Trumpet Concerto in E-flat Major
Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)

THE STORY

Franz Joseph Haydn composed his Trumpet Concerto for his friend, the Viennese trumpet virtuoso Anton Weidinger. While trumpet concertos were not a rarity in the 18th century, the “natural trumpet” of Haydn’s day was only able to produce tones of a single harmonic series by varying the applied air pressure. Weidinger’s solution was to drill holes in the natural trumpet, which could then be covered or released to alter pitch; this “keyed trumpet” opened a new realm of tonal possibilities.

Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto premiered on March 28, 1800, four years after its composition—the instrument had not yet been perfected when Haydn finished the work in 1796. Teasingly, the trumpet begins with figurations characteristic of the natural trumpet; moments later, the solo entrance begins by running up a scale of notes never before heard. Melodies are included for the middle and lower register of the trumpet, which had previously been impossible.

Haydn transforms the trumpet into an expressive solo instrument with passages that sing and slide, punctuated by an occasional fanfare. Marking a significant moment in musical history, the Concerto continues to delight audiences with its sprightly and imaginative trumpet writing.

LISTEN FOR

• The chromatic alterations of the trumpet part that occur in each movement—outside the given key, chromatic pitches create tension and release through quickly resolving dissonance
• Haydn’s delicate and dynamic treatment of the solo trumpet in the second movement, which sings more like the human voice than previously imaginable
• The memorable theme of the third movement, which has been used multiple times in popular culture

INSTRUMENTATION

Solo trumpet; two flutes, two oboes, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, timpani, strings