Composer Profiles - Andrew Lesser Music

Composer Profiles
Franz Joseph Haydn
Born: Vienna, Austria - 1732
Died: Vienna, Austria - 1809
Biography
Very few composers of the 18 th century and earlier
lived to enjoy the fame and fortune of their efforts. Mozart
himself was in debt when he died, and was subsequently
buried in a pauper’s grave. However, his contemporary and
good friend Franz Joseph Haydn (though he never used
the name Franz) enjoyed such adulation around Europe
that even Beethoven kissed his forehead in reverence (especially since Beethoven was a former student of
his!). Born in the small town of Rohrau, near the border of Austria and Hungary, Haydn grew up in relative
poverty. His father, Mathias, was a wagon maker. At an early age, Joseph showed an aptitude for music, and
at the urging of a cousin, was sent to the nearby town of Hainburg, where he learned reading, writing, and
music. In particular, Haydn learned wind and string instruments, singing, and a bit of piano, though he was
never the virtuoso performer that Mozart would be. In fact, in his autobiography, Haydn reflects that most
of his composition education was self-taught. “Proper teachers I never had”, he wrote of his musical
development. In 1749, Haydn was dismissed from the choir of St. Stephen, which he had sung in from the
age of eight. For more than eight years Haydn would scratch out a meager living playing and composing
free-lance while trying to earn his daily bread. Then in 1761, the course of Haydn’s life would dramatically
change with his appointment as the Vice-Music Director to Prince Paul Anton Esterházy, head of the
richest and most powerful family in Hungary.
Haydn’s duties as court composer were vast, but he never fell short of the Prince’s expectations.
Although he served with Prince Paul for only a year before the Prince’s death in 1762, Prince Nikolaus,
Paul’s successor, was a great admirer of Haydn’s music and presented him with the position of Music
Director after the previous Music Director to which Haydn was subordinate died in 1766. Haydn’s duties
included directing the orchestra, composing new music for the Prince’s social affairs, of which there were
many, run the music library, and supervise all matters pertaining to the musical instruments and personnel,
including hiring, training, and firing if necessary. Yet Haydn took all of this in stride, and remained fiercely
loyal to the Prince, even when he began to receive other offers. He was also highly respected by his
musicians, in which he would go directly to the Prince (he was the only musician who the Prince would
receive) to advocate for his staff if there were disputes that needed to be addressed. Haydn would serve in
the Prince’s household for nearly thirty years. As a result, Haydn’s needs were well met; he had an excellent
salary, a maid, a carriage and horses, and complete autonomy over the way he ran his orchestra. He was
even known as “Papa” to his musicians.
When Nikolaus died in 1790, his son Anton took over the Esterházy household. He immediately
disbanded Haydn’s orchestra, and Haydn was free to travel. Almost immediately after his dismissal, Johann
Peter Salomon, an impresario from England, convinced Haydn to join him in London and compose new
music there. Haydn remained in London for over a year, where his fame grew to unprecedented
proportions. Haydn returned to Vienna in 1795 a rich and influential man, destined to secure a place in the
highest pantheon of composers. During the last years of his life, he would live in quiet comfort, often

eceiving visitors, telling stories, and sometimes playing the piano. He died on May 31, 1809, his last words
being: “Children, be comforted. I am well”.
Works
Haydn by necessity was an extremely prolific composer. Prince Nikolaus’s social engagements were
frequent, forcing the composer to write new, original material on a consistent basis. “I was cut off from the
world, there was no one around to mislead and harass me, and so I was forced to become original”, Haydn
once wrote. Though his concertos and sonatas are notable, Haydn is primarily known as the innovator of
the formal structure of the symphony and the string quartet. Haydn’s earliest symphonies reflect the formal
structure of early Classicism, a three movement work based on the Italian opera overture, but soon he
departed into the standard four movement “sonata” form format that composers still use today. The first
movements of his symphonies are generally characterized by rhythmic energy, harmonic twists and turns,
and frequent modulations to different keys, all of which add suspense and drive. The second movement is
usually an Andante, which provides the listener with a more calm and relaxing change of pace. The third
movement was normally a dance called a Minuet, written in ¾. The Finale was usually the shortest
movement, labeled an Allegro or Presto, and was full of energy. Haydn often demonstrates his affinity for
jokes and humor in his works. In particular, his Symphony No. 45 in F# minor, known as the “Farewell
Symphony”, directs the musicians to leave one at a time at the end of the symphony, which
uncharacteristically ends with a slow section. Out of Haydn’s 106 symphonies, the twelve symphonies
known as the London symphonies are considered his crowning achievements. The sudden fortissimo strike
in the second movement of the “Surprise” Symphony, No. 94 is one of the most famous passages in Classical
music. Haydn expanded his sonata form structure to his chamber works, particularly in his 68 string
quartets. While he is more famous for
his instrumental works, Haydn’s vocal
works achieved extreme popularity with
his two oratorios, The Creation and The
Seasons. For these, Haydn studied
Handel’s Messiah and became so
enamored with it (describing the work,
Haydn said of Handel: “He is the master
of us all”) that he was inspired to base
his oratorios on the Book of Genesis and
Milton’s Paradise Lost. In these works,
Esterházy Palace, where Haydn worked for nearly 30 years.
as his others, we see the rare
combination of intellect and imagination that gave him his historical importance in the history of music. As
the musicologist James Webster said of Haydn: “He excelled in every musical genre… He is familiarly known
as the 'father of the symphony' and could with greater justice be thus regarded for the string quartet; no
other composer approaches his combination of productivity, quality and historical importance in these
genres."
Suggested Listening
Symphonies: No. 45 - “Farewell”; No. 92 –“ Oxford”; No. 94 - “Surprise”; No. 96 – “Miracle”
String Quartets: Op. 33, No. 2 – “The Joke”, Op. 77, No. 1, others
Oratorios: The Creation; The Seasons
Various: Keyboard Sonatas, Keyboard Trios, Concertos, Masses