The Symphony No. 85 in B♭ major, Hoboken I/85, is the fourth of the six Paris symphonies (numbers 82–87) written by Joseph Haydn. It is popularly known as La Reine (The Queen).
The 85th Symphony was completed in either 1785 or 1786.[1] It made its way to America early on, at first through a keyboard arrangement such as one played by Nelly Custis at the White House.[2]
The nickname La Reine originated because the work was a favorite of Marie Antoinette, at the time Queen of France.[3] It is the only one of the Paris symphonies whose nickname is of 18th-century origin.[4]
The symphony is in standard four movement form and is scored for flute, two oboes, two bassoons, two horns, and strings.
The first movement contains a reference to Symphony No. 45 “Farewell”.[5]
The second movement is described by the eminent Haydn scholar H. C. Robbins Landon as "a set of variations on the old French folk-song 'La gentille et jeune Lisette'.[6] This assertion frequently appears in program notes for recordings and symphonic performances.[7] Robbins Landon's own source was the biography of Haydn (1875-1927) written by C. F. Pohl, who provides the text of the putative folk song.[8] The modern musicologist Daniel Heartz disputed Pohl's claim: "Pohl cites no source for this song and none has been found since." Heartz suggests instead that the "folk song" was the result of someone providing words in folk style to a tune original with Haydn.[9] The dispute reflects a wider pattern in the interpretation of folk-like material in Haydn's compositions; see Haydn and folk music.
