 In the absence of the original autograph, it is impossible to verify the date of composition although this dating is consistent with the work's appearance in the Entwurf Katalog (Haydn's own catalogue of his works).An earlier tradition suggested the symphony had been written for Christmas (at the time a much less significant religious holiday), but the oldest original extant manuscript indicates clearly that the symphony was indeed intended for Easter celebrations.It is an early example of the Sturm und Drang style that characterised much of his symphonic output to 1774 or 1775.