The Farewell Symphony is a symphony by Joseph Haydn, written in 1772. It has one of the most famous endings in music. In the last movement, the players stop one by one, pick up their instruments, and walk off the stage. At the end, two violins are left. Haydn wrote it to send a message to his boss.
Quick facts
- Composer: Joseph Haydn, who lived from 1732 to 1809
- Written: 1772
- Length: about 25 minutes
- Movements: four
- Played by: a small orchestra of strings, two oboes, a bassoon, and two horns
- Full name: Symphony No. 45 in F-sharp minor, “Farewell”
The story
Haydn worked for a rich prince named Nikolaus Esterházy. The prince kept his own orchestra, and Haydn was in charge of it.
Each summer, the prince moved his court to a grand palace in the Hungarian countryside. The musicians went with him. Most of them had to leave their wives and children behind, a day’s ride away.
In 1772, the prince stayed on at the summer palace far longer than usual. The players missed their families, and they asked Haydn to help.
Haydn could not tell a prince what to do. He wrote a symphony.
The ending
The last movement begins fast and stormy. Then it stops. A slow, quiet section begins, which no one in the audience would have expected.
One at a time, the players finish their parts. In Haydn’s day, each one blew out the candle on his music stand, picked up his instrument, and left the room.
The winds went first. The low strings followed. At the end, two violins played alone, softer and softer. By tradition, one of them was Haydn.
The prince understood. The court packed up, and the musicians went home.
What to listen for
| Movement | What happens |
|---|---|
| First: fast | Stormy and restless. The violins leap down in an angry tune. |
| Second: slow | Quiet and gentle, with muted violins |
| Third: a minuet | A dance in three, in a brighter key |
| Fourth: fast, then slow | A fast, driving start. Then the slow farewell, as the players leave. |
For a child, play the last movement alone. It lasts about seven minutes, and the farewell takes up more than half of it.
Read what is a symphony?
An odd key
The symphony is in F-sharp minor, a key that orchestras of the time seldom used. The horns of Haydn’s day could not play in it without extra pieces of tubing. Haydn had them made.
How orchestras play it today
Orchestras still act out the ending. The players switch off their stand lights and walk off, one or two at a time. Some conductors leave too, or pretend to be puzzled.
In 2009, the Vienna Philharmonic played the ending at its New Year’s Concert, and the players left the stage as the cameras watched. Read the Vienna New Year’s Concert with kids.
Haydn’s jokes
Haydn liked to surprise his listeners. In another symphony, he wrote a sudden loud chord in the middle of a quiet tune. Read the guide to the Surprise Symphony.
Things to do together
Stage a farewell. Give each person in the family a pot, a shaker, or a toy instrument. Play together. Then one person at a time stops and leaves the room. See how it feels to be the last one left.
Count who is left. Watch a video of the ending. Count the players on stage each time someone leaves.
Blow out the candles. Line up paper candles on a table. Take one away each time an instrument stops.
Say it with music. Ask your child how they would tell someone “I want to go home” with no words.
Fast and slow. Run on the spot for the fast start of the last movement. Walk in slow motion when the farewell begins.
Write to the prince. Write a polite letter from the musicians to the prince. Then compare it with Haydn’s way.
Questions to ask
- Why did Haydn not just ask the prince?
- How does the music change when the players begin to leave?
- How would you feel as one of the last two violinists?
- Was this a joke, a protest, or both?
Words to know
- Symphony: a long piece for orchestra, most often in four movements
- Court: the household of a king or a prince
- Mute: a small clip that makes a string instrument sound softer
- Farewell: a goodbye
Print and play
Draw the stage emptying on a listening journal page. Read Haydn for kids and how many symphonies Haydn wrote.
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This article is part of Classical music listening guides for kids: famous pieces, one at a time.
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Use it with your kids
Print a listening page, a practice chart, or a composer fact sheet. Or try a tool, such as the composer timeline or the piece picker.