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Regarding his orchestration a small treatise might be written.
The terms which best describe it are, perhaps, refinement and
brilliancy. Much of his success in this department must, of
course, be attributed to his long and intimate association with
the Esterhazy band. In 1766, six years after his appointment,
this band numbered seventeen instruments--six violins and viola,
one violoncello, one double bass, one flute, two oboes, two
bassoons and four horns. It was subsequently enlarged to
twenty-two and twenty-four, including trumpets and kettledrums on
special occasions. From 1776 to 1778 there were also clarinets.
This gradual extension of resources may be taken as roughly
symbolizing Haydn's own advances in the matter of orchestral
development. When he wrote his first symphony in 1759 he employed
first and second violins, violas, basses, two oboes and two
horns; in his last symphony, written in 1795, he had at his
command "the whole symphonic orchestra as it had stood when
Beethoven took up the work of orchestral development." Between
these two points Mozart had lived and died, leaving Haydn his
actual debtor so far as regards the increased importance of the
orchestra. It has been said that he learnt from Mozart the use of
the clarinet, and this is probably true, notwithstanding the fact
that he had employed a couple of clarinets in his first mass,
written in 1751 or 1752. Both composers used clarinets rarely,
but Haydn certainly did not reveal the real capacity of the
instrument or establish its position in the orchestra as Mozart
did.
From his first works onwards, he proceeded along the true
symphonic path, and an orchestra of two flutes, two oboes, two
clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, drums, and the
usual strings fairly represents the result of his contributions
to its development up to the first successful experiments of
Mozart. The names of Mozart and Haydn ought in reality to be
coupled together as the progenitors of the modern orchestral
colouring. But the superiority must be allowed to attach to
Haydn, inasmuch as his colouring is the more expansive and
decided. Some of his works, even of the later period, show great
reticence in scoring, but, on the other hand, as in "The
Creation," he knew when to draw upon the full resources of the
orchestra. It has been pointed out as worthy of remark that he
was not sufficiently trustful of his instrumental army to leave
it without the weak support of the harpsichord, at which
instrument he frequently sat during the performance of his
symphonies, and played with the orchestra, with extremely bad
effect. [Compare The Orchestra and Orchestral Music, by W. J.
Henderson: London, 1901.] In this, however, he merely followed
the custom of his day.
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