Among Joseph Haydn’s earliest symphonies are thirteen sonata-form movements that incorporate fugal techniques, including two finales that integrate sonata and fugue. I document three strategies Haydn devises in service of the sonata-fugue hybrid. The dialogue surrounding these strategies represents a formative stage for his most characteristic techniques.
The tension between fugue and sonata concerns expectations for formal continuity and the closing effect of cadences. Sonata form was in two parts delineated by cadential closure. On the other hand, fugue was continuous and should avoid conveying rest during its course. Formal expectations for fugue were otherwise flexible and enabled it to adhere to the rotational process of sonata form. The sonata-fugue hybrid finales of Haydn’s Symphonies no. 3 and 40 adopt fugal continuity by mitigating cadential closure, but also engage sonata form’s characteristic rotational patterns.
These divergences fall outside the norms postulated by Hepokoski and Darcy (2006). Indeed, scholars have criticized their portrayal of sonata form for marginalizing Haydn’s music (Ludwig 2012, 2014; Miyake 2009). But the techniques Haydn employs in these hybrid movements interact with his contemporaneous style. This includes common strategies for starting the exposition and recapitulation. Additionally, the use of fugal techniques contributes to both monothematic and continuous expositional strategies and to recapitulatory revisions.
By integrating fugue into the sonata process, Haydn began to develop sonata-form procedures drawing on fugal techniques. Though some of these strategies fell into disuse, others became hallmarks of Haydn’s sonata style and deserve a more prominent role in our narrative of sonata form.