Symphony No.85 in B flat major (La Reine) (Hob.I:85) (Full Score)

Haydn Symphony No.85 in B flat major (La Reine) (Hob.I:85) (Full Score)

In the winter of 1784-85 Joseph Haydn was commissioned by the Loge Olympique in Paris to compose six symphonies for its orchestra, the Concert de la Loge Olympique.  The commission was probably initiated by Claude-François-Marie Rigoley, Comte d’Ogny, for the autograph manuscripts of the symphony found their way into his private library.  Haydn himself never set foot in Paris, and it is not known whether he was informed about the musical taste in this distant city or the large size and high quality of the orchestra he wrote for.  Whatever the case, he did not take these local circumstances into account, but tailored the works entirely to suit conditions at Esterháza Palace, where he also gave the Paris Symphonies their first hearings.

The nickname of Symphony No.85, “La Reine,” did not originate with Haydn himself.  It probably derives from an early print issued by Imbault in Paris, where the work is entitled “La Reine de France.”  Scholars have often assumed that Queen Marie-Antoinette, who regularly attended the concerts of the Loge Olympique, had a special fondness for this symphony.  There is no proof that this was the case; nor is there any known connection with the theme of the variations in the slow movement, the French romance “La gentille et jeune Lisette.”

- Large format parts

- Informative Preface (German/English)

- Urtext of the Joseph Haydn Works

- Full score & parts (BA4686) available for sale