his command "the whole symphonic
orchestra as it had stood when Beethoven took up the work of orchestral
development." Between these two points Mozart had lived and died,
leaving Haydn his actual debtor so far as regards the increased
importance of the orchestra. It has been said that he learnt from Mozart
the use of the clarinet, and this is probably true, notwithstanding
the fact that he had employed a couple of clarinets in his first mass,
written in 1751 or 1752. Both composers used clarinets rarely, but
Haydn certainly did not reveal the real capacity of the instrument or
establish its position in the orchestra as Mozart did.

From his first works onwards, he proceeded along the true symphonic
path, and an orchestra of two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two
bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, drums, and the usual strings fairly
represents the result of his contributions to its development up to the
first successful experiments of Mozart. The names of Mozart and Haydn
ought in reality to be coupled together as the progenitors of the modern
orchestral colouring. But the superiority must be allowed to attach to
Haydn, inasmuch as his colouring is the more expansive and decided. Some
of his works, even of the later period, show great reticence in scoring,
but, on the other hand, as in "The Creation," he knew when to draw upon
the full resources of the orchestra. It has been pointed out as worthy
of remark that he was not sufficiently trustful of his instrumental
army to leave it without the weak support of the harpsichord, at which
instrument he frequently sat during the performance of his symphonies,
and played with the orchestra, with extremely bad effect. [Compare The
Orchestra and Orchestral Music, by W. J. Henderson: London, 1901.] In
this, however, he merely followed the custom of his day.

General Style

Of Haydn's general style as a composer it is hardly necessary to speak.
To say that a composition is "Haydnish" is to express in one word what
is well understood by all intelligent amateurs. Haydn's music is like
his character--clear, straightforward, fresh and winning, without the
slightest trace of affectation or morbidity. Its perfect transparency,
its firmness of design, its fluency of instrumental language, the beauty
and inexhaustible invention of its melody, its studied moderation, its
child-like cheerfulness--these are some of the qualities which mark the
style of this most genial of all the great c