Cocktail Party Fact: This score exists only as a single autograph copy because it was written for very special circumstances: the invention of a trumpet that could play notes in any key. The instrument was a failure, but the music, fortunately survived. It is Haydn’s very last purely orchestral work.

Commitment Factor: About 17 minutes

Vital Statistics: Classical Period (1796). A brilliant showpiece in three movements. The brass dominate–there are two trumpets in the orchestra in addition to the solo.

What to Listen For: This is the greatest trumpet concerto ever written–not that there’s all that much to compare it with. Haydn was always ready to exploit new instruments and orchestral colors, but he was not really a “concerto” composer, since he was not a virtuoso on any particular instrument (though he played many). Mozart and Beethoven were pianists, but Haydn’s real instrument was the orchestra, and he delighted in writing symphonies that give everyone something fun to do. Here, inspired by the opportunity to write something completely innovative and new, he rises to the challenge with typical gusto. The finale, in particular, has one of those tunes that sounds instantly familiar, and will get stuck in your head forever.