!!!Haydn, Joseph

b. Rohrau (Lower Austria), March 31, 1732, 
d. Vienna, May 31, 1809, composer; son of a wheelwright, brother of 
Michael  Haydn. At age 6 was sent to the town of Hainburg and in 1740, 
at age 8, came to Vienna as a choir boy at St. Stephen's Cathedral 
(his first extensive musical training under G.  Reutter the Younger 
and first attempts at composing), contact with the Viennese tradition 
of baroque music (A.  Caldara, J. J.  Fux). 1749 was expelled from the 
choir after his voice broke, supported himself with odd jobs 
(including composition of comedy arias), while intensively studying 
composition (J. J. Fux, C. P. E. Bach). Through P.  Metastasio became 
assistant of the famous singing teacher N. Porpora, who lived in 
Vienna from 1752 to1756/57. Thanks to Metastasio and Porpora met 
Vienna's musical celebrities, like G. C.  Wagenseil, C. W.  Gluck and 
C.  Ditters von Dittersdorf. Between 1750 and 1760, during an 
engagement for K. J. von Fuernberg in Weinzierl Palace near Wieselburg 
(Lower Austria) wrote his first string quartets. In 1759, probably on 
Fuernberg's recommendation, was engaged as musical director by Count 
Morzin at Lukavec Palace near Plzen (Pilse, Czech Republic); here he 
produced mainly instrumental music (symphonies, divertimenti etc.). In 
1760 married Maria A. Weber. 1761 appointed by Prince Pau Il Anton  
Esterházy as assistant conductor, remained at the 
Esterházy court also under his successor Prince Nikolaus I 
Joseph  Esterházy, the Magnificent "lover of grandeur". 1766 
became musical director in Eisenstadt and from 1769 at 
Eszterháza Palace (Fertoed, H). Increased the size of the 
Prince's orchestra from 10-15 to 20-25 musicians. In the isolation of 
the country estates H. developed his own style and experimented with 
the new forms of the emerging Viennese Classical style. In 1790 Prince 
Nikolaus I Joseph died and the Esterházy orchestra was 
dissolved, H. returned to Vienna, where thanks to connections formed 
in the late 1770s he soon became one of the leading musicians of the 
city. Prince Anton Esterházy, the successor of the late 
Nikolaus, assured H. of a full salary and title, and no duties were 
required of him, enabling him to turn down an offer by Prince 
Grassalkovics. The concert manager J. P. Salomon persuaded him to 
leave for England (1791/92), Oxford University awarded him the 
honorary degree of Doctor of Music - this was the high point of H.'s 
journey to England. He agreed to return to England in 1794/95 
following his great artistic and commercial success there. Between 
these two journeys young L. van  Beethoven was his pupil. After Prince 
Anton Esterházy died in 1794, his successor Prince Nikolaus II  
Esterházy restored the former Esterházy orchestra giving 
H. enormous freedom as musical director (from 1795). He was 
commissioned to compose a mass for the Princess's name-day and it is 
thanks to her that the great masses were created. As a result of his 
fascination for Handel's oratorios (in England and through Baron 
Gottfried van  Swieten and his circle) he composed "The Creation" 
(1796-1798) and "The Seasons" (1799-1801). Furthermore, during this 
period he composed his most famous string quartets (including the 
"Rider" and the "Emperor Quartet"), the popular song "God Save Emperor 
Franz", (1797, precursor of the Austrian  Federal Anthem) and 445 
arrangements of Scottish songs, probably with the support of his 
students. During the occupation of Vienna by the French (1805), H. was 
shown great respect even by Napoleon. H. died in 1809 and was buried 
in the cemetery at Hundsturm. In 1820 his body was taken to Eisenstadt 
(his head not until 1954), where there is a mausoleum (1932) with a 
marble sarcophagus.

\\
H., W. A.  Mozart and L. van Beethoven are considered as the trinity 
of  Viennese Classicism. Due to his long life and the wide scope of 
his work, his work includes many styles of music ranging from high and 
late Baroque in Vienna to the transition to new musical dimensions, 
which were developed by his former pupil Beethoven. H.'s contribution 
to Viennese Classicism was especially in the field of instrumental 
music, where he played a major role in the development of symphonies 
and string quartets, his style was based not on Italian influences (as 
Mozart's was) but more on basic musical traditions (mistakenly 
classified as "folk music"). Starting with divertimenti, serenades, 
table music and the baroque sinfonia, H. developed a strict concept of 
form based on preliminary works by the "Mannheim School" and Viennese 
musical traditions. In addition to the principle of four-movements 
(fast - slow - minuet - fast/rondo) the classic symphony was now 
characterised by a typical development of the two outer movements 
based on the theme and the motif, especially in the first movement, 
and by the introduction of thematic work. H. transferred this sonata 
form and the four-movement development to the newly-established form 
of string quartet (his early string quartets from the Fuernberg-period 
show divertimento-characteristics). H. had also great influence on the 
development of piano sonatas. All these innovations matured during the 
period of Esterházy patronage and were completed during the 
late 1780s and 1790s. The numerous operas, which H. wrote for the 
theatre at Eszterháza Palace, are also worth mentioning.

\\
From 1765 H. wrote his own list of works, the ("Entwurf-Katalog") - 
catalogue of drafts. Johann  Elssler, his copyist and loyal assistant 
wrote the great H. index in 1805 although today the Hoboken Index is 
always cited (A. van  Hoboken). - H.'s gravestone is at its original 
place, today called Haydn Park in the 12th district of Vienna; there 
is a memorial in the house where he died in the 6th district of Vienna 
and a H.-Museum in the house where he lived in Eisenstadt.

!Works
104 symphonies, concertos for various instruments, 16 
overtures, 30 groups of various dances, 14 masses, 2 Te Deums, 
cantatas, choral works, 4 oratorios, approx. 30 operas (mainly 
Italian), 59 divertimenti, 83 string quartets, piano and string trios, 
violin sonatas, more than 100 works for baritone, 52 piano sonatas. - 
Editions: Alte Gesamtausgabe (old complete edition), 11 vols., 
1908-1932, Neue Gesamtausgabe (new complete edition), ed. by 
Haydn-Institut Cologne, 1962ff.

!Literature
G. A. Griesinger, Biographische Notizen ueber J. H., 1810; 
A. C. Dies, Biographische Nachrichten von J. H., 1810; C. F. Pohl, J. 
H., 3 vols., 1875-1927 (vol. 3 by H. Botstiber); Briefe und 
Lebensdokumente von H., ed. by W. Reich, 1946; A. van Hoboken, J. H. 
Thematisch-bibliographisches Werkverzeichnis, 3 vols., 1957-1978; H. 
C. R. Landon (ed.), The Collected Correspondence and London Notebooks 
of J. H., 1959; D. Bartha and L. Somfai, H. als Opernkapellmeister, 
1960; D. Bartha, J. H., Gesammelte Briefe und Aufzeichnungen, 1965; J. 
H. in seiner Zeit, exhibition catalogue, Eisenstadt 1982; J. P. Larsen 
and G. Feder, H., 1994; H. Haslmayr, J. H. Sein Werk - sein Leben, 
1999; L. Finscher, J. H. und seine Zeit, 2000; H. Schaefer, J. H. 
Leben und Werk, 2000.



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