Haydn, Symphony No. 100 in G, “Military,” first movement (Adagio–Allegro)
Chapter 5 returns to the technique of paradigmatic close analysis to show Sonata Theory in practice, this time examining the first movement of Haydn’s Symphony No. 100 in G, “Military.” Apart from analysis proper, the chapter discusses the differences of Haydn’s style from that of Mozart’s—especially but not only in recapitulatory practice—and also shows the flexibility of Sonata Theory in approaching a very different composer. The chapter leads off with a consideration of the role of “nicknames and paratexts” (like “Military”) in framing one’s interpretation of a work, including a proposed set of criteria for a responsible hermeneutic reading. It then proceeds to the usual historical backdrop and context for this piece, taking up also the question of Haydn’s London symphonies as “monumental” works for their time, culminations of eighteenth-century practice. The bulk of the chapter is devoted to a close, Sonata Theory–oriented analysis of this movement, beginning with the structure and role of its slow introduction. The analysis leads to a reading of this movement as “military” in its concerns, one that involves an increasingly expanding role for the exposition’s concluding theme.