Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
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Considered to be the Father of the Symphony and Father of the String Quartet
He spelled his name “Josef Haydn”
Haydn wrote:
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104 symphonies between the years 1759-1795
12 masses
68 quartets as well as operas
Haydn’s creative periods could be summarized as follows:
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1760s: Style Galant
1770s: Sturm und Drang
1780s: Begins publishing, changes style—more fluid writing, uses more
counterpoint
1790s: London concerts for which he composed twelve symphonies
1800s: Late masses composed for Eszterhazy, and other large choral works
Childhood and Family Background (1732-1749)
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Father, Matthais, was a wheelwright and mayor of Rohrau, an Austrian village.
Father was also a enthusiastic folk musician
Brother, Michael Haydn, was a composer, and Johann Evangelist Haydn, a tenor
Josef was apprenticed in his childhood to a local musician. He sang in the church
choir and learned harpsichord and violin. He was poorly cared for and often
hungry
In 1740, he came to the attention of Georg von Reutter, the director at St.
Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna
In 1749, he was dismissed from St. Stephen’s because his voice changed
Years of Study (1749-59)
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10 years of apprenticeship and study followed.
Josef worked as a valet and accompanist for Nicola Porpora, the Italian opera
composer from whom he learned the fundamentals of music
Wrote his first string quartets and an opera
Posts (1759-1791—dates are variously reported)
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First post for Count Karl von Morzin; Morzin suffered financial losses and had to
dismiss his musical establishment
In 1761, Haydn became assistant Kapellmeister to the Eszterhazy Family. The
Eszterhazys were one of the wealthiest and most important families in Austrian
Empire.
Haydn became full Kapellmeister in 1766 upon the death of Gregor Werner, his
predecessor
The Eszterhazys maintained three residences: Eisenstadt, the Winter Palace in
Vienna, and the new Palace built in Hungary around 1760.
Haydn’s first employer was Paul Anton, who was succeeded by Nikolaus I
Haydn’s duties included chamber music (especially baryton trios), orchestral
concerts, and opera
Haydn married Maria Anna Keller. She was the sister of the woman he actually
fell in love with, but she married someone else. It was an unhappy and childless
marriage. Haydn likely had a long-term love affair with Luigia Polzelli, a singer
at Court with whom he probably had children.
By the mid 1780s, Haydn’s fame had transcended Eszterhazy. Two notable
groups of works from this period are the Paris symphonies, and “The Seven Last
Words of Christ”, which composed for the Good Friday Service at the Grotto
Santa Cueva near Cadiz, Spain.
In 1781, Haydn established a friendship with Mozart. They played chamber
music together, and Mozart dedicated six string quartets to Haydn (unusual at the
time)
Haydn also established a platonic friendship with Maria Anna von Genzinger,
wife of Prince Nikolaus’s personal physician. His correspondence to her reveals
his loneliness and isolation at Eszterhazy, and her premature death on 1793 was a
deep blow to him, reflected in the Piano Variations, Hob. XVII:6
Vienna, first years, and the London Visits
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Nikolaus died in 1790 and was succeeded by his son Nikolaus II, as unmusical a
man as is brother was musical
Nikolaus II dismissed the orchestra and put Haydn on pension
Haydn met Beethoven in Vienna and gave the young composer lessons.
Johann Peter Salomon, a German impresario and orchestra leader in London,
commissioned twelve symphonies, performed over two extended visits, 1791-92,
and 1794-95. Among these works are the Surprise, Military, Drumroll, Miracle,
and London symphonies
These performances were heralded in the press as the most important musical
events in London. Haydn quickly became both rich and famous
Final Years
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Haydn declined subtle invitations from George III to remain in England and
returned to Vienna. He had a large home built and turned to writing large-scale
religious choral works.
Haydn composed six masses and two great oratorios (Creation, The Seasons) for
the Eszterhazy family, these written at the request of Nikolaus II’s successor.
Serious illness began in 1802 which made it difficult for him to compose.
Died in 1809 during the Napoleonic attack on Vienna.
Sonata Form in Haydn’s hands
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Introduction: Haydn often employed a slow introduction. The material is usually
not related to the main Allegro, but can be (notable exception: the “Drumroll”
Symphony, in which the Introduction actually returns before the coda).
Exposition: Haydn’s expositions often use the first theme at the arrival of the
contrasting key. “Monothematic” is a misnomer, since these expositions had
numerous thematic ideas
Development: rapidly shifting keys, contrapuntal textures, false reprises
Recapitulation: Unlike Beethoven and Mozart, Haydn may shift the order of the
material or provide unusual key treatments. For example, Symphony 95, in C
minor, modulates to C Major for the second theme, and ends in major
Coda: sometimes Haydn uses extended codas. This trait is picked up by
Beethoven.