Although Haydn was an extremely prolific composer, he rarely used existing music in his works, and even when he did, the source music was usually a hymn tune, folksong, or melody by another composer. Haydn’s Symphony No. 89, on the other hand, is unique in that it extensively reworks two movements from his own set of concertos for lira organizzata, which he had composed two years earlier for King Ferdinand IV of Naples. Rather than creating a straightforward adaptation, though, Haydn greatly expands upon his older models by extending their lengths, varying the orchestration, distributing melodic material among many different instruments, and adding several new contrapuntal lines and accompaniments. It is unclear why Haydn borrowed so heavily from these concertos when composing his symphony, but it may have been due to time constraints during a particularly busy year, or because the concertos were virtually unknown outside of their performances at King Ferdinand’s original private concerts. Regardless of Haydn’s reasoning, the Symphony No. 89 is an excellent example of the composer’s ingenuity and fertile imagination when adapting his own music for a new purpose. Two tables cite other instances of Haydn’s self-borrowing.

Works: Haydn: Symphony No. 100 in G Major, Hob.I:100 (“Military”) (56-57), Symphony No. 89 in F Major, Hob.I:89 (57-64).

Sources: Haydn: Concerto No. 3 for 2 Lire Organizzate in G Major, Hob.VIIh:3 (56-57), Concerto No. 5 for 2 Lire Organizzate in F Major, Hob.VIIh:5 (57-64).

Index Classifications: 1700s

Contributed by: Matthew G. Leone