Symphony No. 8 (Haydn)

Joseph Haydn wrote his Symphony No. 8 in G major under the employ of Prince Esterházy in 1761, in the transition between the Baroque and Classical periods. It is the third part of a set of three symphonies – Le matin ("Morning"; No. 6), Le midi ("Noon"; No. 7) and Le soir ("Evening"; No. 8).

The orchestration used in Symphony No. 8 is very similar to the concerto grosso style of the Baroque period, where a small group of solo instruments was set against a larger ensemble. In Symphony No. 8, the small group consists of a solo violoncello and two solo violins, solo violone and the large ensemble contains two oboes, one flute, two horns, strings, bassoon and harpsichord. Haydn's use of the bassoon and harpsichord is reminiscent of the basso continuo used extensively throughout the Baroque period; however it is not as constantly driving.

This symphony has the usual number of four movements for a classical symphony (in the tonic G major unless otherwise specified):

The first movement is a gigue in sonata form and quotes a melody from a song in Christoph Willibald Gluck's opera Le diable à quatre called "Je n'aimais pas le tabac beaucoup" ("I didn't like tobacco much"). The final movement, also in sonata form, subtitled La tempesta, was intended to evoke the sensation of a thunderstorm.

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