Symphony No. 48 (Haydn)

Maria Theresa of Austria, for whom the 48th Symphony is nicknamed

The Symphony No. 48 in C major, Hoboken I/48, is a symphony by Joseph Haydn written in 1768 or 1769. The work has the nickname Maria Theresa as it was long thought to have been composed for a visit by the Holy Roman Empress, Maria Theresa of Austria in 1773. An earlier copy dated 1769 was later found, but the nickname has stuck.[1] The symphony composed for the empress's visit was most likely No. 50.[1][2]

H. C. Robbins Landon has described this symphony as a "great and indeed germinal work." It was one of the very few Haydn symphonies of this period to survive throughout the nineteenth century in various editions.[3]

  1. ^ a b Brown, A. Peter, The Symphonic Repertoire (Volume 2). Indiana University Press (ISBN 025333487X), pp. 114-115(2002).
  2. ^ Antony Hodgson, The Music of Joseph Haydn: The Symphonies. London: The Tantivy Press (1976): 77. (ISBN 9780904208214)
  3. ^ HC Robbins Landon, Haydn: Chronicle and Works, 5 vols, (Bloomington and London: Indiana University Press, 1976-) v. 2, Haydn at Eszterhaza, 1766-1790 (ISBN 9780500011683)