Haydn, Sonata in D Major, No. 50

I have been immersed lately in the music of Liszt while preparing our Composer of the Month page for June. Having a rather obsessive nature, I find that kind of deep dive rewarding, but it is also refreshing to step back into the relative simplicity and clarity of Haydn.

And what a contrast. Haydn wrote this piano sonata in 1780 for his students Caterina and Marianna Auenbrugger. They were both excellent pianists, but Haydn was not concerned with giving the performer a vehicle to display virtuosity as Liszt might have done. Instead, the work exudes light-hearted simplicity. That of course presents its own kind of challenge to the performer.

The nature of the instruments available to each composer also plays a role. Haydn wrote for the rather newly invented pianoforte, a modest instrument with a much lighter sound than the large steel-framed grand piano that it would become in Liszt’s day. So one of the challenges facing the pianist playing this sonata is how to create the appropriate sound on a modern instrument.