The twelve symphonies Haydn composed for his two London trips in the 1790s were enormously popular and influential works. They were received with wild enthusiasm in London and quickly published, as well as circulated in manuscript form, all over Europe and beyond. Many of these symphonies remain some of Haydn's most beloved compositions. In many ways, these symphonies changed the course of nineteenth-century symphonic composition. This project, which is intended for Cambridge's new "Music in Context" series, will be the first full-length historical and analytical study of all twelve of Haydn's symphonies.

Working with periodicals and other late eighteenth-century sources, the research partner will help gather primary sources about concert life in London and the reception of Haydn's symphonies, both in England and in Europe. The student will also help assemble relevant secondary literature in Haydn studies.

The student will learn concrete research methods and get hands-on experience working with a variety of late eighteenth-century sources. This is an exciting period in the history of European art music, and intimate knowledge of Haydn's London Symphonies provides a special vantage point from which to explore the musical culture of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.