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{hy'-duhn, frahnts yoh'-zef}
Franz Josef Haydn, b. Rohrau, Lower Austria, Mar. 31, 1732,
d. May 31, 1809, was one of the greatest composers of the
CLASSICAL PERIOD IN MUSIC. He is most renowned for taking
the established forms of the symphony and string quartet and,
through lifelong invention and experimentation, shaping them
into the powerful media for musical expression that they were
recognized as by composers thereafter. Haydn brought symphonic
traits to the piano sonata, as well, and was a master of chamber
music in general. His majestic masses and endearing choral
works also continue as standards in the concert repertory.
His operas, although now less frequently performed, are of
great musical value.
After singing in Saint Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna during
the 1740s and studying and working in Vienna during the 1750s,
Haydn became (1758) the musical director for Count Ferdinand
Maximilian von Morzin at his estate in Lukavec, near Plzen,
Bohemia. In 1761, Haydn entered the service of Prince Paul
Anton Esterhazy, at Eisenstadt, Austria. For the rest of his
life, the princes Esterhazy were to remain his patrons. When
Prince Anton died in 1762, he was succeeded by Prince Nicolaus,
who created an extremely favorable environment for Haydn's
development as a composer. He placed Haydn in charge of an
enlarged musical staff. Haydn's schedule included daily performances
of chamber music, and, each week, two opera performances and
two formal concerts. For these occasions he constantly composed
new works. Most of his approximately 25 operas, about 85 of
his 107 symphonies, and many of his 83 string quartets--as
well as numerous other works--were composed between 1761,
when he joined the Esterhazy establishment, and Prince Nicolaus's
death in 1790. Of special interest are the works of the period
1768-74, often referred to as Haydn's Sturm und Drang ("storm
and stress") period, in which he was particularly inventive
in his search for new styles and forms. Representative of
this period are Symphony no. 45 (the Farewell Symphony) and
the six string quartets of Opus 20 (called the Sun quartets).
From the 1760s on, Haydn's fame spread, first to Vienna and
then throughout Europe. In 1785-86 he composed a set of six
symphonies, the Paris symphonies (nos. 82-87), for performance
at a concert series in that city.
Although much of Haydn's time was spent at Esterhaza and Eisenstadt,
he maintained contact with the musical life of nearby Vienna.
The friendship between Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-91),
who lived in Vienna from 1781 until his death in 1791, was
influential and productive for both composers. Haydn also
briefly taught Ludwig van BEETHOVEN in Vienna. Their different
personalities made this meeting unrewarding, but Beethoven
was a great admirer of Haydn's works.
In 1790, Haydn's life changed radically; Prince Anton, who
succeeded Prince Nicolaus in that year, cared little for music.
He retained Haydn nominally as his music director but required
nothing of him. Thus Haydn was free to compose and travel
as he wished. In 1790 he accepted an invitation from Johann
Peter Salomon (1745-1815), one of London's leading impresarios,
to compose and direct a number of works for a public concert
series in that city. On New Year's Day in 1791, Haydn arrived
in London, and he remained there for 18 months. In England
he was greeted with great public acclaim. The concert season
was immensely successful, he was feted by royalty, and Oxford
University conferred upon him an honorary doctorate. Haydn
returned to Vienna in 1792, but early in 1794 he again journeyed
to England at Salomon's invitation for another concert series,
this one even more successful than the first. The stimulation
of Haydn's two London sojourns was precisely what the composer
needed to realize his full potential. The 12 symphonies that
Haydn composed for London (nos. 93-104, usually called the
London symphonies) represent the pinnacle of his symphonic
work.
In the summer of 1795, Haydn returned to Vienna, where he
lived for the rest of his life. Of particular importance in
this final period is his oratorio The Creation (1798), his
most famous choral work. Other great compositions of this
period are his oratorio The Seasons (1801); his last six masses
(1796-1802); and his last string quartets, Opus 71, 74 (three
quartets each), 76 (six quartets), and 77 (two quartets).
All these works are great masterpieces.
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