Haydn's musical rhetoric: Compositional strategy, audience reception, and connection with classical oration

Diverse scholarly opinions have been voiced regarding the possible influence of rhetorical models on the music of Haydn, ranging from enthusiastic reception of the idea to its complete negation. Proceeding from the conviction that rhetorical views are appropriate to the understanding of Haydn's works, this study attempts to define the types of rhetorical features by which they are informed. Reciprocal relations between music and rhetoric are by no means confined to this repertoire but form an integral part of the artistic thought of the late eighteenth century in general. Further, they are relevant to musical thought as a whole ever since Antiquity. Thus to pinpoint rhetorical elements in the works of Haydn is to implicate a broader view of the Classical style within which they operated, while inviting a comparison with other styles.;The rhetorical features typical of Haydn's music are both a culmination of and a commentary on the stylistic code of his time. They are laid out in the course of this study using numerous musical examples extracted from his oeuvre. The features in question play a dual role as abstract analytical devices as well as a key to deciphering the stylistic code of late eighteenth-century music. Accordingly, they may be viewed as inherent musical tools or as ingredients of an interdisciplinary approach. Either way, it is assumed that they were grasped as rhetorical elements by Haydn's listeners and should be understood as such today as well.;The implementation of rhetorical models in the Classical repertoire is frequently denied on the grounds that it contradicts both the alleged dominance of instrumental genres and the rational background of Enlightenment thought. Yet Haydn's particular type of rhetoric typically operated in counterpoint to normative stylistic patterns and assumptions. The end result---a lively dialogue between the composer and his audience---turns out to be no less affective in spirit. By broadening the definition of musical rhetoric from within, his works brought this tradition to a distinctive culmination.