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Which unusual percussion instruments did Joseph Haydn use in the Military Symphony?
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Joseph Haydn
Joseph Haydn, detail of a portrait by Thomas Hardy, 1791; in the collection of the Royal College of Music, London.
In his Military Symphony (No. 100 in G Major), Joseph Haydn introduced percussion instruments that were not standard in the orchestras of the time. These instruments, which were associated with the popular "Janissary music" style of the 18th century, include:1
- Triangle1
- Hand cymbals1
- Bass drum12
It is particularly notable that Haydn employed these instruments in the second movement of the symphony, which, according to the Classical tradition, was typically the slow movement.1