SMT-V

The first eight measures of the finale of Haydn’s Symphony #99 are straightforward as to harmony and formal function (they are a textbook period ending in PAC V). But the first theme group takes on larger proportions as a direct repetition of the basic idea introduces a new formal function. The momentum that Haydn builds up as this first theme group grows in length depends on “contrapuntal thinking.” In this video, Peter Schubert pulls apart the little melodic fragments that Haydn cleverly recombined.