Sinfonia in C

Leopold Hofmann (1738-1793) was regarded by his contemporaries as one of the most gifted and influential composers of his generation. Although a church musician by profession, Hofmann was also an important and prolific composer of instrumental music and was a major contributor to the early development of the Viennese symphony. Among his most significant and original innovations was the use of a slow introduction to the first movement. Hofmann’s musical language is an attractive amalgam of Viennese, North Italian and Mannheim elements and although stylistically and structurally reminiscent of the youthful works of Haydn, it is often closer in spirit to Mozart’s in its transparency and Italianate grace. This symphony, written when Hofmann was around twenty, already demonstrates an exceptional sureness of touch and shows him quite the equal of his teacher Wagenseil in his mastery of the genre.