Franz Joseph Haydn(German Franz Joseph Haydn, March 31, 1732 - May 31, 1809) - Austrian composer, representative of the Viennese classical school, one of the founders of such musical genres as symphony and string quartet. The creator of the melody, which later formed the basis of the anthems of Germany and Austria-Hungary. Son of a carriage maker.
Joseph Haydn was born on the estate of the Counts of Harrach - the Lower Austrian village of Rohrau, near the border with Hungary, in the family of carriage maker Matthias Haydn (1699-1763). His parents, who were seriously interested in vocals and amateur music-making, discovered musical abilities in the boy, and in 1737 Joseph was taken by his uncle and taken to the city of Hainburg an der Donau, where Joseph began to study choral singing and music. In 1740 he was noticed by Georg von Reutter, director of the Viennese St. Stephen's Chapel. Reutter took the talented boy to the chapel, and for nine years (from 1740 to 1749) he sang in the choir (including several years with his younger brothers) of St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, where he also studied playing instruments.
The subsequent ten-year period was very difficult for him. Josef took on various jobs, including being a servant Viennese composer and singing teacher Nicola Porpora. Haydn really wanted to be Nicolas Porpora's student, but his lessons were very expensive. big money. Therefore, Haydn agreed with him that during lessons he would sit behind a curtain and listen without disturbing anyone. Haydn tried to fill the gaps in his musical education by diligently studying the works of Emmanuel Bach and the theory of composition. The study of the musical works of his predecessors and the theoretical works of J. Fuchs, J. Matteson and others compensated for Joseph Haydn's lack of systematic musical education. The harpsichord sonatas he wrote at this time were published and attracted attention. His first major works were two brevis masses, F-dur and G-dur, written by Haydn in 1749 before he left the chapel of St. Stephen's Cathedral. In the 50s of the 18th century, Joseph wrote a number of works that marked the beginning of his fame as a composer: the singspiel “The Lame Demon” (was staged in 1752 in Vienna and other cities of Austria, has not survived to this day), divertissements and serenades, strings quartets for the musical circle of Baron Furnberg, about a dozen quartets (1755), the first symphony (1759).
In the period from 1754 to 1756, Haydn worked at the Viennese court as a free artist. In 1759, he received the position of bandmaster at the court of Count Karl von Morzin, where he had a small orchestra under his command - for which the composer composed his first symphonies. However, von Mortzin soon began to experience financial difficulties and ceased operations of his music project.
In 1760, Haydn married Maria Anna Keller. They did not have children, which the composer greatly regretted. His wife treated him coldly professional activity, used his scores for curlers and stands for pate. The marriage was unhappy, but the laws of that time did not allow them to separate.
Service at the court of the princes of Esterhazy
After the disbandment of the musical project of the financially failed Count von Morzin in 1761, Joseph Haydn was offered a similar job with Prince Paul Anton Esterházy, the head of the extremely wealthy Hungarian Esterházy family. Haydn initially held the position of vice-kapellmeister, but he was immediately allowed to lead most of Esterházy's musical institutions, along with the old Kapellmeister Gregor Werner, who retained absolute authority only for church music. In 1766, a fateful event occurred in Haydn's life - after the death of Gregor Werner, he was elevated to the position of bandmaster at the court of the new Prince Esterhazy - Miklos Joseph Esterhazy, a representative of one of the most influential and powerful aristocratic families in Hungary and Austria. The duties of the bandmaster included composing music, leading the orchestra, playing chamber music for the patron and staging operas.
The year 1779 becomes a turning point in the career of Joseph Haydn - his contract was revised: while previously all his compositions were the property of the Esterhazy family, he was now allowed to write for others and sell his works to publishers. Soon, taking this circumstance into account, Haydn shifted the emphasis in his compositional activity: he wrote fewer operas and created more quartets and symphonies. In addition, he is in negotiations with several publishers, both Austrian and foreign. On Haydn's conclusion of a new employment contract Jones writes: "This document acted as a catalyst towards the next stage of Haydn's career - the achievement of international popularity. By 1790, Haydn was in a paradoxical, if not strange, position: being the leading composer of Europe, but bound by action previously signed contract, spent his time as bandmaster in a remote palace in the Hungarian countryside."
During his almost thirty-year career at the Esterházy court, the composer composed a large number of works, and his fame is growing. In 1781, while staying in Vienna, Haydn met and became friends with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. He gave music lessons to Sigismund von Neukom, who later became his close friend and Franz Lessel.
On February 11, 1785, Haydn was dedicated to Masonic lodge“Towards true harmony” (“Zur wahren Eintracht”). Mozart was unable to attend the dedication because he was attending a concert with his father Leopold.
Throughout the 18th century, in a number of countries (Italy, Germany, Austria, France and others), processes of formation of new genres and forms of instrumental music took place, which finally took shape and reached their peak in the so-called “Viennese classical school” - in the works of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven . Instead of polyphonic texture great importance acquired a homophonic-harmonic texture, but at the same time, large instrumental works often included polyphonic episodes that dynamized the musical fabric.
Thus, the years of service (1761-1790) with the Hungarian princes Esterházy contributed to the flourishing creative activity Haydn, which peaked in the 80s - 90s of the 18th century, when mature quartets (starting with opus 33), 6 Paris (1785-86) symphonies, oratorios, masses and other works were created. The whims of the patron of the arts often forced Joseph to give up his creative freedom. At the same time, working with the orchestra and choir he led had a beneficial effect on his development as a composer. For the chapel and home theater Esterházy wrote most of the composer's symphonies (including the widely known Farewell, 1772) and operas. Haydn's trips to Vienna allowed him to communicate with the most prominent of his contemporaries, in particular with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Free musician again
In 1790, after the death of Miklós Esterházy, his son and successor, Prince Antal Esterházy, not being a music lover, disbanded the orchestra. In 1791, Haydn received a contract to work in England. Subsequently he worked extensively in Austria and Great Britain. Two trips to London (1791-1792 and 1794-1795) at the invitation of the organizer of the “Subscription Concerts”, violinist I. P. Zalomon, where he wrote his best symphonies for Zalomon’s concerts, broadened his horizons, further strengthened his fame and contributed to the growth of Haydn’s popularity. In London, Haydn attracted huge audiences: people gathered for Haydn’s concerts great amount listeners, which increased his fame, contributed to the collection of large profits and, ultimately, allowed him to become financially secure. In 1791, Joseph Haydn was awarded an honorary doctorate from Oxford University.
While passing through Bonn in 1792, he met the young Beethoven and took him on as a student.
Last years
Haydn returned and settled in Vienna in 1795. By that time, Prince Antal had died and his successor Miklos II proposed to revive musical institutions Esterhazy under the direction of Haydn, again acting as conductor. Haydn accepted the offer and took the offered position, albeit on a part-time basis. He spent his summer with Esterhazy in the city of Eisenstadt, and over the course of several years wrote six masses. But by this time Haydn had become a public figure in Vienna and spent most of his time in his own big house in Gumpendorf (German: Gumpendorf), where he wrote several works for public performance. Among other things, Haydn wrote two of his famous oratorios in Vienna: “The Creation of the World” (1798) and “The Seasons” (1801), in which the composer developed the traditions of the lyrical-epic oratorios of G. F. Handel. Joseph Haydn's oratorios are marked by a rich, everyday character that is new to this genre, a colorful embodiment of natural phenomena, and they reveal the composer's skill as a colorist.
Haydn tried his hand at all types of musical composition, but his creativity did not manifest itself with equal force in all genres. In the field of instrumental music, he is rightly considered one of major composers second half of the XVIII And early XIX centuries. The greatness of Joseph Haydn as a composer was maximally manifested in his two final works: the great oratorios “The Creation of the World” (1798) and “The Seasons” (1801). The oratorio “The Seasons” can serve as an exemplary standard of musical classicism. Towards the end of his life, Haydn enjoyed enormous popularity. In subsequent years, this successful period for Haydn's work is faced with the onset of old age and failing health - now the composer must fight to complete his work. Work on oratorios undermined the composer's strength. His last works were “Harmoniemesse” (1802) and the unfinished string quartet opus 103 (1802). By about 1802, his condition had deteriorated to the point that he became physically unable to compose. The last sketches date back to 1806; after this date, Haydn did not write anything else.
The composer died in Vienna. He died at the age of 77 on May 31, 1809, shortly after the attack on Vienna by the French army led by Napoleon. Among him last words there was an attempt to calm his servants when a cannonball fell in the vicinity of the house: “Do not be afraid, my children, for where Haydn is, no harm can happen.” Two weeks later, on June 15, 1809, a funeral service was held in the Scottish Monastery Church (German: Shottenkirche), at which Mozart's Requiem was performed.
Creative heritage
This is how composer Joseph Haydn signed his scores: di me Giuseppe Haydn, he writes in Italian: “by me, Joseph Haydn.”
The composer created 24 operas, wrote 104 symphonies, 83 string quartets, 52 piano (clavier) sonatas, 126 trios for baritone, overtures, marches, dances, divertimentos for orchestra and various instruments, concerts for clavier and other instruments, oratorios, various plays for clavier, songs, canons, arrangements of Scottish, Irish, Welsh songs for voice with piano (violin or cello if desired). Among the works are 3 oratorios (“Creation of the World”, “Seasons” and “Seven Words of the Savior on the Cross”), 14 masses and other spiritual works.
Chamber music
- 12 sonatas for violin and piano
- 83 string quartets for two violins, viola and cello
- 7 duets for violin and viola
- 40 trios for piano, violin (or flute) and cello
- 21 trios for 2 violins and cello
- 126 trio for baritone, viola (violin) and cello
- 11 trios for mixed winds and strings
Concerts
36 concertos for one or more instruments with orchestra, including:
- 4 concertos for violin and orchestra (one lost)
- 3 concertos for cello and orchestra
- 3 concertos for clarinet and orchestra (Haydn’s affiliation has not been definitively proven)
- 4 concertos for horn and orchestra (two lost)
- concert for 2 horns and orchestra (lost)
- Concerto for oboe and orchestra (Haydn’s affiliation has not been conclusively proven)
- 11 concertos for piano and orchestra
- 6 organ concerts
- 5 concertos for two hurdy-gurdies
- 4 concertos for baritone and orchestra
- concerto for double bass and orchestra (lost)
- concerto for flute and orchestra (lost)
- concerto for trumpet and orchestra
- 13 divertimentos with clavier
Vocal works
Operas
There are 24 operas in total, including:
- “The Lame Demon” (Der krumme Teufel), 1751 (lost)
- "True Constancy"
- "Orpheus and Eurydice, or the Soul of a Philosopher", 1791
- "Asmodeus, or the New Lame Demon"
- "Pharmacist"
- "Acis and Galatea", 1762
- "The Desert Island" (L'lsola disabitata)
- "Armida", 1783
- “Fisherwomen” (Le Pescatrici), 1769
- "Deceived Infidelity" (L'Infedeltà delusa)
- “An Unforeseen Meeting” (L’Incontro improviso), 1775
- "The Lunar World" (II Mondo della luna), 1777
- "True Constancy" (La Vera costanza), 1776
- "Loyalty Rewarded" (La Fedeltà premiata)
- “Roland the Paladin” (Orlando Рaladino), a heroic-comic opera based on the plot of Ariosto’s poem “Roland the Furious” ^з^
Oratorios
14 oratorios, including:
- "World creation"
- "Seasons"
- "Seven Words of the Savior on the Cross"
- "The Return of Tobias"
- Allegorical cantata-oratorio “Applause”
- oratorio hymn Stabat Mater
Masses
14 masses, including:
- small mass (Missa brevis, F-dur, around 1750)
- large organ mass Es-dur (1766)
- mass in honor of St. Nicholas (Missa in honorem Sancti Nicolai, G-dur, 1772)
- Mass of St. Caeciliae (Missa Sanctae Caeciliae, c-moll, between 1769 and 1773)
- small organ mass (B major, 1778)
- Mariazellermesse, C-dur, 1782
- Mass with timpani, or Mass during the war (Paukenmesse, C-dur, 1796)
- Mass Heiligmesse (B major, 1796)
- Nelson-Messe, d-moll, 1798
- Mass Theresa (Theresienmesse, B-dur, 1799)
- mass with theme from the oratorio “The Creation of the World” (Schopfungsmesse, B-dur, 1801)
- Mass with wind instruments (Harmoniemesse, B-dur, 1802)
Symphonic music
See List of Haydn symphonies
104 symphonies, including:
- "Farewell Symphony"
- "Oxford Symphony"
- "Funeral Symphony"
- 6 Paris Symphonies (1785-1786)
- 12 London Symphonies (1791-1792, 1794-1795), including Symphony No. 103 “With tremolo timpani”
- 66 divertissements and cassations
Works for piano
- fantasies, variations
- 52 piano sonatas
Memory
- A house-museum has been created in Vienna, in which the composer spent last years life.
- A crater on the planet Mercury is named after Haydn.
In fiction
- George Sand "Consuelo"
- Stendhal published the lives of Haydn, Mozart, Rossini and Metastasio in letters.
In numismatics and philately
Coin and postage stamp
20 schillings 1982 - Austrian commemorative coin dedicated to the 250th anniversary of the birth of Joseph Haydn
USSR postage stamp,
1959
Joseph Haydn's brief biography for children and adults is outlined in this article.
Joseph Haydn short biography
Franz Joseph Haydn- Austrian composer, representative of the Viennese classical school, one of the founders of the symphony and string quartet.
Born on March 31, 1732 in the small town of Rohrau, Lower Austria, in the family of a carriage maker. Josef's love for music was instilled in him by his father, who was into vocals. The boy had excellent hearing and a sense of rhythm, and thanks to these abilities he was accepted into the church choir in the small town of Gainburg. Later he would move to Vienna, where he would sing in the choir at cathedral St. Stefan.
Haydn had a wayward character, and at the age of 16 he was expelled from the choir - at a time when his voice began to break. He is left without a livelihood. In such a hopeless situation, the young man takes on various jobs (working as a servant for Nikolai Porpora).
Seeing the young man's love for music, Porpora offers him the position of valet companion. He held this position for about ten years. Haydn receives lessons as payment for his work music theory, from which he learns a lot about music and composition. Gradually, the young man’s financial situation improves, and his musical works are crowned with success. Haydn is looking for a rich patron, which is the imperial prince Pal Antal Esterhazy. Already in 1759 young genius composes his first symphonies.
Haydn married Anna Maria Clair at the age of 28. Anna Maria often showed disrespectful attitude to her husband's profession. They had no children, but he was faithful to his wife for 20 years. But after so many years, he suddenly fell in love with 19-year-old Luigia Polzelli, an Italian opera singer, and even promised to marry her, but soon this passionate affection passed.
In 1761, Haydn became the second bandmaster at the court of the Esterházy princes, one of the most influential families in Austria. During his rather long career at the Esterházy court, he composed a huge number of operas, quartets and symphonies (104 in total). He becomes famous not only in his homeland, but also in England, France, and Russia. In 1781, Haydn met Mozart, who became his close friend. In 1792 he met the young Beethoven and took him on as a student.
J. Haydn is rightfully considered the founder of several directions at once: the modern orchestra, quartet, symphony and classical instrumental music.
Brief biography of Haydn: childhood years
Joseph was born in the small Austrian town of Rohrau. All his ancestors were artisans and peasants. Josef's parents were there too ordinary people. My father worked as a carriage driver. Mother served as a cook. The boy inherited his musicality from his father. While still a five-year-old child, he attracted attention because he had a ringing voice, excellent hearing and a sense of rhythm. At first he was taken to sing in a church choir in the town of Gainburg, and from there he ended up in the chapel at St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna. This was a great opportunity for the boy to get musical education. He stayed there for 9 years, but as soon as his voice began to break, the young man was fired without any ceremony.
J. Haydn. Biography: composer's debut
From that moment on, a completely different life began for Joseph. For eight years he made a living by giving music and singing lessons, playing the violin at holidays, and even just on the road. Haydn understood that without education he would not be able to advance further. He independently studied theoretical works. Soon fate brought him together with the famous comic actor Kurtz. He immediately appreciated Joseph’s talent and invited him to write music for the libretto that he composed for the opera “The Crooked Demon.” The essay did not reach us. But what is certain is that the opera was a success.
The debut immediately brought to the young composer popularity in democratic circles, and bad reviews from adherents of old traditions. Studies with Nicola Porpora turned out to be important for the development of Haydn as a musician. The Italian composer reviewed Joseph's works and gave valuable advice. Subsequently, the composer’s financial situation improved, and new works appeared. Joseph received significant support from the landowner Karl Fürnberg, a music lover. He recommended him to Count Morcin. Haydn remained in his service as a composer and conductor for only a year, but at the same time he had free accommodation, food and received a salary. In addition, such a successful period inspired the composer to new compositions.
J. Haydn. Biography: marriage
While serving under Count Morcin, Joseph became friends with the hairdresser I. P. Keller and fell in love with his youngest daughter Teresa. But things didn’t come to marriage. For hitherto unknown reasons, the girl left her father's house. Keller invited Haydn to marry him eldest daughter, and he agreed, which he later regretted more than once.
Joseph was 28 years old, Maria Anna Keller was 32. She turned out to be a very limited woman who did not at all appreciate her husband’s talent, and was also too demanding and wasteful. Soon Joseph had to leave the count for two reasons: he accepted only single people into the chapel, and then, having gone bankrupt, he was forced to disband it completely.
J. Haydn. Biography: service with Prince Esterhazy
The threat of being left without a permanent salary did not hang over the composer for long. Almost immediately he received an offer from Prince P. A. Esterhazy, a patron of the arts even richer than the previous one. Haydn spent 30 years as his conductor. His duties included managing the singers and orchestra. He also had to compose symphonies, quartets and other works at the request of the prince. Haydn wrote most of his operas during this period. In total, he composed 104 symphonies, main value which lies in the organic reflection of the unity of the physical and spiritual principles in man.
J. Haydn. Biography: travel to England
The composer, whose name became known far beyond the borders of his homeland, has still not traveled anywhere except Vienna. He could not do this without the permission of the prince, and he did not tolerate the absence of his personal bandmaster. At these moments, Haydn felt his dependence especially acutely. When he was already 60 years old, Prince Esterhazy died and his son dissolved the chapel. So that his “servant” had the opportunity not to enter the service of someone else, he assigned him a pension. Free and happy, Haydn went to England. There he gave concerts in which he was a conductor while performing his own works. Absolutely all of them were held in triumph. Haydn became an honorary fellow of Oxford University. He visited England twice. During this period he composed 12 London Symphonies.
Haydn's biography: last years
These works became the pinnacle of his creativity. Nothing significant was written after them. The stressful life took away his strength. He spent his last years in silence and solitude in a small house located on the outskirts of Vienna. Sometimes admirers of his talent visited him. J. Haydn died in 1809. He was buried first in Vienna, and later the remains were transferred to Eisenstadt, the city in which the composer spent many years of his life.
This is real music! This is what should be enjoyed, this is what everyone who wants to cultivate a healthy musical sense, a sound taste should absorb into themselves.
A. Serov
The creative path of J. Haydn - the great Austrian composer, senior contemporary of W. A. Mozart and L. Beethoven - lasted about fifty years, crossed the historical boundary of the 18th-19th centuries, and covered all stages of the development of the Viennese classical school - from its inception in 1760 's until the flowering of Beethoven's work at the beginning of the new century. The intensity of the creative process, the wealth of imagination, the freshness of perception, the harmonious and integral sense of life were preserved in Haydn's art until the very last years of his life.
The son of a carriage maker, Haydn discovered rare musical abilities. At the age of six he moved to Hainburg, sang in the church choir, learned to play the violin and harpsichord, and from 1740 he lived in Vienna, where he served as a choirmaster in the chapel of St. Stephen's Cathedral (Vienna Cathedral). However, in the chapel they valued only the boy’s voice - a treble of rare purity, and entrusted him with the performance of solo parts; and the composer's inclinations, awakened in childhood, remained unnoticed. When his voice began to break, Haydn was forced to leave the chapel. The first years of independent life in Vienna were especially difficult - he was poor, hungry, wandering without a permanent shelter; Only occasionally was it possible to find private lessons or play the violin in a traveling ensemble. However, despite the vicissitudes of fate, Haydn retained his openness of character, his sense of humor, which never betrayed him, and the seriousness of his professional aspirations - he studies the keyboard works of F. E. Bach, independently studies counterpoint, gets acquainted with the works of the greatest German theorists, takes composition lessons from N. . Porpora - famous Italian opera composer and teacher.
In 1759, Haydn received the position of bandmaster from Count I. Mortsin. The first instrumental works (symphonies, quartets, clavier sonatas) were written for his court chapel. When Morcin dissolved the chapel in 1761, Haydn entered into a contract with P. Esterhazy, the richest Hungarian magnate and patron of the arts. The duties of the vice-kapellmeister, and after 5 years the princely chief-kapellmeister, included not only composing music. Haydn had to conduct rehearsals, maintain order in the chapel, be responsible for the safety of notes and instruments, etc. All of Haydn’s works were the property of Esterhazy; the composer did not have the right to write music commissioned by others, and could not freely leave the prince’s possessions. (Haydn lived on the Esterhazy estates - Eisenstadt and Esterhaz, occasionally visiting Vienna.)
However, many advantages and, above all, the opportunity to dispose of an excellent orchestra that performed all the composer’s works, as well as relative material and everyday security, persuaded Haydn to accept Esterhazy’s offer. Haydn remained in court service for almost 30 years. In the humiliating position of a princely servant, he retained his dignity, inner independence and desire for continuous creative improvement. Living far from the light, with almost no contact with the wide musical world, he became during his service with Esterhazy the greatest master of European scale. Haydn's works were successfully performed in major musical capitals.
So, in the mid-1780s. The French public became acquainted with six symphonies, called “Parisian”. Over time, the composites became increasingly burdened by their dependent position and felt loneliness more acutely.
The minor symphonies - “Mourning”, “Suffering”, “Farewell” - are colored with dramatic, anxious moods. Lots of reasons to different interpretations- autobiographical, humorous, lyrical-philosophical - gave the finale to “Farewell” - during this endlessly lasting Adagio, the musicians leave the orchestra one after another until two violinists remain on stage, finishing the melody, quiet and gentle...
However, a harmonious and clear view of the world always dominates both in Haydn’s music and in his sense of life. Haydn found sources of joy everywhere - in nature, in the lives of peasants, in his works, in communication with loved ones. Thus, acquaintance with Mozart, who arrived in Vienna in 1781, grew into real friendship. These relationships, based on deep inner kinship, understanding and mutual respect, had a beneficial effect on the creative development of both composers.
In 1790, A. Esterhazy, the heir of the deceased Prince P. Esterhazy, dissolved the chapel. Haydn, who was completely freed from service and retained only the title of bandmaster, began to receive a lifelong pension in accordance with the will of the old prince. Soon the opportunity arose to fulfill a long-standing dream - to travel outside of Austria. In the 1790s. Haydn made two tours to London (1791-92, 1794-95). The 12 “London” symphonies written on this occasion completed the development of this genre in Haydn’s work, confirmed the maturity of Viennese classical symphonism (somewhat earlier, in the late 1780s, Mozart’s last 3 symphonies appeared) and remained the pinnacle phenomena in the history of symphonic music. London symphonies were performed in unusual and extremely attractive conditions for the composer. Accustomed to the more closed atmosphere of the court salon, Haydn performed for the first time in public concerts and felt the reaction of a typical democratic audience. He had at his disposal large orchestras, similar in composition to modern symphonies. The English public enthusiastically received Haydn's music. At Oxfood he was awarded the title of Doctor of Music. Under the impression of G. F. Handel’s oratorios heard in London, 2 secular oratorios were created - “The Creation of the World” (1798) and “The Seasons” (1801). These monumental, epic-philosophical works, affirming the classical ideals of beauty and harmony of life, the unity of man and nature, worthily crowned creative path composer.
The last years of Haydn's life were spent in Vienna and its suburb of Gumpendorf. The composer was still cheerful, sociable, objective and friendly in his attitude towards people, and still worked hard. Haydn passed away at an alarming time, in the midst of Napoleonic campaigns, when French troops had already occupied the capital of Austria. During the siege of Vienna, Haydn consoled his loved ones: “Don’t be afraid, children, where Haydn is, nothing bad can happen.”
Haydn left a huge creative legacy - about 1000 works in all genres and forms that existed in the music of that time (symphonies, sonatas, chamber ensembles, concerts, operas, oratorios, masses, songs, etc.). Large cyclic forms (104 symphonies, 83 quartets, 52 keyboard sonatas) constitute the main, most precious part of the composer’s work and determine his historical place. P. Tchaikovsky wrote about the exceptional significance of Haydn’s works in the evolution of instrumental music: “Haydn immortalized himself, if not by inventing, then by improving that excellent, ideally balanced form of sonata and symphony, which Mozart and Beethoven later brought to the last degree of completeness and beauty.”
The symphony in Haydn’s work has come a long way: from early examples close to the genres of everyday and chamber music (serenade, divertissement, quartet), to the “Paris” and “London” symphonies, in which the classical patterns of the genre were established (the relationship and order of the parts of the cycle - sonata Allegro, slow movement, minuet, fast finale), characteristic types thematic and development techniques, etc. Haydn's symphony takes on the meaning of a generalized “picture of the world”, in which different aspects of life - serious, dramatic, lyrical-philosophical, humorous - are brought to unity and balance. The rich and complex world of Haydn's symphonies has the remarkable qualities of openness, sociability, and focus on the listener. Their main source musical language- genre-everyday, song and dance intonations, sometimes directly borrowed from folklore sources. Included in the complex process of symphonic development, they discover new imaginative, dynamic possibilities. Complete, ideally balanced and logically constructed forms of parts of the symphonic cycle (sonata, variation, rondo, etc.) include elements of improvisation; remarkable deviations and surprises heighten interest in the very process of development of thought, which is always fascinating and filled with events. Haydn’s favorite “surprises” and “practical jokes” helped the perception of the most serious genre of instrumental music, giving rise to specific associations among listeners that were fixed in the titles of the symphonies (“Bear”, “Chicken”, “Clock”, “Hunting”, “ School teacher" and so on.). Forming the typical patterns of the genre, Haydn also reveals the wealth of possibilities for their manifestation, outlining different paths of evolution of the symphony in the 19th-20th centuries. In Haydn's mature symphonies, the classical composition of the orchestra is established, including all groups of instruments (strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion). The composition of the quartet is also stabilized, in which all instruments (two violins, viola, cello) become full members of the ensemble. Of great interest are Haydn's keyboard sonatas, in which the composer's imagination, truly inexhaustible, each time opens up new options for constructing a cycle, original ways of designing and developing the material. The last sonatas written in the 1790s. clearly focused on the expressive capabilities of the new instrument - the piano.
All his life art was for Haydn main support and a constant source of inner harmony, peace of mind and health, He hoped that it would remain so for future listeners. “There are so few joyful and contented people in this world,” wrote the seventy-year-old composer, “everywhere they are haunted by grief and worries; Perhaps your work will sometimes serve as a source from which a person full of worries and burdened with affairs will draw moments of peace and relaxation.”
Franz Joseph Haydn is one of the most prominent representatives of the art of the Enlightenment. A great Austrian composer, he left a huge creative legacy - about 1000 works in a variety of genres. The main, most significant part of this heritage, which determined Haydn’s historical place in the development of world culture, consists of large cyclical works. These are 104 symphonies, 83 quartets, 52 keyboard sonatas, thanks to which Haydn gained fame as the founder of classical symphonism.
Haydn's art is deeply democratic. The basis of it musical style was folk art and music everyday life. With amazing sensitivity he perceived folk melodies of various origins, the nature of peasant dances, the special coloring of the sound of folk instruments, some French song that had become popular in Austria. Haydn's music is imbued not only with the rhythms and intonations of folklore, but also with folk humor, inexhaustible optimism and vital energy. “Into the halls of the palaces, where his symphonies usually sounded, fresh streams of folk melody, a folk joke, something from folk ideas of life" ( T. Livanova,352 ).
Haydn's art is related in style, but the range of his images and concepts have their own characteristics. High tragedy, ancient subjects that inspired Gluck are not his area. The world of more ordinary images and feelings is closer to him. The sublime principle is not at all alien to Haydn, but he does not find it in the sphere of tragedy. Serious thought, a poetic perception of life, the beauty of nature - all this becomes sublime in Haydn. A harmonious and clear view of the world dominates both his music and his attitude. He was always sociable, objective and friendly. He found sources of joy everywhere - in the lives of peasants, in his works, in communication with close people (for example, with Mozart, whose friendship, based on internal kinship and mutual respect, had a beneficial effect on the creative development of both composers).
Haydn's creative path lasted about fifty years, covering all stages of the development of the Viennese classical school - from its origins in the 60s of the 18th century until the heyday of Beethoven's work.
Childhood
The composer's character was formed in the working atmosphere of peasant life: he was born on March 31, 1732 in the village of Rohrau (Lower Austria) in the family of a carriage maker, his mother was a simple cook. Since childhood, Haydn could hear music different nationalities, since among the local population of Rorau there were Hungarians, Croats, and Czechs. The family was musical: the father loved to sing, accompanying himself by ear on the harp.
Paying attention to his son’s rare musical abilities, Haydn’s father sends him to the neighboring town of Hainburg to visit his relative (Frank), who served there as a school rector and choir director. Later, the future composer recalled that he received “more punches than food” from Frank; however, from the age of 5 he learns to play the wind and string instruments, as well as the harpsichord, and sings in the church choir.
The next stage of Haydn's life is associated with the musical chapel at Cathedral of St. Stephen's in Vienna. The head of the choir (Georg Reuther) traveled around the country from time to time to recruit new choristers. Listening to the choir in which little Haydn sang, he immediately appreciated the beauty of his voice and rare musical talent. Having received an invitation to become a choir member at the cathedral, 8-year-old Haydn first came into contact with the richest artistic culture Austrian capital. Even then it was a city literally filled with music. It has long flourished here Italian opera, concert-academies of famous virtuosos were held, large instrumental and choral chapels existed at the imperial court and the houses of large nobles. But the main musical wealth of Vienna is its diverse folklore (the most important prerequisite for the formation of a classical school).
Constant participation in the performance of music - not only church music, but also opera - developed Haydn most of all. In addition, the Reuther Chapel was often invited to the imperial palace, where the future composer could hear instrumental music. Unfortunately, the choir valued only the boy’s voice, entrusting him with the performance of solo parts; the composer's inclinations, awakened already in childhood, went unnoticed. When his voice began to break, Haydn was fired from the chapel.
1749-1759 - the first years of independent life in Vienna
This 10th anniversary was the most difficult in Haydn's entire biography, especially at first. Without a roof over his head, without a penny in his pocket, he was extremely poor, wandering without a permanent shelter and getting by with odd jobs (occasionally he managed to find private lessons or play the violin in a traveling ensemble). But at the same time they were happy years, full of hope and faith in their vocation as a composer. Having bought several books on music theory from a second-hand bookseller, Haydn independently studied counterpoint, became acquainted with the works of the greatest German theorists, and studied the keyboard sonatas of Philipp Emmanuel Bach. Despite the vicissitudes of fate, he retained both his openness of character and his sense of humor, which never betrayed him.
Among the earliest works of the 19-year-old Haydn is the singspiel “The Lame Demon,” written at the suggestion of the famous Viennese comedian Kurtz (lost). Over time, his knowledge in the field of composition was enriched through communication with Niccolo Porpora, a famous Italian opera composer and vocal teacher: Haydn served as his accompanist for some time.
Gradually, the young musician gains fame in the musical circles of Vienna. From the mid-1750s he was often invited to take part in household musical evenings in the house of a wealthy Viennese official (named Furnberg). For these home concerts, Haydn wrote his first string trios and quartets (18 in total).
In 1759, on the recommendation of Fürnberg, Haydn received his first permanent position - the position of conductor in the home orchestra of the Czech aristocrat, Count Morcin. It was written for this orchestra Haydn's first symphony- D major in three parts. This was the beginning of the formation of the Viennese classical symphony. Two years later, Morcin disbanded the choir due to financial difficulties, and Haydn entered into a contract with the richest Hungarian magnate, a passionate music fan, Paul Anton Esterhazy.
The period of creative maturity
Haydn worked in the service of the princes of Esterhazy for 30 years: first as vice-kapellmeister (assistant), and after 5 years as chief-kapellmeister. His duties included not only composing music. Haydn had to conduct rehearsals, maintain order in the chapel, be responsible for the safety of notes and instruments, etc. All of Haydn’s works were the property of Esterhazy; the composer did not have the right to write music commissioned by others, and could not freely leave the prince’s possessions. However, the opportunity to dispose of an excellent orchestra that performed all of his works, as well as relative material and everyday security, persuaded Haydn to accept Esterhazy’s proposal.
Living on the Esterhazy estates (Eisenstadt and Esterhase), and only occasionally visiting Vienna, with little contact with the wider musical world, during this service he became the greatest master on a European scale. Most (in the 1760s ~ 40, in the 70s ~ 30, in the 80s ~ 18), quartets and operas were written for the Esterházy Chapel and Home Theatre.
Music life at the Esterhazy residence was open in its own way. Notable guests, including foreigners, attended concerts, opera performances, and receptions accompanied by music. Gradually, Haydn's fame spread beyond Austria. His works are successfully performed in major music capitals. Thus, in the mid-1780s, the French public became acquainted with six symphonies called “Parisian” (Nos. 82-87, they were created specifically for the Paris “Olympic Box Concerts”).
Late period of creativity.
In 1790, Prince Miklos Esterhazy died, bequeathing Haydn a lifelong pension. His heir dissolved the chapel, retaining the title of conductor for Haydn. Completely freed from service, the composer was able to fulfill his old dream - to travel outside of Austria. In the 1790s he made 2 tours trips to London at the invitation of the organizer of the “Subscription Concerts”, violinist I. P. Salomon (1791-92, 1794-95). Those written on this occasion completed the development of this genre in Haydn’s work and confirmed the maturity of Viennese classical symphonism (a little earlier, in the late 1780s, Mozart’s last 3 symphonies appeared). The English public enthusiastically received Haydn's music. At Oxford he was awarded an honorary doctorate of music.
The last owner of Esterhazy during Haydn's lifetime, Prince Miklos II, turned out to be a passionate lover of art. The composer was again called up for service, although his activities were now modest. Living in his own house on the outskirts of Vienna, he composed mainly masses for Eszterhaz (“Nelson”, “Theresia”, etc.).
Inspired by Handel's oratorios heard in London, Haydn wrote 2 secular oratorios - “The Creation of the World” (1798) and (1801). These monumental, epic-philosophical works, affirming the classical ideals of beauty and harmony of life, the unity of man and nature, worthily crowned the composer’s creative path.
Haydn passed away at the height of Napoleonic campaigns, when French troops had already occupied the capital of Austria. During the siege of Vienna, Haydn consoled his loved ones: “Don’t be afraid, children, where Haydn is, nothing bad can happen.”.
His younger brother Michael (who later also became famous composer, who worked in Salzburg), who had the same beautiful treble.
A total of 24 operas in different genres, among which the most organic genre for Haydn was buffa. For example, the opera “Loyalty Rewarded” enjoyed great success with the public.