Haydn Trumpet Concerto in C (attributed)

[david johnson]

I'm listening to the Maurice André recording of this. It's great fun!! Does anyone here have some information on this concerto? Did Haydn actually compose it?

[trpt.hick]

It is probably the Michael Haydn concerto. . . Haydn's brother.

[rooster7]

Michael Haydn wrote two trumpet concertos. Trumpet Concert in C major and Trumpet Concert in D. Trumpet Concerto in D is also called Trumpet Concerto number 1, and Trumpet Concerto in C, is called Trumpet Concerto number 2. Both concertos are extremely difficult to perform. They are right up there with the 2nd Brandenburg.
Sheet music is available, but difficult to find if you want the complete set of sheet music that has arrangements for all the instruments. There are several Youtube videos. If you like Michael Haydns Trumpet Concerto in C, try to find the recording with Guy Touvron. His recording is my favorite. Maurice Andre has a couple of recordings of Michael Haydns Trumpet Concerto in D. I might add, one of several reasons that makes Michael Haydns Trumpet Concerto in D troublesome, is the double B in the first part (there are two parts).
Mark

[Danbassin]

For those new to this repertoire, it is worth mentioning that (THE) Haydn’s younger and now lesser-known composer brother, (Johann) Michael Haydn was a well-regarded composer in Salzburg - the home city of (THE) Mozart, and therefore also where his father, the composer rather well-known to trumpeters, Leopold Mozart made his home, writing his concerto for the famous soloists of Salzburg who were well-schooled in Clarino playing even while those baroque techniques were fading elsewhere at the dawn of the classical era.

The two virtuoso ‘concerti’ by Michael Haydn were written for the best of the best at the end of a long span of baroque trumpet concerti, although the pieces were not both conceived as concertos for trumpet - the D-Major work was actually excerpted from movements of divertimento featuring brilliant trumpet solos among other instrumental features. An important point for we trumpeters, as well as those music lovers who want a better understanding of regional variations in relationship to the monolithic timeline of music history, with (Franz) Joseph Haydn’s employment with the Esterházys and (Johann) Michel Haydn’s career in Salzburg, the younger brother’s compositional career and style stayed closer to the baroque and early classical, while the older brother enjoyed the 18th century version of a jet-setting career, catapulting his musical purview to the vanguard of his times. Unfortunately for we trumpeters is that Father Mozart’s gives only the faintest hint to how his genius Son may have composed for our instrument. A quick comparison of the famous trumpet solos in Handel’s “The Messiah” and their trimmed-down de-Clarino-ified versions in WA Mozart’s reorchestration show us how rapidly that school of virtuoso baroque trumpet playing declined -likely both in public favor and regional mastery.

A two-part final side note:
1) Mozart fans will quickly learn that his 41 numbered symphonies include one non-original work - the Symphony “No. 37” in G-Major, which was actually by Michael Haydn, but which Mozart composed a fresh introduction while also reducing wind parts in the middle movement to allow for his piano elaborations while leading the Symphony at the keyboard. This work was performed on the same concert as his “Linz” Symphony (No. 36 in C-Major), and it’s kinda cool to see how he was representing his fellow Salzburger for that run-out show.
2) Trumpet playing Mozart fans may stumble upon a piece of historical fake news in the form of a letter from his father mentioning a trumpet concerto just written by his then twelve year old son. The C-minor K.139 Mass, written for the consecration of an orphanage church, featured some ripieno Tromba parts (in alto clef, and limited to decidedly non-virtuosic signaling-type lines), and my hypothesis is not that the concerto mentioned by his industry father as being performed on that occasion was lost, but that Leopold figured that if he could commission a performance of a trumpet concerto by his son, he and his son would surely be able to compose one by the time the ink on the contract was dry.

Enjoy this rep, and happy practicing!
-DB

PS, sorry-not-sorry for making a Michael Haydn post without talking about the ridiculous high notes...oops!
_________________
Daniel Bassin
Conductor/Composer/Trumpeter/Improviser/Educator
I play:
Monette - CORNETTE/PranaXLT-STC Bb/MC-35/Raja A Piccolo;
Kromat C-Piccolo; Thein G-Piccolo; Various antique horns
MPCs - Monette Unity 1-7D and DM4LD

[vince9000]

This was always one of my favorite practice pieces.