Lesson 6: Joseph Haydn

Joseph Haydn

Born in 1732, Joseph Haydn was one of the most prolific composers of the Classical period. His musical impact on the period is reflected in the titles 'Father of the Symphony' and 'Father of the String Quartet.' Haydn would leave a strong legacy in both of these areas, as well as on the Classical period as a whole.

Born in Austria, Haydn's musical talents were recognized early and he received training and worked in a number of different venues. In 1761, he was offered a position with the Esterhazy family, one of the richest and most important families in Austria. His duties ranged from composing music, playing chamber music, overseeing the orchestra, and arranging opera performances for the family and their guests. In the thirty years that he worked for the family, Haydn composed a great number of musical pieces in a range of styles. As he spent a great deal of time on the family's rural estate, Haydn was relatively isolated from the other composers at the time. He would argue that this forced him to be more innovative and creative in his work.

In 1790, Haydn was offered a pension and he became free to travel. He accepted an offer to go to London and compose symphonies for a large orchestra. The enterprise was a great success, both in increasing Haydn's fame as a composer and in making Haydn financially secure. By the late 1790s, he had returned to Austria and spent time composing religious works on a larger scale. In 1802, an illness made it impossible for Haydn to continue composing. He died in 1809 at the age of 77.

Haydn's work influenced a number of different musical areas. He was a fundamental part of the development of the sonata form. His working relationship with the Esterhazy family also allowed Haydn to explore and experiment with different forms of composing, particularly the symphony, which some argue he virtually invented as a modern form of music. In fact, Haydn composed over 100 full symphonies during his lifetime. Some of his best symphonies were created while he was in the employ of the Esterhazy family. Although Haydn is sometimes overshadowed by the work of Mozart and Beethoven in this time period, the reality is that Haydn was extremely creative in his music and the innovations that he made had a great impact on the music of others, including Mozart and Beethoven (both of whom he met during his lifetime).

 

One of the aspects that Haydn's work is known for is the musical humor that often permeated his work. Some of his works contain false endings, and Haydn also placed surprising notes and chords in key places of the music. Overall, Haydn's work tended to be light and upbeat, a characteristic of the Classical period.