Of humble origins, Franz Joseph Haydn (March 31, 1732 - May 31,
1809) was born in the village of Rohrau, near Vienna. When he was eight
years old he was accepted into the choir school of Saint Stephen's
Cathedral in Vienna, where he received his only formal education.
Dismissed from the choir at the age of 17, he spent the next several
years as a struggling free-lance musician. He studied on his own the
standard textbooks on counterpoint and took occasional lessons from the
noted Italian singing master and composer Nicola Porpora. In 1755 Haydn
was engaged briefly by Baron Karl Josef von Furnberg, for whom he
apparently composed his first string quartets. A more substantial
position followed in 1759, when he was hired as music director by Count
Ferdinand Maximilian von Morzin. Haydn's marriage in 1760 to Maria Anna
Keller proved to be unhappy as well as childless.
The turning point in Haydn's fortunes came in 1761, when he was
appointed assistant music director to Prince Pal Antál Esterházy; he
became full director, or Kapellmeister, in 1762. Haydn served under the
patronage of three successive princes of the Esterházy family. The
second of these, Pal Antál's brother, Prince Miklós Jozsef Esterházy,
was an ardent, cultivated music lover. At Esterháza, his vast summer
estate, Prince Miklós could boast a musical establishment second to
none, the management of which made immense demands on its director. In
addition to the symphonies, operas, marionette operettas, masses,
chamber pieces, and dance music that Haydn was expected to compose for
the prince's entertainment, he was required to rehearse and conduct
performances of his own and others' works, coach singers, maintain the
instrument collection and music library, perform as organist, violist,
and violinist when needed, and settle disputes among the musicians in
his charge. Although he frequently regretted the burdens of his job and
the isolation of Esterháza, Haydn's position was enviable by 18
th-century
standards. One remarkable aspect of his contract after 1779 was the
freedom to sell his music to publishers and to accept commissions. As a
result, much of Haydn's work in the 1780s reached beyond the guests at
Esterháza to a far wider audience, and his fame spread accordingly.
After the death of Prince Miklós in 1790, his son, Prince Antál,
greatly reduced the Esterházy musical establishment. Although Haydn
retained his title of Kapellmeister, he was at last free to travel
beyond the environs of Vienna. The enterprising British violinist and
impresario Johann Peter Salomon lost no time in engaging the composer
for his concert series in London. Haydn's two trips to England for these
concerts, in 1791-92 and 1794-95, were the occasion of the huge success
of his last symphonies. Known as the "Salomon" or "London" symphonies,
they include several of his most popular works: "Surprise" (#94),
"Military" (#100), "Clock" (#101), "Drum Roll" (#103), and "London"
(#104).
In his late years in Vienna, Haydn turned to writing masses and composed his great oratorios,
The Creation (1798) and
The Seasons (1801). From this period also comes his
Emperor's Hymn (1797), which later became the Austrian national anthem. He died in Vienna, on May 31, 1809, a famous and wealthy man.
Haydn was prolific in nearly all genres, vocal and instrumental,
sacred and secular. Many of his works were unknown beyond the walls of
Esterháza, most notably the 125 trios and other assorted pieces
featuring the baryton, a hybrid string instrument played by Prince
Miklós. Most of Haydn's 19 operas and marionette operettas were written
to accommodate the talents of the Esterháza company as well as the
tastes of his prince. Haydn freely admitted the superiority of the
operas of his young friend Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
In other categories, however, his works circulated widely, and his
influence was profound. The 107 symphonies and 68 string quartets that
span his career are proof of his ever-fresh approach to thematic
materials and form, as well as of his mastery of instrumentation. His 62
piano sonatas and 43 piano trios document a growth from the easy
elegance suitable for the home music making of amateurs to the public
virtuosity of his late works.
Haydn's productivity is matched by his inexhaustible originality.
His manner of turning a simple tune or motive into unexpectedly complex
developments was admired by his contemporaries as innovative. Dramatic
surprise, often turned to humorous effect, is characteristic of his
style, as is a fondness for folkloric melodies. A writer of Haydn's day
described the special appeal of his music as "popular artistry", and
indeed his balance of directness and bold experiment transformed
instrumental expression in the 18
th century.
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