Haydn's Symphony No.8 is the final piece in his triptych on the times of the day, consisting of the symphonies Le Matin, Le Midi and Le Soir (Hoboken I:6-8). The cycle originated in 1761, on a commission from Haydn's patron,Prince Anton Esterházy. Whether the Prince was hoping for a counterpart to Vivaldi's famous concertos on the four seasons or pursued a different idea can no longer be determined.
It was doubtless the purpose of theseconcertante symphonies to present to a select audience the Prince's chamber ensemble, which had been assembled or expanded that spring, as well as its new conductor. The pieces are laid out on a large scale full of pompandsplendour, and the scoring, at times divided into thirteen separate parts, offers virtually every player an opportunity to display his prowess as a soloist.
At that time the Esterházy ensemble was made up of six or sevenplayers of the violin or viola (the seventh was actually retained as a flautist), one player each of the violoncello and violone, two oboists doubling on flute, two horn players and a bassoonist. This listing includes Haydnhimself, who conducted the ensemble from the first violinist's desk. Contrary to a widely held belief, there was no harpsichord. Indeed, the only genres that employed a keyboard instrument at that time in the Viennese area werevocal - namely, operas, cantatas and church music.
| Arrangement | Orchestra |
| Genres | Classical |
| Format | Part |
| Media | Sheet Music |
| Publisher | Bärenreiter-Verlag |
| Contributors | Joseph Haydn, Franz(Composer) Braun, Jü rgen(Artist) |
| ISMN | 9790006498390 |