Toy Symphony

The Toy Symphony (full title: Cassation in G major for toys, 2 oboes, 2 horns, strings and continuo) is a musical work dating from the 1760s with parts for toy instruments.

The possible composer of the work: Leopold Mozart, in 1765

It was long reputed to be the work of Joseph Haydn,[1] but later scholarship suggested that it was actually written by Leopold Mozart.[2] Its authorship is still disputed, however, and other composers have been proposed as the symphony's true author, including Joseph Haydn's younger brother Michael Haydn, who purportedly contributed movements to the work.[3]

Recent research on a newly found manuscript suggests the Austrian Benedictine monk Edmund Angerer (1740–1794) to be the author.[4] If Angerer's manuscript (from 1765, entitled "Berchtolds-Gaden Musick") is the original, the Toy Symphony was originally written not in G but rather in C.[lower-alpha 1] These findings, however, are disputed among scholars. There is reason to believe that the true composer will likely never be known, in whole or in part, given its confused origins and the paucity of related manuscript sources.[5]

There are other toy symphonies by (for instance) Bernhard Romberg (first published 1852)[6] and Carl Reinecke (1895).[7] British composer Malcolm Arnold wrote a modern Toy Symphony in 1957.[8]

References

Notes

  1. See the title page, including incipit in staff notation, at "'Toy Symphony', Title Page".

Citations

  1. p. 201, Ewen (1965) David. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey The Complete Book of Classical Music Prentice-Hall
  2. Description by Uncle Dave Lewis. "Toy Symphony (Cassation), for toys, 2 oboes, 2 horns & strings in G major (formerly K. 63) – Leopold Mozart | Details, Parts / Movements and Recordings". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
  3. Benstock, Seymour (June 14, 2013). Did You Know?: A Music Lover's Guide to Nicknames, Titles, and Whimsy. USA: Trafford Publishing. p. 194. ISBN 9781466972926.
  4. "15. Wer komponierte die weltbekannte Kindersinfonie?". Archived from the original on 1 March 2012. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  5. Illing, Robert. 'Haydn's Toy Symphony', in Music and Letters, Vol. 78 No 1, February 1997, p 143
  6. Symphonie burlesque, Op. 62, IMSP
  7. Kinder-Sinfonie, Op.239, IMSLP
  8. Craggs, Stewart R. Malcolm Arnold: A Bio-bibliography (1998), p 39
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