Erik Lee Garriott
Published: 2013
Total Pages: 31
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This thesis presents a brief theoretical analysis of Haydn's Oxford Symphony and discuss some of the interpretive issues involved in conducting and rehearsing the work. Haydn's Symphony No. 92 in G Major, or the Oxford Symphony, is a work that defines the pinnacle of the Classical era as well as Haydn's fifth period of composition. Hermann Kretzschmar even went so far as to call the Oxford Symphony Haydn's "Eroica," because of its stylistic and structural perfection. Donald Francis Tovey wrote in his Essays in Musical Analysis, that Haydn composed and conducted the Oxford Symphony at a ceremony in England where he received an honorary Doctor of Music from Oxford University, but this was not the case. In fact, Haydn composed Symphony No. 92 along with two other symphonies (Nos. 90 and 91) per the request of the Count d'Ogny. The premiere of Symphony No. 92 in England was received with even greater reception than that of its initial performance. Due to its acceptance in England and its maturity in style, the Oxford may be considered the 'thirteenth' of the twelve London symphonies (Hob. I: 93-104).
