Symphony No.103 in E flat major (“Drum Roll”)

It doesn’t take long to work out why Haydn’s Symphony No.103 - the last but one in the series, written and first performed in London in 1795 - has come to be known as the “Drum Roll” Symphony. The first thing you hear is nothing other than a drum roll, a timpani solo leading into the slow introduction. Actually, the work could have begun without the drum roll. It could have started with the quietly mysterious, even stealthy entry of cellos and basses supported by a low bassoon. There is, however, a very good reason for the drum roll, even though it is not immediately apparent.

The Allegro con spirito, beginning with a cheerful Croatian folk song on violins, has evidently shaken off any feeling of foreboding that might have been induced by the Adagio introduction and seems to have nothing at all to do with it. In the same frame of mind the oboe presents a graceful and carefree second subject in unison with first violins. The contrapuntal development section is rather more serious and at one point, after a short pause, cellos and basses do refer back to the Adagio, though discreetly in a very much quicker tempo. It is only after the recapitulation that the connection is formally made, the unmistakable drum roll sounding again and lower strings and bassoon going back to their stealthy material in the original tempo. This is not, however, to re-introduce forebodings, still less to confirm them: the violins, happily recalling a phrase which they now recognise as a quick version of the Adagio theme they have just heard again, abruptly revert to the Allegro con spirito tempo, all doubts now neatly resolved.

The slow movement is a set of variations on two folk tunes (one in C minor and one in C major) from the Esterháza district where Haydn spent much of his working life. The first of them, introduced by strings alone, inspires the more serious variations while the second, shared by violins with woodwind and horns, invites more indulgent treatment - like the attractive and extended violin solo which so effectively offsets the dramatic second variation on the first theme, or the resourceful woodwind scoring in the second variation on the second theme. After an intriguing harmonic diversion, the movement proceeds towards its C major ending on a prolonged drum roll.

There is more folk song in both the Menuet and the Finale, the former including a yodelling phrase so much liked by woodwind and horns that they single it out for special attention. Though less colourful, the Croatian tune heard on violins just after the horn call at the beginning of the Finale has more symphonic potential. It has enough in fact to sustain a rondo based on just the one theme - which, considering how much variety is extracted from it in accordance with the requirements of the form, is a tribute not only to the tune but also to the consummate skill of the composer.

Gerald Larner©2003