792. At the time, Haydn was in the midst of the first of his two visits to London, under contract to perform a series of new symphonies with an orchestra led by Johann Peter Salomon as concertmaster. The symphony was performed on 2 March 1792 at the Hanover Square Rooms, with Haydn directing the orchestra from the keyboard. The premiere came two weeks after that of Symphony No. 93, and one week before that of the Sinfonia Concertante. Haydn recalled that at the premiere of No. 98, the first and fourth movements were encored.
Instrumentation
The work is scored for one flute, two oboes, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, timpani, strings and cembalo. At the symphony’s premiere, Haydn likely played the cembalo part on a fortepiano, but in many modern performances the part is played on a harpsichord, which is what the German word cembalo means. The cembalo part is only scored for a brief solo in the fourth movement, but Haydn would have conducted the premiere sitting at the keyboard and probably used it in a continuo role throughout the whole of the symphony.
In modern performances, the B horn part is commonly played with B basso, rather than B alto, horns. It is likely that B basso horns were preferred in the 1792 premiere, making the symphony the first of Haydn’s to employ the instrument. The trumpet and timpani parts are also scored in B.
Movements
Adagio – Allegro, Adagio, Menuetto. Presto, Finale. Presto,
First movement: Adagio – Allegro
The first movement is in sonata form and is preceded by an introduction marked "Adagio". The introduction is in B minor, and consists of three differing statements of an upwards broken chord, followed by a downward motion.
Haydn then uses the introductory motif as the primary theme of the "Allegro" section of the movement, although this time it is in B major. The use of common thematic material in an introduction and a movement proper is an uncommon compositional device for the time. After its first statement in the Allegro, the motif then proceeds to dominate the entire movement. The exposition modulates to the dominant (F major), as is conventional for a sonata form movement in a major key, but no new theme is presented. Instead, the opening theme, albeit in a varied form, is reprised in the new key. The sonata can thus be called monothematic. After the exposition follows a long development section, then a recapitulation that involves unusually significant variations to the material presented in the exposition.
Second movement: Adagio
The movement is in F major and sonata form. There are no trumpet or timpani parts. The movement, solemn and hymn-like, makes noticeable use of material from two works by Mozart, the Coronation Mass and Symphony No. 41 ("Jupiter"), and it was possibly intended by Haydn as a tribute to his friend and fellow-composer, who died in December 1791: Haydn was composing the symphony when he heard, and was greatly distressed by, the news of his friend's death.