Die Schoepfung (The Creation) Introduction "Representation of Chaos" - Haydn

This piece is self-explanatory. I wanted to see if this piece was actually chaotic in form. :)

There's a long introduction with no clear cadences or melodic motives that goes on for two whole minutes. It's filled with tutti sforzando chords, and a lot of descending and ascending chromatic passages. At about 2:12, you think that we're finally settling on "do" ... but hey! It's a deceptive cadence, and the descending passage that we thought was approaching do, actually starts over again. Very funny, Haydn. This leads to a ascending passage that gradually crescendos, and then it's a fortissimo PAC!! Whew.

An oboe solo is heard over the orchestra's chords. It plays an ascending sequence that modulates over and over again. More tutti chords, lots of repeating V-I chords. Then a wonderful V-vi cadence!! Deceptive again.

There really hasn't been an interesting melody or any phrase structure that would constitute a period or phrase group. Just a lot of modulating.

All of a sudden we're in a clear minor key. Lots of timpani! And we switch keys again. And again. Really, this is getting tiring to try and analyze. At 5:33, we still haven't found a clear melody. A clear half cadence that feels like it should resolve but never does at this point.

The mood of the piece changes to very pianissimo and melancholy. A lot of woodwind solos - clarinets and flutes. We reach a tonic note! This "do" is repeated in the lower instruments many times.

I am sure that Haydn had a lot of imagery in mind for this piece - it was meant to be program music. It's interesting that there aren't too many PACs in this 7 minute piece. The lack of a clear tonic note and melody, as well as the many unresolved chords, suggests chaos.