Haydn's Symphony No. 22 in E flat major ("Philosopher") is a good example of a work that bridges the late Baroque and early Classical styles. Here Haydn employs the Baroque sonata da chiesa form (i.e. movements in a slow-fast-slow-fast scheme) while making use of a characteristically Classical harmonic language and phrase structure.

The stunning Adagio that opens the symphony represents a hybrid of older ritornello-style form and the emergent Classical sonata form. The main musical idea unfolds in the spirit of a chorale; this idea is first intoned by the horns and is answered, in an orchestrational oddity for the time, by the English horns. This chorale appears in several different keys as the movement progresses, eventually returning to the prevailing E flat major in a kind of recapitulation. The movement is further characterized by a profusion of Baroque delicacies, and suspensions and sequences abound.

A humorous, vivacious Presto follows, providing distinct contrast to the introspective first movement. The Classical aspect of the symphony is further underscored by a third movement in the form of a minuet and trio, the former somewhat plodding, the latter typically dance-like.

In the intriguing finale, Haydn uses a galloping 6/8 meter and hunting calls on the horn and English horn to good effect. Though perhaps unremarkable to modern listeners, the incorporation of hunting music into a symphony surely came as a shock to audiences in the 1760s.

A second, spurious version of the symphony begins with the Presto and omits the Adagio and Minuet and Trio movements. In this incarnation, an Andante—almost certainly not composed by Haydn—bridges the Presto and the finale. Though widely known during the composer's lifetime, this version cannot by any means be considered authentic.

As with most of Haydn's "nicknamed" symphonies, the "Philosopher" appellation is not the composer's own; it does, however, capture something of the work's thoughtful atmosphere.

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