Symphony No. 92 (Haydn)

Joseph Haydn completed his Symphony No. 92 in G major, Hoboken I/92, popularly known as the Oxford Symphony, in 1789 as one of a set of three symphonies that Haydn had been commissioned by the French Count d'Ogny to compose. Instrumentation for the symphony is: flute, 2 oboes, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, and strings.

The symphony is called the "Oxford" because Haydn reportedly conducted it at a ceremony in 1791 in which he was awarded an honorary doctorate by Oxford University. The name is something of a misnomer, because the symphony was actually written earlier for performance in Paris. Haydn was awarded his degree fairly soon after his first arrival in England, and as he had not yet finished composing any of the twelve "London" symphonies he ultimately wrote for England, he brought to the ceremony the most recent of his completed symphonies.

Haydn's appearance at Oxford was symbolic of the international success he attained beginning in his late fifties. Charles Burney, who himself had earned his doctorate in music at University College, was the one who suggested an honorary degree for Haydn and who made all the arrangements. Because Haydn arrived from London later than expected, he had to conduct a symphony already familiar to the Oxford musicians, since there was no time for rehearsal. However, we do not know which symphony was actually chosen for the concert following the ceremony.

Haydn was actually scheduled to conduct three concerts in Oxford as a prerequisite for receiving his degree. A rehearsal was scheduled for the second morning, and that evening the symphony we now know as the Oxford was played to the same acclaim it had previously enjoyed at Johann Peter Salomon's concerts in London. (Salomon would soon be the impresario responsible for Haydn's writing his 12 "London" Symphonies.)

Haydn distinguishes each section of the sonata form in this movement by use of strong contrasts of stability and instability. Before revealing the first theme of the symphony, Haydn opens this movement with a slow introduction that begins in the tonic G major, modulates through to the parallel minor, and prolongs the German sixth chord (Gr⁺⁶) in G major. He begins the first theme in the tonic but on a dominant seventh chord. This is very unusual of symphonies of the time but it reflects an aspect of Haydn’s unique compositional characteristics. Because the rest of the Oxford will reflect many of the ideas presented in this first theme, this symphony has been termed monothematic.

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