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valve-type mechanism was invented for it—and the French horn as well (see Figure 12.1). Yet, because his concerto exploits the full range of our modern in- strument, Haydn must have intuited that Weidinger was headed in the right di- rection and that technology would catch up with his innovative idea.
Not only has the trumpet changed since Haydn’s day, so, too, have trum- peters. Yes, the jaunty, irrepressible rondo theme dominates the movement, and its placement creates an ABABACABA form (Example 8.7).
Example 8.7 > rondo theme in haydn’s trumpet concerto
But notice toward the end of the movement how the driving orchestra reach- es a point of arrival and then holds a chord (at 4:08). Haydn surely intended this sustained chord to be a platform from which the soloist would launch into a flashy cadenza (a passage of brilliant technical display by the soloist alone), as was the custom of the day. However, Haydn left no music for the cadenza. He assumed that any good performer could, and would want to, improvise his own. Today such improvisation by classical performers is a lost art, and our soloist, Wynton Marsalis, simply leaves a few seconds of silence. If you are so inclined, when you get to that spot, hum a few bars to fill in—Haydn’s spirit would ap- preciate the gesture.
Although rondo form has existed in classical music since the Middle Ages, it appears often in the realm of popular music as well. For example, the pop tune “Every Breath You Take” (1983), composed by Sting (Figure 8.9), produces the rondo pattern (ABACABA), a symmetrical arrangement that would do any Clas- sical composer proud.
The forms popularized during the Classical era—sonata–allegro, theme and variations, and rondo, for example—would continue to regulate the flow of mu- sical works generally until after World War II. So, too, musicians maintained the standard genres of Classical music, and it is to these that we now turn.
practice . . .
your understanding of this chapter’s concepts by working once more with the chapter’s Active Listening Guides online.
do . . .
online multiple-choice and critical thinking quizzes that your instructor may assign for a grade.
132 chapter eight classical forms
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Figure 8.9
Sting (Gordon Sumner)
WATCH . . . The Police’s “Every Breath You Take,” a rondo by Sting, online.
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