Divertimento (Sonata) in A major H.XVI/12 (before 1765)

The first Haydn keyboard work described by the composer as a “Sonata” is the one in C minor H.XVI/20 of 1771. Even the earliest of its predecessors, however, though presented under the title “Divertimento” or “Partita,” are closer to the classical sonata model than any of the sonatas by Scarlatti (who, incidentally, in the one collection published in his lifetime, described them as “Essercizi”). The obvious difference between the early Haydn and Scarlatti examples is that the former are in three movements. Another, no less significant difference is that Haydn’s first movements are constructed in a modest approximation to sonata form.

The authorship of the present Divertimento in A major is not beyond doubt but the opening Andante is characteristic of Haydn at least in its sonata-form features - including the appropriate changes of key and subject matter in the outer sections if not much in the way of development in the middle. While the Menuetto might seem unsophisticated, the A minor Trio section, with its chromatic harmonies and the conflicting rhythms of its three contrapuntal lines, is an extraordinary inspiration. Similar in shape to the first movement, except that the middle section is even shorter, the Finale is provocatively teasing in its asymmetrical phrasing and its vacillation between major and minor.