s actually made the hero of a poem called "The Art of Music,"
published there in 1779. The "Seven Words" created a profound impression
when performed under the circumstances just detailed, but the work was
not allowed to remain in its original form, though it was printed in
that form by Artaria and by Forster. Haydn divided it into two parts,
and added choruses and solos, in which form it was given for the first
time at Eisenstadt in October, 1797, and published in 1801. The "Seven
Words" was a special favourite of the composer himself, who indeed is
declared by some to have preferred it to all his other compositions.

The "Toy" Symphony

The remaining years of the period covered by this chapter being almost
totally devoid of incident, we may pause to notice briefly two of the
better-known symphonies of the time--the "Toy" Symphony and the more
famous "Farewell." The former is a mere jeu d'esprit, in which, with an
orchestral basis of two violins and a bass, the solo instruments are all
of a burlesque character. Mozart attempted something of a kindred
nature in his "Musical joke," where instruments come in at wrong places,
execute inappropriate phrases, and play abominably out of tune. This
kind of thing does not require serious notice, especially in the case
of Haydn, to whom humour in music was a very different matter from the
handling of rattles and penny trumpets and toy drums.

The "Farewell" Symphony

The "Farewell" Symphony has often been described, though the
circumstances of its origin are generally mis-stated. It has been
asserted, for example, that Haydn intended it as an appeal to the prince
against the dismissal of the Capelle. But this, as Pohl has conclusively
shown, is incorrect. The real design of the "Farewell" was to persuade
the prince to shorten his stay at Esterhaz, and so enable the musicians
to rejoin their wives and families. Fortunately, the prince was
quick-witted enough to see the point of the joke. As one after another
ceased playing and left the orchestra, until only two violinists
remained, he quietly observed, "If all go, we may as well go too."
Thus Haydn's object was attained--for the time being! The "Farewell"
is perfectly complete as a work of art, but its fitness for ordinary
occasions is often minimized by the persistent way in which its original
purpose is pointed out to the listener.

Free from Esterhaz

Haydn's active career at Esterhaz may be said to have closed with the