FEATURED STUDENT

The piano piece that Jenna plays is an excerpt from the Surprise Symphony, written by Joseph Haydn, an Austrian composer who wrote much of his music in the later part of the 18th century. The symphony was given this name because of an alteration Haydn made to one of the movements.

According to one account, Haydn was frustrated with the front-row patrons who would fall asleep during the concert. The “surprise” he added was to play the last note of the piece at a grand fortissimo. The orchestra played so loudly that the front row audience jumped to their feet! His plan worked!