Symphony No. 94 in G Major, “Surprise”

• This is one of Haydn’s London Symphonies (Nos.93-104), symphonies he wrote for performance during his visits to London. 
• The “Surprise” Symphony premiered in London on March 23, 1791.  
• Haydn’s friend and biographer, Georg August Griesinger, tells the following story about the “Surprise” Symphony (this anecdote contributed to the origin of the nickname) 

“I jokingly asked him once if it was true that he composed the Andante … in order to wake up the dozing English audience. ‘No … my intention was to surprise the public with something new, and to debut in a brilliant manner, in order to prevent my rank from being usurped by Pleyel, my pupil …’” 

George August Griesinger 

• Haydn’s former student Ignaz Pleyel was in London at the time, and he assisted with conducting some of Haydn’s music in the concerts of Haydn’s music presented by the impresario Johann Peter Salomon. Pleyel’s music was popular in London, too, and Haydn didn’t want his pupil to steal the limelight!¹

1.  Georg Feder and James Webster, “Haydn, (Franz) Joseph,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed March 11, 2021, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000044593.