One of greatest composers of all times is Franz Joseph Haydn. A brilliant musician of Austrian origin. The man who created the foundations of classical music school, as well as the orchestral-instrumental standard that we see in our time. In addition to these merits, Franz Joseph represented the Vienna Classical School. There is an opinion among musicologists that musical genres symphony and quartet were first composed by Joseph Haydn. The talented composer lived a very interesting and eventful life. You will learn about this and much more on this page.
On March 31, 1732, little Joseph was born in the fair commune of Rohrau (Lower Austria). His father was a wheelwright, and his mother worked as a servant in the kitchen. Thanks to his father, who loved to sing, the future composer became interested in music. Absolute pitch and an excellent sense of rhythm were gifted to little Joseph by nature. These musical abilities allowed the talented boy to sing in the Gainburg church choir. Later, due to the move, Franz Joseph will be accepted into the Vienna Choir Chapel at the Catholic Cathedral of St. Stephen.
Because of his stubbornness, sixteen-year-old Josef lost his job - a place in the choir. This happened just during the voice mutation. Now he has no income to support himself. Out of desperation, the young man takes on any job. The Italian vocal maestro and composer Nicola Porpora took the young man as his servant, but Joseph found benefit in this work as well. The boy delves into the science of music and begins to take lessons from a teacher.
Porpora could not have noticed that Joseph had genuine feelings for music, and on this basis the famous composer decides to offer the young man interesting job- become his personal valet companion. Haydn held this position for almost ten years. The maestro paid for his work mainly not in money; he taught music theory and harmony to the young talent for free. So the talented young man learned many important musical fundamentals V different directions. Over time, Haydn's financial problems slowly begin to disappear, and his initial works as a composer are successfully accepted by the public. At this time, the young composer wrote his first symphony.
Despite the fact that in those days it was considered “too late,” Haydn decided to start a family with Anna Maria Keller only at the age of 28. And this marriage turned out to be unsuccessful. According to his wife, Joseph had an indecent profession for a man. Within two dozen life together the couple never had children, which also influenced the unsuccessful relationship family history. With all these troubles, musical genius He was a faithful husband for 20 years. But an unpredictable life brought Franz Josef together with a young and charming opera singer Luigia Polzelli, who was only 19 years old when they met. Passionate love befell them, and the composer promised to marry her. But the passion faded rather quickly, and he did not keep his promise. Haydn seeks patronage among the rich and influential people. In the early 1760s, the composer received a job as second bandmaster in the palace of the influential Esterhazy family (Austria). For 30 years, Haydn worked at the court of this noble dynasty. During this time they composed great amount symphonies - 104.
Haydn did not have many close friends, but one of them was - Amadeus Mozart . Composers meet in 1781. After 11 years, Joseph is introduced to the young Ludwig van Beethoven, whom Haydn makes his student. Service at the palace ends with the death of the patron - Joseph loses his position. But the name Franz Joseph Haydn has already thundered not only in Austria, but also in many other countries such as Russia, England, France. During his stay in London, the composer earned almost as much in one year as he did in 20 years as conductor of the Esterhazy family, his former employers.
The composer's last work is considered to be the oratorio "The Seasons". He composes it with great difficulty; he was hampered by headaches and problems sleeping.
The great composer dies at the age of 78 (May 31, 1809) Joseph Haydn spent last days at his home in Vienna. Later it was decided to transport the remains to Eisenstadt.
- “Miracle” - this is the name attributed to symphonies No. 96 in D major and No. 102 in B major. All this is because of one story that happened after the concert of this work ended. People rushed to the stage to thank the composer and bow to him for beautiful music. As soon as the listeners were at the front of the hall, a chandelier fell with a roar behind them. There were no casualties - and it was a Miracle. Opinions differ at the premiere of which particular symphony this amazing incident occurred.
- The composer suffered from nasal polyps for more than half his life. This became known to the surgeon, and also good friend Joseph to John Henter. The doctor recommended coming to him for an operation, which Haydn initially decided to do. But when he came to the office where the operation was to take place and saw 4 large assistant surgeons, whose task was to hold the patient during the painful procedure, the brilliant musician got scared, struggled and screamed loudly. In general, the idea of getting rid of polyps has sunk into oblivion. As a child, Joseph suffered from smallpox.
- Haydn has a Symphony with timpani strikes or it is also called "Surprise". The history of the creation of this symphony is interesting. Joseph and the orchestra periodically toured London, and one day he noticed how some spectators during a concert fell asleep or were already watching beautiful dreams. Haydn suggested that this happens because the British intelligentsia are not used to listening classical music and has no special feelings for art, but the British are a people of traditions, so they always attended concerts. The composer, the life of the party and a merry fellow, decided to act cunningly. Without thinking twice, he wrote a special symphony for the English public. The piece began with quiet, smooth, almost soothing melodic sounds. Suddenly, during the sound, a drum beat and the thunder of timpani were heard. Such a surprise was repeated more than once in the work. So, Londoners no longer fell asleep in concert halls, where Haydn conducted.
- When the composer died, he was buried in Vienna. But later it was decided to rebury the remains of the musical genius in Eisenstadt. When the grave was opened, it was discovered that Joseph's skull was missing. It was a trick of two friends of the composer, who took the head for themselves by bribing people in the cemetery. For almost 60 years (1895-1954), the skull of the Viennese classic was located in the museum (Vienna). It was not until 1954 that the remains were reunited and buried together.
- Mozart was delighted with Haydn and often invited him to his concerts, and Joseph reciprocated the young prodigy and often played with him in a quartet. It is noteworthy that at Haydn's funeral the sound was "Requiem" by Mozart , who died 18 years before his friend and teacher.
- Haydn's portrait can be found on German and Soviet postage stamps, issued in 1959 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the composer's death, and on the Austrian 5 euro coin.
- The German anthem and the old Austro-Hungarian anthem owe their music to Haydn. After all, it was his music that became the basis of these patriotic songs.
Films about Joseph Haydn
Many educational documentaries have been made about the composer. All these films are interesting and exciting. Some of them tell more about the musical achievements and discoveries of the composer, while others tell various facts from the personal life of the Viennese classic. If you want to get to know this musical figure better, we present to your attention a small list of documentaries:
- The film company "Academy Media" shot a 25-minute documentary"Haydn" from the series "Famous Composers".
- On the Internet you can find two interesting films"In Search of Haydn". The first part lasts a little more than 53 minutes, the second 50 minutes.
- Haydn is described in some episodes from the documentary section "History by Notes". From episodes 19 to 25, each of which lasts less than 10 minutes, you can study interesting biographical data of the great composer.
- There is a short documentary from Encyclopedia Chanel about Joseph Haydn that is only 12 minutes long.
- An interesting 11-minute film about Haydn’s absolute pitch can also be easily found on the Internet network “Absolute Pitch - Franz Joseph Haydn.”
According to a short biography of Joseph Haydn, his birthplace was the village of Rohrau, which is located near the Hungarian border. My parents studied vocals quite seriously and loved to play musical instruments.
In 1737, five-year-old Joseph's predisposition to music was discovered. Then his uncle took him to his city. In the Danube city of Hainburg, the boy began to learn to play music and practice singing. There his efforts were noticed by Georg von Reutter, famous composer and director of the capital's Chapel of St. Stephen.
For the next ten years, Josef had to work in various places to support himself. He managed to ask to become a student of the composer Nicola Porpora. The price of the lessons was high, so young Joseph begged to listen to them sitting behind a curtain.
Haydn failed to receive a systematic education, but he filled in the gaps by studying the content of the works of I. Fuchs, I. Matteson and other composers.
Youth
In the 50s, Haydn wrote a number of his first musical works, which brought the author fame. Among them were the singspiel “The Lame Demon,” which was staged in various cities of the Holy Roman Empire, as well as divertissements, serenades, string quartets, and most importantly, Symphony No. 1 in D major.
In 1759, he managed to get a job as bandmaster for Count Karl von Morzin. The count had his own small orchestra, in which Joseph continued his work, composing symphonies for the count.
Working with Esterhazy
In 1760, Haydn married Maria Anna Keller. There was no room for children in their marriage, something he grieved about all his life. The wife found her husband's profession unpleasant and did not support her husband in his work, but divorce was prohibited at that time.
In 1761, Count von Morzin went bankrupt and Haydn was invited to go work for Prince Pavel Anton Esterhazy. Until 1766, he worked as vice-kapellmeister, but after the death of the chief kapellmeister of the princely court, Gregor Werner, Haydn rose through the ranks and began to write music, organize an orchestra and stage operas, already having full rights to do so.
In 1779, Haydn and Esterhazy renegotiated the contract, introducing a number of changes to it. If previously all written compositions were the property of the princely family, then with the new contract the composer could write to order and sell any new works.
Heritage
Work at the court of the Esterhazy family was a creative flowering in Haydn's biography. During his 29 years of service, many quartets, 6 Parisian symphonies, various oratorios and masses were created. The Farewell Symphony of 1772 became widely known. The opportunity to come to Vienna helped Haydn communicate with Mozart himself.
In total, during his life Haydn wrote 104 symphonies, 52 sonatas, 36 concertos, 24 operas and 300 various works chamber music.
Last years
The peak of Haydn's greatness were two oratorios - "The Creation of the World" in 1798 and "The Seasons" in 1801. They became examples of musical classicism. End of life health famous composer shook sharply. His last works remained unfinished. Death found him in Vienna, a few days after Napoleon's army occupied it. The composer's dying words were addressed to his servants, whom he wanted to calm down. People were worried that the soldiers could be ruined and their property stolen. During Joseph Haydn's funeral, his friend Mozart's Requiem was played.
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The great Austrian composer Joseph Haydn
- the oldest of the Viennese classics. For my long life he wrote a huge number of works. Among them are 104 symphonies, more than 80 quartets, and over 60 keyboard sonatas. Haydn is called the “father of the symphony and quartet” because, in comparison with the composers who preceded him, who previously created music in these genres, he gave these works a special perfection of the classical form. “Haydn is a necessary and strong link in the chain of symphonic composition; if it weren’t for him, there would be neither Mozart nor Beethoven,” wrote P.I. Chaikovsky.
Joseph Haydn 1732-1809
Haydn's music is characterized by optimism and expresses the immediate joy of the worldview. It is no coincidence that most of his works were written in major keys. Haydn's melodies are reminiscent of Austrian ones folk songs and dancing, they are distinguished by extraordinary grace and clarity. That is why the music of the great master has always been enthusiastically received not only by his contemporaries, but also by subsequent generations.
Life path
Joseph Haydn was born in 1732 in the village of Rohrau, near Vienna. His father was a carriage maker. In addition, he was an unusually musically gifted person and often sang, accompanying himself on the harp.
Little Joseph's musical abilities became evident at the age of five. He had a high, ringing voice and an excellent musical memory. Initial training music it took place at the church school in Hainburg. From the age of 8, Joseph sang in the choir chapel with the main cathedral St. Stephen's in the capital of Austria, Vienna. Later, Haydn wrote about this period of his life in his memoirs: “...continuing my education, I studied singing, playing the harpsichord and violin, and from very good teachers. Until I was eighteen, I performed solo soprano roles with great success, not only in the cathedral, but also at court.” At the same time, life for the boys in the chapel was not easy. Numerous classes, performances and rehearsals took a lot of energy. However, already during these years Haydn began to write his first works.
When Joseph turned 18 and his voice began to break, becoming unsuitable for singing in a children's choir, he was fired from the choir. Finding himself without housing and means of subsistence, Haydn barely survived with odd jobs. He gave music lessons, played the violin at festive evenings, and took part in performances by street musicians. Among the first works of Haydn to receive public recognition was musical comedy“The Lame Demon,” which he composed to a libretto by the famous Viennese actor I. Kurz.
Despite the first creative success, Haydn understood that he did not have sufficient knowledge to compose music. Without funds for training | tion, he entered the vocal class of the famous Italian composer, singer-I of the teacher Niccolo Porpora, also performing the duties of a footman. Instead of payment for his work, Haydn could use it valuable advice by composition.
Service in the Chapel of Prince Esterházy
At the age of 29, Haydn, already famous at that time, was invited to serve the wealthy Hungarian prince Esterhazy. He spent about 30 years in the small Hungarian city of Eisenstadt and the summer palace of Esterhazy. Haydn served as court composer and conductor. According to the agreement, before the arrival of the prince’s guests, he was obliged to compose and practice symphonies, quartets, and operas with the orchestra and singers. In addition, the bandmaster was obliged to give lessons to singers and monitor the safety of instruments and notes. Sometimes the prince ordered the composer to compose a new piece by the next day.
Only thanks to his extraordinary talent and enormous hard work did Haydn cope with his responsibilities.
The dependent position in the prince's palace often depressed the composer. Every morning, along with other servants, he had to wait for his orders. He had no right to sell or donate his works, or to leave the princely estate without the consent of the prince.
Service with Esterhazy also had its own positive features. The composer was awarded a high material reward. Thanks to the prince's high-ranking guests, among whom there were often foreigners, Haydn's fame spread far beyond the borders of Austria. In addition, he constantly heard his works performed by an orchestra and had the opportunity to correct what, in his opinion, did not sound good enough.
Haydn brought great joy to his trips to Vienna, where he met Mozart. The composers played their new compositions to each other and talked about music and creativity. As a sign of special friendship, Mozart dedicated six wonderful string quartets to Haydn.
Some of their Haydn symphonies gave the titles: “Morning”, “Noon”, “Evening”, “Bear”, “With the Impact of the Timpani”.
Symphony No. 45, later called “Farewell,” has an unusual history of creation. Once the stay of the prince and his chapel in the summer palace lasted until late autumn. In the cold, damp weather, the musicians began to get sick. In addition, they have not seen their families for several months, who live in country palace was prohibited. And then Haydn decided to “tell” his master about the musicians’ dissatisfaction in an unusual way. In one of the concerts, the orchestra performed his new symphony. However, her music was not, as usual, cheerful and cheerful. She sounded worried and sad. After the completion of the 4th movement, the orchestra suddenly began to play again. The performance of one more, final movement of the symphony was unusual. The orchestra members, one by one, extinguished the candles on their music stands and silently left the stage. The music sounded quieter and sadder. Only two violinists played the symphony to the end (one of them was Haydn). Then they extinguished the last candle and left the stage in the dark. The composer's hint was understood. The next day, the prince ordered to return to Eisenstadt.
Last period
In 1790, Prince Esterhazy died. His heir was indifferent to music. He dismissed the chapel. However, wanting Haydn to continue to be listed as his court conductor, young Esterhazy granted him a pension. This money was enough not to serve anywhere else. Haydn was happy! Now, on the eve of his sixtieth birthday, he was free from any obligations and could only engage in creativity.
Some time later, Haydn accepted an offer to go to England for concerts. While traveling on a ship, he saw the sea for the first time. In London, Haydn conducted his works in concert halls in front of large audiences. These performances were enthusiastically received by the British. The composer's second concert trip to England was also a huge success. The University of Oxford awarded Haydn the honorary title of Doctor of Music. Over the years, the composer created his famous 12 London Symphonies.
Haydn's most significant works are the oratorios “The Creation of the World” and “The Seasons,” written by him under the influence of the works of Handel he heard in London, created in this genre. Their performance in Vienna was a huge success.
Last years Haydn's life
After 1802, Haydn wrote nothing more. The last years of his life he lived in big house on the outskirts of Vienna. The composer's secluded home was often visited by friends and admirers of his talent. In May 1809, shortly before Haydn's death, Napoleon's troops occupied Vienna. Having learned about this, the already seriously ill composer found the strength to get out of bed and perform on the harpsichord the Austrian anthem he had previously composed.
Haydn was buried in Vienna. Later, his remains were transported to Eisenstadt, where he spent a considerable part of his life.
Joseph Haydn - famous German composer, born in the village of Rohrau (in Austria) on March 31, 1732, died in Vienna on May 31, 1809. Haydn was the second of twelve children of a poor coachmaker. As a child, he showed extraordinary musical abilities and was first sent to study with a relative-musician, and then at the age of eight he ended up as a singer in Vienna, in the chapel at the Church of St. Stefan. There he received school education, and also studied singing and playing the piano and violin. It was there that he made his first experiments in composing music. As Haydn began to grow up, his voice began to change; Instead, his younger brother Mikhail, who entered the same chapel, began singing treble solos, and finally, at the age of 18, Haydn was forced to leave the chapel. I had to live in the attic, give lessons, accompany, etc.
Joseph Haydn. Wax sculpture by F. Theiler, c. 1800
Little by little his first works - piano sonatas, quartets, etc. - began to spread (in manuscripts). In 1759, Haydn finally received a position as conductor for Count Morcin in Lukawiec, where, by the way, he wrote his first symphony. At the same time, Haydn married the daughter of the Viennese hairdresser Keller, who was grumpy, quarrelsome and did not understand anything about music. He lived with her for 40 years; they had no children. In 1761, Haydn became the second bandmaster in the chapel of Count Esterhazy in Eisenstadt. Subsequently, the Esterhazy orchestra was increased from 16 people to 30, and Haydn, after the death of the first conductor, took his place. Here he created most of his works, usually written for holidays and special days for performance in the Esterhazy house.
Joseph Haydn. Best works
In 1790, the chapel was dissolved, Haydn lost his job, but was provided with a pension of 1,400 florins by the Counts of Esterhazy and could thus devote himself to free and independent creativity. It was during this era that Haydn wrote his best essays having highest value and in our time. In the same year, he was invited to London: for 700 pounds sterling, he undertook to conduct his new six symphonies there, specially written for this purpose (“English”). The success was enormous, and Haydn lived in London for two years. The cult of Haydn grew terribly in England during this time; at Oxford he was proclaimed Doctor of Music. This journey and stay abroad were significant in Haydn’s life. special meaning also because until then he had never left his native country.
Returning to Vienna, Haydn met with an honorable reception everywhere along the way; in Bonn he met the young Beethoven, who soon became his student. In 1794, following a second invitation from London, he went there and stayed there for two seasons. Returning again to Vienna, Haydn, who was then already over 65 years old, wrote his two famous oratorios, “The Creation of the World,” to the words of Lidley (according to Milton), and “The Seasons,” to the words of Thomson. Both English texts were translated for Haydn by van Swieten. Gradually, however, the infirmity of old age began to overcome Haydn. A particularly severe blow was dealt to him by the French invasion of Vienna; a few days after this he died.
Joseph Haydn was born in the spring of 1732 in a village in Austria. His father was a mechanic who repaired carriage wheels. The boy's parents loved to sing and play music. They noticed a penchant for music in their son and sent him to study. The boy sang in the chapel at holidays and funerals. He learned to play different instruments.
The young man was working with famous musician, since there were many gaps in his education. He studied various books about music theory. During this period, Joseph composed sonatas.
In the 50s, a young man worked at court. He wrote works for orchestra.
The composer married in 1760. Despite the fact that the musician wanted children, the couple never had them. The couple did not get along in character. My wife did not like the profession of a musician. She was indifferent to his works. But divorces were prohibited then, so the couple had to live together.
Then Joseph worked at the prince's court, his family was the most influential in Hungary and Austria. He wrote music and led an orchestra. Soon the composer was given permission to write his works not only for the royal family, but also to sell them and print them. Thanks to this change in the composer's life, the musician quickly gained international popularity.
In Vienna, the musician was introduced to Mozart, and they became friends. New musical genres appeared in Europe at this time. Art was actively developing.
When the prince died, his son disbanded the orchestra because he did not like music. The composer went to England, where he wrote symphonies. The musician gave concerts in the capital of England. He was very popular and became rich. About a year later, the composer met Beethoven and became his teacher.
Joseph returned to his homeland, settled in a large house, worked as a bandmaster, and continued to write music. The composer died in the spring of 1809.
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Biography of Joseph Haydn about the main thing
The great Viennese classic was born in 1732 in a village that was located on the border of Austria and Hungary. Johann Haydn's father was a wheelwright. He was a literate person and understood music. All big family, and the artisan had twelve children, and was fond of amateur singing. Already in early age the boy was found beautiful voice, and the desire to learn music. This attracted the attention of a distant relative who was a music teacher in a nearby town. At the age of six, his parents sent the boy to study in the city where his father’s cousin, a teacher and conductor of the local choir, lived. For two years, Johann learned to read, write, play various instruments, and sang in the choir.
In 1740, Johann was enrolled as a chorister at St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna and received the position of soloist. The life of the choir members was Spartan: they ate poorly and worked hard. But, despite the difficult conditions, the teaching was professional.
In 1749, the conductor kicked him out of the choir due to his broken voice. For five years, Johann leads a miserable existence, trying to earn a living. Having borrowed money, Haydn rented a small room, bought an old harpsichord and began to work. He taught and studied around the clock. Everything the young musician did was related to music. During these years he created his first works and also composed to order.
In 1759, Haydn was invited to the position of bandmaster to Count Morcin. For the Viennese aristocrat he composes light music, which he liked, full of joy and love. Composed his first symphonies.
In 1760, the composer fell in love with one of his students, but the girl decided to go to a monastery. In a hurry, at the age of 28, Johann marries her older sister. Which I later regretted for the rest of my life. The marriage was very unsuccessful. Not only was Maria Anna barren, but she also couldn’t stand musical creativity husband and tried every time opportunity annoy him.
From 1761 to 1790, Haydn worked as a bandmaster in a family of the richest aristocrats of the Hungarian family. The musician led the orchestra, composed music, and held concerts every week. Over the course of 29 years, he survived three generations of Esterhazy. Johann was satisfied with the work of the aristocrats, a decent salary, with which he later bought a house, and relative creative freedom. He composes numerous symphonies, operas, oratorios and much more. Becomes famous throughout Europe.
On one of his working trips to Vienna, Haydn met Mozart. Throughout their lives, the composers had a strong friendship. Mozart was a great admirer of Haydn's talent, and dedicated six string quartets to him.
In 1790, the Esterházy orchestra was disbanded.
From 1791 he worked in London, where he was awarded the title of Doctor of Music at Oxford. Haydn's cheerful character and wit were reflected in all his works.
Returning to Vienna, the composer became the leading musician of the era. One of his students was Beethoven, but due to his difficult character collaboration was short-lived. Until the end of his life, the composer remained a master of musical jokes. Even in Symphonies No. 83 “Chicken” and No. 82 “Bear” he managed to joke. Possessing the ability to imitate animals using sounds and natural phenomena, creates the oratorios “The Creation of the World” and “The Seasons”.
In 1809, Johann Haydn died in his home, after a rich and fruitful life.
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