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Haydn: Symphony No.101, second movement - AQASymphony No.101

Franz Joseph Haydn composed Symphony No.101 in 1793 during the Classical period. It is likely that the symphony was nicknamed 鈥楾he Clock鈥 because of the continuous quavers in the second movement.

Part of MusicWestern classical tradition 1650 to 1910

Symphony No.101

Lola and Zeynap review and discuss Joseph Haydn's Symphony No.101

A grandfather clock

Symphony No.101 in D major, The Clock, was written by Franz Joseph Haydn during the . In the early stages of the Classical period, composers were employed by royalty and aristocrats, and were called . Composers were paid to write music for many different occasions and performances including official events, church services and general entertainment.

Later in the Classical period, society and audiences began to change. As the middle-class grew wealthier, there was a growing demand for entertainment and more public concert halls had to be built. It was an exciting time that produced some great music from composers such as Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven.

Haydn began composing Symphony No.101 in 1793 while in Vienna and completed it in London. It premiered in 1794 and received great praise from critics. Haydn is often referred to as 'the father of the symphony' as he did so much to establish the form and of the symphony. This symphony has four movements but it is the second which gave the piece its nickname. It opens with a 鈥榯颈肠办-迟辞肠办鈥 idea that continues throughout most of the movement. A sense of balance was typical of music written during the Classical period and Haydn achieves this through his use of , , and use of , and structure.