Symphony No. 70 (Haydn)

The Symphony No. 70 in D major, Hoboken 1/70, was written by Joseph Haydn to mark the start of construction of a new opera house on the Eszterháza estate. It was premiered on December 18, 1779 — one of the few Haydn symphonies where the exact premiere date is known.

The work is in standard four-movement form and is scored for flute, two oboes, bassoon, two horns, two trumpets, timpani and strings. The first draft had neither trumpet and timpani parts; Haydn added those later.

The first movement is a sonata form allegro in 3
4 time, dominated by a motif established in the opening bars and consisting of two descending pairs of notes, firmly establishing the home key by using only notes in the D major triad.

The exposition is marked for repeat, as are the development and recapitulation. The development begins with a repetition of the exposition's ending, but on unison C-naturals in the woodwinds and strings. The C-naturals come as a surprise to the listener: the note does not appear at all in the exposition. The rest of the development consists mainly of sustained notes for the woodwinds and opening descending pairs of notes in three-part counterpoint in the strings. In the recapitulation, the second half of the first theme group is heard in canon.

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