Haydn's Symphony No. 50 in C has some curious relationships with the better-known No. 48, "Maria Theresa," so-named for its being composed for the occasion of a visit by the Empress in 1773. But because No. 50 was the only symphony on the record as having been composed by Haydn in that same year, it has led some musicologists to suggest that 50 was the piece d'occasion, this theory bolstered by the martial stance of the outer movements. In fact, No. 50 possesses a more festive feel than No. 48. The point remains moot.

From the outset the ceremonial tone is set by a slow introduction of nobility worthy of Handel, followed by a long-spanned, dignified main theme. So too is the Baroque influence felt in the following slow movement for strings only. The ensuing minuet is in the composer's ballroom idiom with the true novelty being the trio's carrying on the thematic processes of the minuet proper. The mood of the first movement is matched by the finale, the main theme again rather substantial but more intricate than lengthy, with brass fanfares embellishing the movement's progress to its conclusion.

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