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Haydn wrote eight notturni featuring the lira. We owe the existence of these works to King Ferdinand IV of Naples (1751 - 1825). He was one of Haydn’s less sober patrons who “grew up athletic but ignorant, ill bred, addicted to the lowest amusements, delighting in the company of the lazzaroni (the bawdy, degraded rabble) affecting their dialect and selling fish in the market place” (Luigi Villari). The reign of Ferdinand and his wife Maria Carolina was tyrannical, they persecuted, oppressed and often executed their subjects. “ Few sovereigns have left behind so odious a memory. His whole career is one long record of perjury, vengeance and meanness, unredeemed by a single generous act”. Nevertheless, Ferdinand was an early example, perhaps more extreme than the most, of rogues and vagabonds who are also accomplished musicians - a tradition which some would say has survived and prospered over the years. He displayed prodigious musical talent but instead of concentrating on something appropriate to his rank, perhaps like fellow royalty a cello or flute, instead became a virtuoso on the lira organizzata, a variety of Hurdy Gurdy with pipes, strings, keyboard and wheel. Haydn had probably not even heard of the instrument but a Lira was a Lira and when approached by Hadrava on Ferdinand’s behalf he readily agreed to provide the King with some music. In all, between 1786 and 1790 he wrote five concertos and eight nocturnes featuring the instrument. The eight nocturnes were written for two lira organizzata, two clarinets in C (the rather raw street players instrument), two horns, two violas, a cello and a bass. Like most composers of the time, Haydn was not above using the same material more than once - for example the second movement of his 100th Symphony, the Military, is clearly purloined from the 5th nocturne. In 1790, Ferdinand invited Haydn to Naples but the impresario Salomon persuaded Haydn to come to London instead. Recognising that the Italian street instrument, the lira organnozata, was unheard of in England, Haydn promptly re-scored the nocturnes, replacing the two lira with a flute and an oboe.
Two of these Notturno, 3 & 4, follow the Haydn examples very closely but have been re-scored entirely for wind. They arose from a session playing the originals, when a cellist and bass proved unavailable, but a bassoon and contra were. It was clear that they balanced the other wind instruments rather well and it was then a small step to replace the violas, with minor adjustments, by basset horns - making a well rounded all wind ensemble. These orchestrations provide two pieces to perform as starters when the necessary 2 clarinets/2 basset horns had already been assembled for a Mozart 13 Wind.
The Haydn flute/oboe versions are all scored for C clarinets or Violins. But no. 7 and 8 are much more suited to the violins and normally played on these instruments. The violins readily make more of the virtuoso parts. This version of no. 7 overcomes the technical difficulties by using the more common double wind octet, plus contra.
The slow movement of no.8 has been included in the set as it must rank as one of the finest that Haydn wrote amd is quite capable of standing alone, especially if the ensemble is fortunate to possess two basset horns rather than the alternative clarinets.
The movements are given below. If you wish to hear a particular notturno then press the quaver alongside that one.:-
Notturno, no, 3
- Allegro Moderato
- Andante Cantabile
- Molto Vivace
Notturno, no. 4
- Allegro Moderato
- Adagio
- Presto
Notturno, No. 7
- Allegro Moderato
- Adagio
- Presto
Notturno, No. 8
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