Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
This second movement is where the symphony got its "Military" nickname from and is one of Haydn's most popular movements.
The principal theme with which it begins is an adaptation of a piece that Haydn had composed a few years before for an obscure instrument called a lira organizzata, both elaborating on it further and adding new material. It is a charming march, though not necessarily a military one from the outset. That air becomes present during a contrasting episode of surprising tension (1:43). Percussion instruments that were associated with "Turkish music" at the time, namely the bass drum, triangle, and cymbals, are the main ways that Haydn evokes the military atmosphere.
The main "lira organizzata" theme returns as expected (2:48), but the percussion instruments enter the fray soon enough, transforming it into a true military march in a rousing fashion (3:25).
Just when it seems that the movement will be over, we hear a trumpet play a bugle call that was allegedly in use at the time (4:40), a Timpani drumroll leads to a brief but undeniably dramatic eruption (4:55), after which the music ends with a slight hint of uncertainty.
It's very likely that in that pivotal moment Haydn meant to go beyond the jolly military marches and show a mere glimpse of the true horror of war; listeners of the time certainly perceived it. Depictions of war in music have come a long way since then, in both realism and sheer power, but even if it's spoken through his classical language, Haydn's can still be striking.
Symphony No. 100 in G major "Military"
II. Allegretto
Composer: Joseph Haydn
Soundfont: Super Mario 64
Movement 1: youtube.com/watch?v=XNmjzzxhuwk
Movement 3: youtube.com/watch?v=BdoRgPPWNgg
Movement 4: youtube.com/watch?v=AXQqd_BZ0Zc
Pokémon DPP version: youtube.com/watch?v=MKUaOei_ir0
This second movement is where the symphony got its "Military" nickname from and is one of Haydn's most popular movements.
The principal theme with which it begins is an adaptation of a piece that Haydn had composed a few years before for an obscure instrument called a lira organizzata, both elaborating on it further and adding new material. It is a charming march, though not necessarily a military one from the outset. That air becomes present during a contrasting episode of surprising tension (1:43). Percussion instruments that were associated with "Turkish music" at the time, namely the bass drum, triangle, and cymbals, are the main ways that Haydn evokes the military atmosphere.
The main "lira organizzata" theme returns as expected (2:48), but the percussion instruments enter the fray soon enough, transforming it into a true military march in a rousing fashion (3:25).
Just when it seems that the movement will be over, we hear a trumpet play a bugle call that was allegedly in use at the time (4:40), a Timpani drumroll leads to a brief but undeniably dramatic eruption (4:55), after which the music ends with a slight hint of uncertainty.
It's very likely that in that pivotal moment Haydn meant to go beyond the jolly military marches and show a mere glimpse of the true horror of war; listeners of the time certainly perceived it. Depictions of war in music have come a long way since then, in both realism and sheer power, but even if it's spoken through his classical language, Haydn's can still be striking.
Symphony No. 100 in G major "Military"
II. Allegretto
Composer: Joseph Haydn
Soundfont: Super Mario 64
Movement 1: youtube.com/watch?v=XNmjzzxhuwk
Movement 3: youtube.com/watch?v=BdoRgPPWNgg
Movement 4: youtube.com/watch?v=AXQqd_BZ0Zc
Pokémon DPP version: youtube.com/watch?v=MKUaOei_ir0
