Haydn's second foray into the symphonic field chiefly reveals an imaginative and clear-headed mind learning well from existing models, if not yet the trailblazer he was to become. And yet, some intimations of a highly original creative mind may be here divined. It appears to have been composed so close upon the heels of No. 1 as to render them a pair.

Symphony No. 2 in C major, scored for strings, two horns, two oboes, and continuo, is typical of the earliest symphonies, hearkening back to the operatic overture tradition. The typical dotted-note rhythm of the first theme makes for a dignified and noble opening. Likewise does the second subject derive from this source. Thus for variation, Haydn uses the development section to elaborate upon each theme, enhancing and molding them with the end result their distinction from each other. The middle movement is a contrapuntal perpetuum mobile, driven by cascades of eighth notes at the same dynamic level. The effect is hypnotic rather than static, and in fact quite novel for the time in the context of a symphony. Only in the presto finale, a rondo in 3/8, does the inspiration seem to flag. But although externally conventional, the energy and good humor of this movement is typical of its creator.

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