The piece under consideration, Haydn, Symphony N. 45 in F minor, “Farewell,” Mvt. IV, is characterized by the inclusion of humor. This element reflects the composer’s mastery of specific techniques contributing to this perception referred to as the ironic distance between the creator and his listeners. In order to create this impression, Haydn transmits his outlook through the witty organization of sound and rhythm and the bemusement of the audience by unpredictability.
This piece of Haydn is perceived as an amusing work of the composer due to the changes in the melody throughout it. However, it is not the only example of such methods, and another instance of humor in music is Mozart’s “Adagio cantabile.” It also achieves the required reaction by including unexpected harmonic progressions. In this way, the approach is similar to the one of Haydn, and the use of this kind of parody keeps the mood light. In addition, the humorous effect of the two pieces is conditional upon the patterns combined with the lack of common logic in other components. Thus, the audience does not know when the melody stops, the technical aspect is emphasized by impossibly difficult techniques, and the occasional missed notes add to the perception of the music as something hilarious.
In conclusion, achieving humor in the piece of Haydn was the task addressed by the introduction of unexpectedness in all the essential elements. The same approach was used by Mozart, and this fact allows considering this characteristic as correlating with the described impression. The only difference in the use of these techniques by different composers is the preference of one of another element, which is changed or omitted for this purpose.