Works by Haydn. Franz Joseph Haydn: biography, creativity, interesting facts from life

Joseph Haydn is famous as an 18th century Austrian composer. He gained worldwide recognition thanks to the discovery of such musical genres as the symphony and string quartet, as well as thanks to the creation of the melody that formed the basis of the German and Autro-Hungarian anthems.

Childhood.

Joseph was born on March 31, 1732 in a place located near the border with Hungary. This was the village of Rohrau. Already at the age of 5, little Joseph’s parents discovered that he had a penchant for music. Then his uncle took the boy to the city of Hainburg an der Donau. There he studied choral singing and music in general. After 3 years of studying, Joseph was noticed by the director of the St. Stephen's Chapel, who took the student to his place for further music training. Over the next 9 years, he sang in the chapel choir and learned to play musical instruments.

Youth and young adult years.

The next stage in the life of Joseph Haydn was by no means an easy road of 10 years. He had to work in different places to make a living. Joseph did not receive a high-quality musical education, but succeeded by studying the works of Matteson, Fuchs and other musical performers.

Haynd brought fame to his works written in the 50s of the 18th century. Among his works, “The Lame Demon” and Symphony No. 1 in D major were popular.

Soon Joseph Haydn got married, but the marriage could not be called happy. There were no children in the family, which served as a reason for the composer’s mental torment. The wife did not support her husband in his work as music, as she did not like his activities.

In 1761, Haydn began working for Prince Esterhazy. Over the course of 5 years, he rises in rank from vice-bandmaster to chief bandmaster and begins to organize the orchestra full-time.

The period of work with Esterházy was marked by the flourishing of Haydn’s creative activity. During this time, he created many works, for example the “Farewell” symphony, which gained considerable popularity.

Last years.

The composers' last works were not completed due to a sharp deterioration in health and well-being. Haydn died at the age of 77, and during the farewell to the body of the deceased, Mozart’s “Requiem” was performed.

Biography more details

Childhood and youth

Franz Joseph Haydn was born on March 31, 1732 in Austria, in the village of Rohrau. The family did not live well, since Franz's father was a wheelwright and his mother was a cook. The love of music was instilled in young Haydn by his father, who was fond of vocals. As a young man, Franz's father taught himself to play the harp. At the age of 6, the father notices that the boy has perfect pitch and an ability for music and sends Joseph to the nearby city of Gainburg to a relative, the rector of the school. There, young Haydn studied exact sciences and language, but also played musical instruments, vocals, and sang in the church choir.

His hard work and naturally melodious voice helped him become famous in the local areas. One day, a composer from Vienna, Georg von Reuter, came to Haydn’s native village to find new voices for his chapel. Eight-year-old Haydn made a huge impression on the composer, who took him into the choir of one of the largest cathedrals in Vienna. There Joseph learned the intricacies of singing, the skill of composition, and composed church works.

In 1749, a difficult stage in Haydn's life began. At the age of 17, he is kicked out of the choir due to his difficult character. During this same period, his voice begins to break. At this time, Haydn was left without a livelihood. He has to take on any job. Josef gives music lessons and plays string instruments in various ensembles. He had to be a servant to Nikolai Porpora, a singing teacher from Vienna. But despite this, Haydn does not forget about music. He really wanted to take lessons from Nikolai Porpora, but his classes cost a lot of money. Through his love of music, Joseph Haydn found a way out. He agreed with the teacher that he would sit quietly behind the curtain during his lessons. Franz Haydn tried to restore the knowledge that he had lost. He studied the theory of music and composition with interest.

Personal life and further service.

From 1754 to 1756 Joseph Haydn served at the court in Vienna as a creative musician. In 1759 he began to direct music at the court of Count Karl von Morzin. Haydn was given a small orchestra under his own direction and wrote the first classical works for orchestra. But soon the count had problems with money and he stopped the existence of the orchestra.

In 1760, Joseph Haydn married Maria Anne Keller. She did not respect his profession and mocked his work in every possible way, using his sheet music as stands for pate.

Service at the court of Esterhazy

After the collapse of Karl von Morzin's orchestra, Josef was offered a similar position, but with the very rich Esterhazy family. Josef immediately gained access to the management of the family's musical institutions. During the long time spent at the Esterházy court, Haydn composed a large number of works: quartets, operas, symphonies.

In 1781, Joseph Haydn met Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who began to become part of his circle of close friends. In 1792 he met young Beethoven, who became his student.

Last years of life.

In Vienna, Joseph composed his famous works: “The Creation of the World” and “The Seasons”.

The life of Franz Joseph Haydn was too difficult and stressful. The composer spends his last days in a small house in Vienna.

Biography by dates and interesting facts. The most important.

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This year marks the 280th anniversary of the birth of J. Haydn. I was interested in learning some facts from the life of this composer.

1. Although the composer’s birth certificate says “first of April” in the “date of birth” column, he himself claimed that he was born on the night of March 31, 1732. A small biographical study published in 1778 attributes the following words to Haydn: “My brother Michael stated that I was born on March 31. He did not want people to say that I came into this world as an “April Fool.”

2. Albert Christoph Dies, a biographer of Haydn who wrote about his early years, tells how at the age of six he also learned to play the drum and took part in the procession during Holy Week, where he replaced the drummer who suddenly died. The drum was tied to the hunchback's back so that the little boy could play it. This instrument is still kept in the church of Hainburg.

3. Haydn began writing music without any knowledge of musical theory. One day, the bandmaster found Haydn writing a twelve-voice choir in honor of the Virgin Mary, but did not even bother to offer advice or help to the novice composer. According to Haydn, during his entire stay at the cathedral, his mentor taught him only two theory lessons. The boy learned how music “works” in practice, studying everything he had to sing at services.
He later told Johann Friedrich Rochlitz: “I never had a real teacher. I began my studies from the practical side - first singing, then playing musical instruments, and only then composition. I listened more than studied. I listened carefully and tried "to use what made the greatest impression on me. That's how I acquired knowledge and skills."

4. In 1754, Haydn received news that his mother had died at the age of forty-seven. Fifty-five-year-old Matthias Haydn soon after married his maid, who was only nineteen. So Haydn got a stepmother, who was three years younger than him.

5. Haydn’s beloved girl, for unknown reasons, chose a monastery for her wedding. It is not known why, but Haydn married her older sister, who turned out to be grumpy and completely indifferent to music. According to the testimony of the musicians with whom Haydn worked, in an effort to annoy her husband, she used manuscripts of his works instead of baking paper. On top of everything else, the couple never managed to experience parental feelings - the couple did not have children.

6. Tired of a long separation from their families, the orchestra musicians turned to Haydn with a request to convey to the prince their desire to see their relatives and the master, as always, came up with a cunning way to tell about their anxiety - this time with the help of a musical joke. In Symphony No. 45, the final movement ends in the key of C sharp major instead of the expected F sharp major (this creates instability and tension that needs to be resolved). At this point, Haydn inserts an Adagio to convey to his patron the mood of the musicians. The orchestration is original: the instruments fall silent one after another, and each musician, having finished the part, extinguishes the candle at his music stand, collects the notes and quietly leaves, and in the end only two violins are left to play in the silence of the hall. Fortunately, without getting angry at all, the prince understood the hint: the musicians wanted to go on vacation. The next day, he ordered everyone to prepare for immediate departure to Vienna, where the families of most of his servants remained. And Symphony No. 45 has since been called “Farewell”.


7. John Bland, a London publisher, came to Eszterhaza, where Haydn lived, in 1789 to obtain his new works. There is a story connected with this visit that explains why the String Quartet in F minor, Op. 55 No. 2, called "Razor". While shaving with difficulty with a dull razor, Haydn, according to legend, exclaimed: “I would give my best quartet for a good razor.” Hearing this, Bland immediately handed him his set of English steel razors. True to his word, Haydn presented the manuscript to the publisher.

8. Haydn and Mozart first met in Vienna in 1781. A very close friendship arose between the two composers, without a shadow of envy or a hint of rivalry. The enormous respect with which each of them treated the other's work contributed to mutual understanding. Mozart showed his older friend his new works and unconditionally accepted any criticism. He was not a student of Haydn, but he valued his opinion above that of any other musician, even his father. They were very different in age and temperament, but despite their differences in character, the friends never quarreled.


9. Before meeting Mozart's operas, Haydn wrote more or less regularly for the stage. He was proud of his operas, but, feeling Mozart's superiority in this musical genre and at the same time not at all jealous of his friend, he lost interest in them. In the fall of 1787, Haydn received an order from Prague for a new opera. The answer was the following letter, from which the strength of the composer’s attachment to Mozart is visible and how alien Haydn was to the desire for personal gain: “You are asking me to write an opera buffa for you. If you are going to stage it in Prague, I am forced to reject your offer, so how all my operas are so closely tied to Eszterháza that they cannot be performed properly outside of her. Everything would be different if I could write a completely new work especially for the Prague Theater. But even in this case it would be difficult for me to compete with a man like Mozart."

10. There is a story that explains why Symphony No. 102 in B-flat major is called “The Miracle.” At the premiere of this symphony, as soon as its last sounds fell silent, all the spectators rushed to the front of the hall to express their admiration for the composer. At that moment, a huge chandelier fell from the ceiling and fell exactly on the place where the audience had recently been sitting. It was a miracle that no one was hurt.

Thomas Hardy, 1791-1792

11. The Prince of Wales (later King George IV) commissioned John Hoppner to paint a portrait of Haydn. When the composer sat down on a chair to pose for the artist, his face, always cheerful and cheerful, became serious, contrary to usual. Wanting to return Haydn’s characteristic smile, the artist specially hired a German maid to entertain the distinguished guest with conversation while the portrait was being painted. As a result, in the painting (now kept in the collection of Buckingham Palace) Haydn does not have such a tense expression on his face.

John Hoppner, 1791

12. Haydn never considered himself handsome; on the contrary, he thought that nature deprived him of his appearance, but at the same time the composer was never deprived of the attention of ladies. His cheerful nature and subtle flattery won him their favor. He was on very good terms with many of them, but with one, Mrs. Rebecca Schröter, the widow of the musician Johann Samuel Schröter, he was especially close. Haydn even admitted to Albert Christophe Dies that if he had been single at that time, he would have married her. Rebecca Schröter more than once sent fiery love messages to the composer, which he carefully copied into his diary. At the same time, he maintained correspondence with two other women for whom he also had strong feelings: with Luigia Polzelli, a singer from Eszterhazy, who lived in Italy at that time, and Marianne von Genzinger.


13. One day, the composer’s friend, the famous surgeon John Hoenther, suggested that Haydn remove nasal polyps, from which the musician suffered most of his life. When the patient arrived at the operating room and saw four burly orderlies who were supposed to hold him during the operation, he became frightened and began to scream and struggle in horror, so that all attempts to operate on him had to be abandoned.

14. By the beginning of 1809, Haydn was already almost disabled. The last days of his life were turbulent: Napoleon's troops captured Vienna in early May. During the French bombardment, a shell core fell near Haydn's house, the entire building shook, and panic arose among the servants. The patient must have suffered greatly from the roar of the cannonade, which did not stop for more than a day. But nevertheless, he still had enough strength to reassure his servants: “Don’t worry, as long as Papa Haydn is here, nothing will happen to you.” When Vienna capitulated, Napoleon ordered a sentry to be posted near Haydn's house to ensure that the dying man was no longer disturbed. It is said that almost every day, despite his weakness, Haydn played the Austrian national anthem on the piano as an act of protest against the invaders.

15. In the early morning of May 31, Haydn fell into a coma and quietly left this world. In a city dominated by enemy soldiers, many days passed before people learned of Haydn's death, so his funeral went almost unnoticed. On June 15, a funeral service was held in honor of the composer, at which Mozart’s “Requiem” was performed. Many high ranks of French officers were present at the service. Haydn was initially buried in a cemetery in Vienna, but in 1820 his remains were transported to Eisenstadt. When the grave was opened, it was discovered that the composer's skull was missing. It turns out that two of Haydn's friends bribed the gravedigger at the funeral to take the composer's head. From 1895 to 1954, the skull was in the Museum of the Society of Music Lovers in Vienna. Then in 1954 he was finally buried along with the rest of the remains in the garden of the Bergkirche, Eisenstadt's city church.

It is no coincidence that composer Joseph Haydn is called the father of the symphony. It was thanks to the genius of the creator that this genre acquired classical perfection and became the basis on which the symphony from.

Among other things, Haydn was the first to create complete examples of other leading genres of the era of classicism - the string quartet and the keyboard sonata. He was also the first to write secular oratorios in German. Later, these compositions stood on a par with the greatest achievements of the Baroque era - English oratorios and German cantatas.

Childhood and youth

Franz Joseph Haydn was born on March 31, 1732 in the Austrian village of Rohrau, bordering Hungary. The composer's father did not have any musical education, but in his youth he independently mastered the harp. Franz’s mother was also partial to music. From early childhood, his parents discovered that their son had outstanding vocal abilities and excellent hearing. Already at the age of five, Josef sang loudly with his father, then mastered playing the violin perfectly, after which he came to the church choir to perform masses.

From the biography of a representative of the Viennese classical school, it is known that the far-sighted father, as soon as his son was six years old, sent his beloved child to a neighboring city to his relative Johann Matthias Frank, the rector of the school. In his establishment, the man taught children not only grammar and mathematics, but also gave them singing and violin lessons. There Haydn mastered string and wind instruments, retaining his gratitude to his mentor throughout his life.

Hard work, perseverance and a natural, sonorous voice helped Joseph become famous in his native land. One day, the Viennese composer Georg von Reuter came to Rohrau to select young singers for his choir. Franz impressed him and Georg took 8-year-old Joseph into the choir of Vienna's largest cathedral. There, for a couple of years, Haydn learned the art of singing, the subtleties of composition, and even composed spiritual songs.

The most difficult period for the composer began in 1749, when he had to earn a living by giving lessons, singing in church choirs and playing string instruments in various ensembles. Despite the difficulties, the young man never became discouraged and never lost his desire to learn new things.

Franz spent the money he earned on lessons from the composer Nicolo Porpora, and when Joseph was unable to pay, the young man accompanied his mentor’s young students during lessons. Haydn, like a man possessed, studied books on composition and analyzed keyboard sonatas, diligently composing music of various genres until late at night.

In 1751, Haydn’s opera entitled “The Lame Demon” was staged in one of the suburban Viennese theaters; in 1755, the creator had his first string quartet, and four years later – his first symphony. This genre in the future became the most important in the entire work of the composer.

Music

The year 1761 was a turning point in the composer’s life: on May 1, he entered into a contract with Prince Esterhazy and for thirty years remained the court conductor of this aristocratic Hungarian family.

The Esterhazy family lived in Vienna only in winter, and their main residence was in the small town of Eisenstadt, so it is not surprising that Haydn had to exchange his stay in the capital for a monotonous existence on the estate for six years.

The contract concluded between Franz and Count Esterhazy stated that the composer was obliged to compose the plays that his lordship would require. Haydn's early symphonies were written for the relatively small number of musicians at his disposal. After a couple of years of impeccable service, the composer was allowed to include new instruments in the orchestra at his discretion.

The main genre of creativity of the creator of the musical work “Autumn” has always remained the symphony. At the turn of the 60-70s, compositions appeared one after another: No. 49 (1768) - “Passion”, No. 44, “Mourning”, and No. 45.

They reflected an emotional response to the new stylistic movement emerging in German literature, called “Storm and Drang”. It is also worth noting that during this period children's symphonies also appeared in the creator's repertoire.

After Joseph's fame went beyond the borders of Austria, the composer wrote six symphonies at the request of the Paris concert society, and after fulfilling orders received from the capital of Spain, his works began to be published in Naples and London.

At the same time, the life of a genius was illuminated by friendship with. It should be noted that relations between artists were never marred by rivalry or envy. Mozart claimed that it was from Joseph that he first learned how to create string quartets, so he dedicated a couple of works to his mentor. Franz himself considered Wolfgang Amadeus the greatest of contemporary composers.

After 50 years, Haydn’s usual way of life changed dramatically. The Creator received his freedom, although he continued to be listed as a court bandmaster among the heirs of Prince Esterhazy. The chapel itself was dissolved by the descendants of a noble family, and the composer left for Vienna.

In 1791, Franz was invited to go on tour to England. The terms of the contract included the creation of six symphonies and their performance in London, as well as the writing of an opera and twenty works in addition. It is known that at that time Haydn was given an orchestra with 40 musicians at his disposal. The year and a half spent in London became triumphant for Joseph, and the English tour was no less successful. During the tour, the composer composed 280 works and even became a Doctor of Music at Oxford University.

Personal life

The popularity gained in Vienna helped the young musician get a job with Count Morcin. It was for his chapel that Joseph wrote the first five symphonies. It is known that in less than two years of working with Mortsin, the composer managed to improve not only his financial situation, but also tie himself in marriage.

At that time, 28-year-old Joseph had tender feelings for the youngest daughter of the court hairdresser, and she, unexpectedly for everyone, went to a monastery. Then Haydn, either in revenge or for some other reasons, married her sister Maria Keller, who was 4 years older than Joseph.

Their family union was not happy. The composer's wife was grumpy and wasteful. Among other things, the young lady did not at all appreciate her husband’s talent and often used her husband’s manuscripts instead of baking paper. To the surprise of many, family life in the absence of love, children and home comfort lasted 40 years.

Due to the reluctance to realize himself as a caring husband and the inability to prove himself as a loving father, the composer devoted four decades of his married life to symphonies. During this time, Haydn wrote hundreds of works in this genre, and 90 operas of the talented genius were staged at the Prince Esterhazy Theater.

The composer found his late love in the Italian troupe of this theater. The young Neapolitan singer Luigia Polzelli charmed Haydn. Josef, passionately in love, achieved an extension of the contract with her, and also simplified the vocal parts especially for the charming person, understanding her capabilities.

True, the relationship with Luigia did not bring happiness to the creator. The girl was too arrogant and selfish, so even after the death of his wife, Haydn did not dare to marry her. It is worth noting that at the end of his life, in the last version of his will, the composer reduced the amount allotted to Polzelli by half.

Death

In the last decade of his life, inspired by the Handel Festival at Westminster Cathedral, Haydn developed an interest in choral music. The composer created six masses, as well as oratorios (“The Creation of the World” and “The Seasons”).

Haydn died on May 31, 1809 in Vienna, occupied by Napoleonic troops. The French emperor himself, having learned about the death of the eminent Austrian, gave the order to post a guard of honor at the door of his house. The funeral took place on June 1.

An interesting fact is that when in 1820 Prince Esterhazy ordered the reburial of Haydn’s remains in the church of Eisenstadt, and the coffin was opened, it turned out that there was no skull under the surviving wig (it was stolen to study the structural features and protect it from destruction). The skull was only reunited with the remains in the middle of the next century, on June 5, 1954.

Discography

• "Farewell Symphony"
• "Oxford Symphony"
• "Funeral Symphony"
• "World creation"
• "Seasons"
• "Seven Words of the Savior on the Cross"
• "The Return of Tobias"
• "Pharmacist"
• "Acis and Galatea"
• "Desert Island"
• "Armida"
• "Fisherwomen"
• "Deceived Infidelity"

"FATHER" OF THE SYMPHONY JOSEPH HAYDN

This composer created with the hope that his works would help people become at least a little happier and serve as a source of cheerfulness and inspiration. With such thoughts, he began his favorite pastime. became the “father” of the symphony, the discoverer of other musical genres, he was the first to write secular oratorios in German, and his masses became the pinnacle of the Viennese classical school.

The carriage maker's son

He was awarded many honorary titles, became a member of music academies and societies, and the fame that came to him was deserved. No one could have imagined that the son of a carriage maker from Austria would achieve such honors. Born in 1732 in the small Austrian village of Rohrau. His father had no musical education, but independently mastered playing the harp, not indifferent The mother of the future composer was also interested in music. From early childhood, Joseph's parents discovered that Joseph had good vocal abilities and hearing. Already at the age of five, he loudly sang along with his father, and then learned to play the violin and clavier and came to the church choir to perform masses.

The far-sighted father sent young Joseph to a neighboring town to visit his relative Johann Matthias Frank, the rector of the school. He taught children not only grammar and mathematics, but also gave them lessons in singing and playing the violin. There, Haydn mastered string and wind instruments and learned to play the timpani, retaining his gratitude to his teacher throughout his life.

Hard work, perseverance and a naturally beautiful treble made young Joseph famous in the city. One day, the Viennese composer Georg von Reuter came there to select young singers for his choir. made an impression on him and at the age of 8 he joined the choir of the largest cathedral in Vienna. For eight years, young Haydn learned the art of singing, the subtleties of composition, and even tried to compose sacred works for several voices.

Heavy bread

The most difficult period for Haydn began in 1749, when he had to earn a living by giving lessons, singing in various church choirs, and accompanying singers and play in ensembles. At the same time, the young man never became discouraged and did not lose his desire to comprehend everything new. He took lessons from the composer Nicolo Porpora, and paid him by accompanying his young students. Haydn studied books on composition and analyzed keyboard sonatas, and diligently composed music of various genres until late at night. And in 1951, Haydn’s singspiel entitled “The Lame Demon” was staged in one of the suburban Viennese theaters. In 1755 he produced his first string quartet, and four years later his first symphony. These genres in the future will become the most important in the entire work of the composer.

The Strange Union of Joseph Haydn

The fame gained in Vienna helped the young musician get a job with Count Morcin. It was for his chapel that he wrote the first five symphonies. By the way, in less than two years of working with Mortsin, the composer managed to tie the knot. 28-year-old Joseph had tender feelings for the youngest daughter of the court hairdresser, and unexpectedly for everyone she went to a monastery. Then Haydn, either in revenge or for some other reasons, married her sister Maria Keller, who was 4 years older than Joseph. Their family union was not happy. The composer's wife was grumpy and wasteful; she did not at all appreciate her husband's talent; she folded his manuscripts into paper curlers or used them instead of baking paper. But, surprisingly, their family life, in the absence of love, desired children and home comfort, lasted about 40 years.

In the service of the prince

The turning point in the creative life of Joseph Haydn came in 1761, when he signed a work contract with Prince Paul Esterhazy. For 30 long years, the composer held the post of court conductor of an aristocratic family. The prince and his relatives lived in Vienna only in the winter, and spent the rest of the time at his residence in the town of Eisenstadt or at his estate in Esterhazy. Therefore, Joseph had to leave the capital for 6 years. When Prince Paul died, his brother Nikolaus expanded the chapel to 16 people. There were two theaters on the family estate: one was intended for the performance of operas and dramas, and the second for puppet shows.

Of course, Haydn's position was highly dependent, but for that time it was considered completely natural. The composer valued his now comfortable life and always remembered his youthful years of need. Sometimes he was overcome by melancholy and a desire to throw off these shackles. According to the contract, he was obliged to compose those works that the prince desired. The composer had no right to show them to anyone, make copies or write for someone else. He had to be with Esterhazy all the time. Because of this, Joseph Haydn never had the opportunity to visit the homeland of classical music in Italy.

But such a life also had a second side. Haydn did not experience material or everyday difficulties, so he could calmly engage in creativity. The entire orchestra was at his complete disposal, thanks to which the composer had an excellent opportunity to experiment and perform his works at almost any time.

Late love

Castle Theater of Prince Esterhazy

He devoted four decades to symphonies. He wrote more than a hundred works in this genre. He staged 90 operas at the Prince Esterhazy Theater. And in the Italian troupe of this theater the composer found late love. The young Neapolitan singer Luigia Polzelli charmed Haydn. Josef, passionately in love, achieved an extension of the contract with her, simplified the vocal parts especially for her, perfectly understanding her capabilities. But Luigia did not bring him real happiness - she was too selfish. Therefore, even after the death of his wife, Haydn wisely did not marry her and even in the last version of his will he reduced the amount initially allotted to her by half, noting that there were more needy people.

Fame and male friendship

The time has finally come when glory Joseph Haydn went beyond the borders of his native Austria. Commissioned by the Paris Concert Society, he wrote six symphonies, then received orders from the capital of Spain. His works began to be published in Naples and London, and the competing entrepreneurs of Tumanny Albion invited him on tour. The most amazing event was the performance of two symphonies by Joseph Haydn in New York.

At the same time, the life of the great composer was illuminated by friendship with. It should be noted that their relationship was never marred by the slightest rivalry or envy. Mozart claimed that it was from Joseph that he first learned how to create string quartets, so he dedicated several works to “Papa Haydn.” Joseph himself considered Wolfgang Amadeus the greatest of contemporary composers.

Pan-European triumph

After 50 years, the usual way of life Joseph Haydn changed dramatically. He received his freedom, although he continued to be listed as a court bandmaster with the heirs of Prince Esterhazy. The chapel itself was dissolved by the prince's descendants, and the composer left for Vienna. In 1791 he was invited to go on tour to England. The terms of the contract included the creation of six symphonies and their performance in London, as well as the writing of an opera and twenty other works. Haydn was given one of the best orchestras at his disposal, which employed 40 musicians. The year and a half spent in London became triumphant for Joseph. The second English tour was no less successful and turned out to be the pinnacle of creativity for him. During these two trips to England, the composer composed almost 280 works and became a Doctor of Music at Oxford University, the oldest educational institution in England. The king even invited the composer to stay in London, but he refused and returned to his native Austria.

By that time, the first lifetime monument to him had been erected in his homeland near the village of Rorau, and an evening was organized in the capital at which Haydn’s new symphonies and a piano concert performed by the maestro’s student were performed. They first met in Bonn when Haydn was traveling to London. The lessons were tense at first, but Wolfgang always treated the elderly composer with the greatest respect, and then dedicated piano sonatas to him.

In recent years I have become interested in choral music. This interest arose after visiting a grand festival in honor of George Frideric Handel, organized at Westminster Cathedral. Haydn then created several masses, as well as the oratorios “The Seasons” and “The Creation of the World.” The composer's 76th birthday was celebrated with a performance of the latter at the University of Vienna.

Musical protest

At the beginning of 1809, the maestro’s health condition completely deteriorated, he became almost disabled. The last days of his life were also turbulent. Vienna was captured by Napoleon's troops, a shell fell near Haydn's house and the sick composer had to calm down his servants. After the surrender In the city, Napoleon gave the order to place a sentry near Haydn’s house so that no one would disturb the dying man. There is still a legend in Vienna that the weakened composer played the Austrian anthem almost every day in protest against the French invaders.

gone Joseph Haydn the same year. A few years later, the descendants of Prince Esterhazy decided to rebury the maestro in the church of the city of Eisenstadt. When the coffin was opened, a skull was not found under the preserved wig. It turned out that Haydn’s friends secretly removed it before burial. Until 1954, the skull was in the museum of the Vienna Society of Music Lovers and only in the middle of the 20th century was it connected with the remains.

DATA

The musicians of Prince Esterhazy's chapel often remained separated from their families for long periods of time. One day they turned to Haydn so that he voiced to the prince their desire to see their relatives. The maestro figured out how to do this. The guests came to listen to his new symphony. Candles were lit on music stands and sheet music was open. After the first sounds, the horn player played part of his part, put down the instrument, put out the candle and left. One by one, all the musicians did this. The guests just looked at each other in bewilderment. The moment came when the last sound died down and all the lights went out. The prince understood Haydn's original hint and gave the musicians the opportunity to take a break from continuous service.

I suffered from nasal polyps most of my life. One day, his surgeon friend suggested removing them and saving the composer from suffering. He initially agreed, went into the operating room, saw several healthy orderlies who were supposed to hold the maestro, and was so scared that he ran out of the room screaming, leaving him with polyps.

Updated: April 7, 2019 by: Elena

Born in , his father, a wheelwright, sent his son to study singing as a child. Soon (1740) the boy was accepted into the choir at the famous Viennese St. Stephen's Cathedral, where he sang for ten years. Along the way, the talented chorist was taught to play various musical instruments, which allowed him to subsequently earn a living by playing the violin, harpsichord and organ. Working as an accompanist for the venerable Italian composer and vocal teacher N. Porpora, he began to try himself as a composer and received the teacher’s approval. Basically, of course, it was church music. Haydn's musical career progressed. For two years (1759 - 1761) he worked as music director for Count Morcin, and then as vice-bandmaster for Prince Esterhazy, an aristocrat with Hungarian roots. Paul Anton Esterházy took Haydn into his service after the death of G. I. Werner, already a famous composer in Austria, who served as bandmaster in his house. The duty of a musician is to compose music commissioned by the employer and lead an ensemble of musicians. In 1762, Nikolaus Esterhazy, the younger brother of the previous owner, who was nicknamed “The Magnificent,” became such a customer.

At first, Nikolaus Esterhazy lived near Vienna in Eisenstadt, in his family castle. Then he moved to a new castle, built in a cozy corner near the lake. At first, Haydn wrote mainly instrumental music (symphonies, plays) for the afternoon rest of the princely family and for concerts that the owner organized every week. In those years, Joseph wrote several symphonies, cantatas, 125 plays and church music, and from 1768, after the opening of a new theater in Eszterhaz, he began to write operas. In the early 70s, he gradually moved away from the entertainment content of his music. His symphonies become serious and even dramatic, such as “Complaint”, “Suffering”, “Mourning”, “Farewell”. Prince Nikolaus Esterhazy did not like such tragic music; he repeatedly pointed this out to the composer, but still gave him the right, with his permission, to write music for other orders. And the author writes “Solar Quartets,” which are distinguished by their courage, scale, and sophistication of writing. These quartets mark the beginning of the classic string quartet genre. And he himself is developing the characteristic style of a mature composer. He wrote several operas for the Esterhazy Theater: “The Pharmacist”, “Deceived Infidelity”, “Moonlight”, “Loyalty Rewarded”, “Armida”. But they were not available to the general public. However, European publishers discovered a new talent and willingly published his works.

The new agreement with Esterhazy deprived the latter of exclusive rights to Haydn's music. In the 80s his fame grew. He writes piano trios, sonatas, symphonies, string quartets, including those dedicated to the future Russian Emperor Paul, known as “Russians”. The new period of the composer’s work was also marked by six quartets in honor of the King of Prussia. They were distinguished by a new form, a special melody, and a variety of contrasts. Having gone beyond the borders of Central Europe, the orchestral passion piece entitled “Seven Words of the Savior on the Cross,” written by Joseph for a Spanish cathedral, also became known. This passion was subsequently arranged by the author for performance by a string quartet, choir, and orchestra, and it is still popular. After the death of Nikolaus Esterhazy (1790), Haydn remained in his house as conductor, but received the right to live in the capital and work abroad. For several years he has been working in, where he writes a lot: a concert symphony, music for choirs, several sonatas for piano, arranges folk songs, and the opera series “The Soul of a Philosopher” (based on the myth of Orpheus). There he became an honorary doctor of Oxford University, there the royal family listened to his music, there he became acquainted with the work of G.F. Handel. In 1795, Haydn had to return to Esterhazy. Now the main responsibility of the bandmaster was to compose masses in honor of the princess’s name day. He wrote six masses that have a symphonic scope, prayerful focus, and civic motifs inspired by the events of the Napoleonic Wars. The best instrumental concerto for trumpet and orchestra (1796), two monumental oratorios “The Creation of the World” and “The Seasons” are examples of the mature Haydn. In 1804 he was given the title of “Honorary Citizen of Vienna”. He hardly worked as a composer anymore. He died in Vienna on his birthday - March 31, 1809, leaving an indelible mark on the art of music.