While the numbering of Haydn's earlier symphonies at times resembles a plastic slide-sequence puzzle, No. 23 in G major is unproblematic, with its immediate siblings belonging to the year 1764. It was undoubtedly created for one of the galas which filled the great hall of Prince Nikolaus Esterházy. Its sunny and even flippant (in the finale) nature reflects the happy disposition of its young creator, no surprise for a musician who was in the lucrative and comfortable employ of an appreciative and encouraging patron.

In lithe triple time, the opening movement alternates two equally animated themes, both colored by the horn, which collectively look ahead to the later "Oxford" Symphony. Strings only are featured in the following andante, which utilizes suspensions to good effect. The minuet which follows is a canon, suggesting the idea of a young dancer teaching her less agile lover the steps as the latter tries to keep pace. In the Presto finale, the celebrated musical jokester Haydn of later years makes an early appearance via the abrupt dynamic contrasts and the most unconventional coda, in which a diminuendo leads to a barely audible pizzicato close.

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