thumb|Portrait of Joseph Haydn by Ludwig Guttenbrunn, from c. 1770
Symphony No. 39 is a symphony in G minor (Hoboken 1/39) composed by Joseph Haydn, under the patronage of Prince Nikolaus Esterházy. Although the date of its composition is not certain, it is thought to have been written between May and September 1765, making it the earliest of Haydn's minor-key symphonies associated with his Sturm und Drang period (see also Symphony No. 26 and Symphony No. 45).
Music
It is written for an orchestra consisting of two oboes, four horns (two in B alto and two in G), and strings (violins divided into two, violas, cellos and double basses).
There are four movements:
File:Haydn-39-1-theme.png
The opening movement features a nervously excited main theme interrupted by frequent pauses. Felix Diergarten has specifically analysed the pauses in the first movement in the symphony, with respect to symphonic form of the time. Both the first and second theme groups begin with the same two bars of melodic material.
In contrast to the Sturm und Drang of the opening movement, A.P. Brown describes the Andante as "one of Haydn's most galant slow movements, with its small meter signature, sixteenth triplets, slides, weak resolutions, echoes, and generally thin texture".
The minor mode returns for the Menuet which is contrasted by a bright major-mode Trio which features high notes for the first horn.