Franz Joseph Haydn: biography, creativity, interesting facts from life. Joseph Haydn - biography, photo, personal life of the composer Cindy Haydn biography

One of the greatest composers of all time is Franz Joseph Haydn. A brilliant musician of Austrian origin. The man who created the foundations of the 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 the musical genres of symphony and quartet were first composed by Joseph Haydn. The talented composer lived a very interesting and eventful life.

Read a short biography of Joseph Haydn and many interesting facts about the composer on our page.

Brief biography of Haydn

Haydn's biography began on March 31, 1732, when 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. Little Joseph was gifted with perfect pitch and an excellent sense of rhythm 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 Josef has genuine feelings for music, and on this basis the famous composer decides to offer the young man an interesting job - to 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 in 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. During their two decades of marriage, the couple never had children, which also influenced the unsuccessful family history. Considering all these troubles, the musical genius was a faithful husband for 20 years. But an unpredictable life brought Franz Josef together with the 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 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, he composed a huge number of 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 his last days in his home in Vienna. Later it was decided to transport the remains to Eisenstadt.

Interesting facts

It is generally accepted that Joseph Haydn's birthday is March 31st. But his certificate indicated a different date - April 1. If you believe the composer's diaries, then such a minor change was made in order not to celebrate his holiday on April Fool's Day.
Little Joseph was so talented that he could play the drums at the age of 6! When the drummer who was supposed to take part in the procession on the occasion of Holy Week suddenly died, Haydn was asked to replace him. Because the future composer was short, due to the characteristics of his age, then in front of him walked a hunchback, who had a drum tied on his back, and Joseph could calmly play the instrument. The rare drum still exists today. It is located in Hainburg Church.
The young Haydn's singing voice was so impressive that he was asked to join the St. Stephen's Cathedral choir school in Vienna when the boy was only five years old.
The choirmaster of St. Stephen's Cathedral suggested that Haydn undergo a certain operation to prevent his voice from breaking, but fortunately the father of the future composer intervened and prevented this.
When the composer’s mother died at the age of 47, his father quickly married a young maid who was 19 years old. The difference between the ages of Haydn and his stepmother was only 3 years, and the “son” turned out to be older.

Haydn loved a girl who for some reason decided that life in a monastery was better than family life. Then the musical genius invited his beloved’s older sister, Anna Maria, to marry. But this rash decision did not lead to anything good. The wife turned out to be grumpy and not understanding of her husband’s musical hobbies. Haydn wrote that Anna Maria used his music manuscripts as kitchen utensils.
In Haydn's biography there is an interesting legend about the name of the F-moll String Quartet "Razor". One morning Haydn was shaving with a dull razor, and when his patience ran out, he shouted that if he were given a normal razor now, he would give his wonderful work for it. At that moment, John Bland was nearby, a man who wanted to publish the composer's manuscripts, which no one had yet seen. After hearing this, the publisher without hesitation handed over his English steel razors to the composer. Haydn kept his word and presented the new work to the guest. Thus, the String Quartet received such an unusual name.
It is known that Haydn and Mozart had a very strong friendship. Mozart greatly respected and revered his friend. And if Haydn criticized Amadeus’s works or gave any advice, Mozart always listened; Joseph’s opinion always came first for the young composer. Despite their peculiar temperaments and age difference, the friends had no quarrels or disagreements.
“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 the 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 Joseph’s good friend, John Hönter. 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. Josef suffered from smallpox as a child.

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 fell asleep during a concert or were already having beautiful dreams. Haydn suggested that this happens because the British intelligentsia are not used to listening to classical music and do not have any special feelings for art, but the British are a people of tradition, so they necessarily 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. Thus, 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 based on Haydn’s biography. 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 film "Haydn" from the "Famous Composers" series.
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.”

In Guy Ritchie's 2009 Sherlock Holmes, the adagio from String Quartet No. 3 in D major is heard during the scene where Watson and his fiancée Mary dine with Holmes at a restaurant called "The Royal".
The 3rd movement of the cello concerto is used in the English film "Hilary and Jackie" 1998.
The piano concerto is featured in Steven Spielberg's film Catch Me If You Can.
The minuet from the 33rd sonata is inserted into the musical accompaniment of the film "Runaway Bride" (sequel to the famous film "Pretty Woman").
Adagio e cantibile from Sonata No. 59 is used in 1994's The Vampire Diaries starring Brad Pitt.
The sounds of the B-dur string quartet "Sunrise" are heard in the 1997 horror film "Relic".
In the magnificent film "The Pianist", which received 3 Oscars, Haydn's Quartet No. 5 is heard.
Also, string quartet No. 5 comes from the music for the films "Star Trek: Insurrection" 1998 and "Ft.
Symphonies No. 101 and No. 104 can be found in the 1991 film The Lord of Tides.
The 33rd string quartet is used in the 1997 comedy George of the Jungle.
The third part of String Quartet No. 76 "Emperor" can be found in the films "Casablanca" 1941, "Bulworth" 1998, "Cheap Detective" 1978, and "The Dirty Dozen".
Concerto for trumpet and orchestra appears in "Big Deal" with Mark Wahlberg.
In “The Bicentennial Man,” based on the book by the brilliant science fiction writer Isaac Asimov, you can hear Haydn’s Symphony No. 73 “The Hunt.”

Haydn House Museum

In 1889, the Haydn Museum was opened in Vienna, which is located in the composer's home. For 4 whole years, Joseph slowly built his “corner” with the money earned during the tour. Initially there was a low house, which, at the behest of the composer, was rebuilt by adding floors. The second floor was where the musician himself lived, and below he settled his assistant Elsper, who copied Haydn’s notes.

Almost all the exhibits in the museum are the personal property of the composer during his lifetime. Handwritten notes, painted portraits, the instrument Haydn used to play, and other interesting things. It is unusual that the building has a small room dedicated to Johannes Brahms . Johannes greatly respected and honored the work of the Viennese classic. This room is filled with his personal belongings, furniture and tools.

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. Joseph's parents were also simple 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 receive a 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 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. The landowner Karl Fürnberg, a music lover, provided Joseph with significant support. 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 it didn’t come to marriage. For hitherto unknown reasons, the girl left her father's house. Keller invited Haydn to marry his 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, the main value of 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.

Biography of Haydn: 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.

The entire complex world of classical music, which cannot be covered at one glance, is conventionally divided into eras or styles (this applies to all classical art, but today we are talking specifically about music). One of the central stages in the development of music is the era of musical classicism. This era gave world music three names that probably anyone who has heard at least a little about classical music can name: Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven. Since the lives of these three composers were in one way or another connected with Vienna in the 18th century, the style of their music, as well as the brilliant constellation of their names itself, was called Viennese classicism. These composers themselves are called Viennese classics.

"Papa Haydn" - whose papa?

The oldest of the three composers, and therefore the founder of the style of their music, is Franz Joseph Haydn, whose biography you will read in this article (1732-1809) - “father Haydn” (they say that the great Mozart himself called Joseph that way, who, by the way, , was several decades younger than Haydn).

Anyone would put on airs! And Father Haydn? Not at all. He gets up at first light and works, writes his music. And he is dressed as if he were not a famous composer, but an inconspicuous musician. He is simple both in food and in conversation. He called all the boys from the street and allowed them to eat wonderful apples in his garden. It is immediately clear that his father was a poor man and that there were many children in the family - seventeen! If not for chance, maybe Haydn, like his father, would have become a carriage master.

Early childhood

The small village of Rohrau, lost in Lower Austria, is a huge family, headed by an ordinary worker, a carriage maker, whose responsibility is not the mastery of sound, but carts and wheels. But Joseph’s father also had a good command of sound. Villagers often gathered in the poor but hospitable Haydn house. They sang and danced. Austria is generally very musical, but perhaps the main subject of their interest was the owner of the house himself. Not knowing how to read music, he nevertheless sang well and accompanied himself on the harp, choosing the accompaniment by ear.

First successes

Little Joseph was more clearly affected by his father's musical abilities than all the other children. Already at the age of five, he stood out among his peers with his beautiful, ringing voice and excellent sense of rhythm. With such musical abilities, it was simply destined for him not to grow up in his own family.

At that time, church choirs were in dire need of high voices - female voices: sopranos, altos. Women, according to the structure of patriarchal society, did not sing in the choir, so their voices, so necessary for a full and harmonious sound, were replaced by the voices of very young boys. Before the onset of mutation (that is, the restructuring of the voice, which is part of the changes in the body during adolescence), boys with good musical abilities could well replace women in the choir.

So very little Joseph was taken into the choir of the church of Hainburg, a small town on the banks of the Danube. For his parents, this must have been a huge relief - at such an early age (Josef was about seven) no one in their family had yet become self-sufficient.

The town of Hainburg generally played an important role in Joseph’s fate - here he began to study music professionally. And soon Georg Reuther, a prominent musician from Vienna, visited the Hainburg church. He traveled around the country with the same goal - to find capable, vocal boys to sing in the choir of the Cathedral of St. Stefan. This name hardly tells us anything, but for Haydn it was a great honor. St. Stephen's Cathedral! Symbol of Austria, symbol of Vienna! A huge example of Gothic architecture with echoing vaults. But Haydn had to pay more than that for singing in such a place. Long solemn services and court festivities, which also required a choir, took up a huge part of his free time. But you still had to study at the school at the cathedral! This had to be done in fits and starts. The director of the choir, the same Georg Reuther, had little interest in what was going on in the minds and hearts of his charges, and did not notice that one of them was taking his first, perhaps clumsy, but independent steps in the world of composing music. The work of Joseph Haydn then still bore the stamp of amateurism and the very first attempts. For Haydn, the conservatory was replaced by a choir. Often he had to learn brilliant examples of choral music from previous eras, and Joseph along the way drew conclusions for himself about the techniques used by composers and extracted the knowledge and skills he needed from the musical text.

The boy had to do work that was completely unrelated to music, for example, serving at the court table and serving dishes. But this also turned out to be beneficial for the development of the future composer! The fact is that the nobles at court ate only to high symphonic music. And the little footman, who was not even noticed by the important nobles, while serving the dishes, made to himself the conclusions he needed about the structure of the musical form or the most colorful harmonies. Of course, interesting facts from the life of Joseph Haydn include the very fact of his musical self-education.

The situation at school was harsh: boys were punished petty and severely. No further prospects were foreseen: as soon as the voice began to break and was no longer as high and sonorous as before, its owner was mercilessly thrown out into the street.

Minor start to independent life

Haydn suffered the same fate. He was already 18 years old. After wandering the streets of Vienna for several days, he met an old school friend, and he helped him find an apartment, or rather, a small room right under the attic. It is not for nothing that Vienna is called the music capital of the world. Even then, not yet glorified by the names of the Viennese classics, it was the most musical city in Europe: the melodies of songs and dances floated through the streets, and in the little room under the very roof in which Haydn settled, there was a real treasure - an old, broken clavichord (a musical instrument, one of forerunners of the piano). However, I didn't have to play it much. Most of my time was spent looking for work. In Vienna it is possible to obtain only a few private lessons, the income from which barely allows one to meet the necessary needs. Desperate to find work in Vienna, Haydn begins to wander around nearby cities and villages.

Niccolo Porpora

This time - Haydn's youth - was overshadowed by acute need and constant search for work. Until 1761, he managed to find work only temporarily. Describing this period of his life, it should be noted that he worked as an accompanist for the Italian composer, as well as vocalist and teacher Niccolo Porpora. Haydn got a job with him specifically to learn music theory. It was possible to learn while performing the duties of a footman: Haydn had to not only accompany.

Count Morcin

From 1759, for two years, Haydn lived and worked in the Czech Republic, on the estate of Count Morcin, who had an orchestral chapel. Haydn is the conductor, that is, the manager of this chapel. Here he writes a lot of music, music, of course, very good, but exactly the kind that the count demands from him. It is worth noting that most of Haydn’s musical works were written while performing official duties.

Under the leadership of Prince Esterhazy

In 1761, Haydn began serving in the chapel of the Hungarian Prince Esterhazy. Remember this surname: the elder Esterházy will die, the estate will pass into the department of his son, and Haydn will still serve. He would serve as Esterhazy's bandmaster for thirty years.

At that time, Austria was a huge feudal state. It included both Hungary and the Czech Republic. Feudal lords - nobles, princes, counts - considered it good form to have an orchestral and choir chapel at court. You've probably heard something about serf orchestras in Russia, but maybe you don't know that in Europe things weren't the best either. A musician - even the most talented one, even the leader of a choir - was in the position of a servant. At the time when Haydn was just beginning to serve with Esterházy, in another Austrian city, Salzburg, little Mozart was growing up, who, while in the service of the count, would have to dine in the people's room, sitting above the footmen, but below the cooks.

Haydn had to fulfill many large and small responsibilities - from writing music for holidays and celebrations and learning it with the choir and orchestra of the chapel, to discipline in the chapel, the peculiarities of the costume and the preservation of notes and musical instruments.

The Esterhazy estate was located in the Hungarian town of Eisenstadt. After the death of the elder Esterhazy, his son took over the estate. Prone to luxury and celebrations, he built a country residence - Eszterhaz. Guests were often invited to the palace, which consisted of one hundred and twenty-six rooms, and, of course, music had to be played for the guests. Prince Esterhazy went to the country palace for all the summer months and took all his musicians there.

Musician or servant?

A long period of service at the Esterhazy estate became the time of birth of many new works by Haydn. At the request of his master, he writes major works in various genres. Operas, quartets, sonatas, and other works come from his pen. But Joseph Haydn especially loves the symphony. This is a large, usually four-movement work for symphony orchestra. It was under Haydn’s pen that a classical symphony appeared, that is, an example of this genre on which other composers would later rely. During his life, Haydn wrote about one hundred and four symphonies (the exact number is unknown). And, of course, most of them were created by the bandmaster of Prince Esterhazy.

Over time, Haydn's position reached a paradox (unfortunately, the same thing would later happen to Mozart): they know him, they listen to his music, they talk about him in different European countries, but he himself cannot even go somewhere without the permission of his owner. The humiliation that Haydn experiences from such an attitude of the prince towards him sometimes slips into letters to friends: “Am I a bandmaster or a bandmaster?” (Chapel - servant).

Joseph Haydn's Farewell Symphony

It is rare for a composer to be able to escape from the circle of official duties, visit Vienna, and see friends. By the way, for some time fate brings him together with Mozart. Haydn was one of those who unconditionally recognized not only the phenomenal virtuosity of Mozart, but precisely his deep talent, which allowed Wolfgang to look into the future.

However, these absences were rare. More often than not, Haydn and the choir musicians had to linger in Eszterhaza. The prince sometimes did not want to let the chapel go to the city even at the beginning of autumn. In the biography of Joseph Haydn, interesting facts undoubtedly include the history of the creation of his 45th, so-called Farewell Symphony. The prince once again detained the musicians for a long time in the summer residence. The cold had long set in, the musicians had not seen their family members for a long time, and the swamps surrounding Eszterhaz were not conducive to good health. The musicians turned to their bandmaster with a request to ask the prince about them. It is unlikely that a direct request would help, so Haydn writes a symphony, which he performs by candlelight. The symphony consists not of four, but of five movements, and during the last one the musicians take turns getting up, putting down their instruments and leaving the hall. Thus, Haydn reminded the prince that it was time to take the chapel to the city. The legend says that the prince took the hint, and the summer holiday was finally over.

Last years of life. London

The life of the composer Joseph Haydn developed like a path in the mountains. It's hard to climb, but at the end - the top! The culmination of both his creativity and his fame came at the very end of his life. Haydn's works reached their final maturity in the 1980s. XVIII century. Examples of the style of the 80s include six so-called Parisian symphonies.

The composer's difficult life was marked by a triumphant conclusion. In 1791, Prince Esterházy died, and his heir dissolved the chapel. Haydn, already a well-known composer throughout Europe, becomes an honorary citizen of Vienna. He receives a house in this city and a lifelong pension. The last years of Haydn's life are very radiant. He visits London twice - as a result of these trips, twelve London symphonies appeared - his last works in this genre. In London, he gets acquainted with the work of Handel and, impressed by this acquaintance, for the first time tries himself in the oratorio genre - Handel's favorite genre. In his declining years, Haydn created two oratorios that are still known today: “The Seasons” and “The Creation of the World.” Joseph Haydn wrote music until his death.

Conclusion

We examined the main stages of the life of the father of the classical style in music. Optimism, the triumph of good over evil, reason over chaos and light over darkness, these are the characteristic features of the musical works of Joseph Haydn.

Joseph Haydn was given a long life by fate - the composer died at the age of 77, but this is not the only reason why his creative legacy is so extensive: he wrote more than a hundred symphonies alone.

The future composer was born in the village of Rohrau, located in the possessions of the Counts of Harrach in Lower Austria. There is also a peculiar secret in the composer’s biography: in his works he willingly quoted Croatian folk melodies, and in the area where he was born, representatives of this people live now, lived then - along with the Hungarians and Czechs... it is possible (although it has not been proven ), that the “father of the symphony” could have Slavic roots.

Matthias Haydn, Joseph's father, was a carriage maker, but the family was fond of amateur music-making, which allowed the parents to notice the boy's musical abilities. To learn choral singing, play the violin and harpsichord, he was sent to his relatives in Hainburg an der Donau. Here the director of the chapel of the Vienna Cathedral drew the attention of the talented boy, and eight-year-old Joseph went to Vienna, where he worked as a chorister for several years. He often performed solo, because Josef had an excellent treble, but that was the only thing they valued about him: no one taught him composition, and when the young man’s voice began to break, he was simply thrown out into the street.

Eking out a half-starved existence, earning pennies by private lessons and playing the violin in a traveling ensemble, the young man, despite the circumstances, improved his composing skills. He studies the keyboard music of Philip Emmanuel Bach and delves into the musical theoretical works of German authors. Haydn was unable to pay for the composition lessons that Nicola Porpora gave him, and instead of paying, he worked them as an accompanist in singing lessons and even as a servant.

Fortune smiled on Haydn in 1759 - he became the conductor of the court chapel of Count Morcin. In the service of this aristocrat, Haydn wrote his first symphonies and quartets. True, he did not remain Morcin’s bandmaster for long - in 1761 the count disbanded his choir, but during this time another aristocrat, the Hungarian prince Esterhazy, managed to pay attention to the composer. He accepted Haydn as vice-kapellmeister, and in 1766 - kapellmeister. In this position, he was required to lead an orchestra, compose music, and even stage operas.

Perhaps the position of the court conductor played a certain role in the enormous legacy Haydn left - often, by order of Prince Esterhazy, the composer had to not only write a symphony in one day, but also practice it with the court orchestra. And yet, the main explanation for such high productivity lies in the “method” that Joseph Haydn himself once described: every morning, after saying a prayer, he began composing music, and if he did not succeed, he prayed again - and worked again... truly , he was a “craftsman” in the best, highest sense of the word - a man whose whole life was spent in tireless work... Perhaps he learned this from his father, a carriage maker?

Haydn entered the history of music as the “father of the symphony.” This genre existed before, but it was in Haydn’s work that the sonata-symphonic cycle became what we know it now - three movements in a sonata and four in a symphony, each of which contains something that is not in the others... The quintessence of the thinking of classicism with his cult of reason and moderation. This scheme turned out to be so successful that it did not collapse either under the pressure of the passions of romanticism or in the storms of the twentieth century - it changed, appeared in a new quality, but was always preserved - and we owe this to Joseph Haydn.

At first, Haydn's works, written in the service of Esterhazy, were considered the property of this aristocratic family, but in 1779 the contract was changed, and the composer received the right to sell his scores to publishers. This contributed to the composer's international fame.

Haydn served at the Esterhazy court for about thirty years. In 1790, the prince died, his son disbanded the orchestra, but according to the prince’s will, the composer received a lifelong pension. Thanks to this, Haydn was able to travel abroad, which he had previously been unable to afford. The composer visited London twice, where his music enjoyed great success. For the first time in many years, the composer had the opportunity to work with large orchestras and perform in large halls in front of a general public, and not in front of a narrow circle of aristocrats. The composer's twelve symphonies, written at this time and known as the London Symphonies, became the pinnacle of his symphonic creativity.

Exceptional performance allowed Haydn to surprise the world at the age of 67. At this age, when people are already reluctant to take on something new, the composer created a work in a genre that he had previously approached only once and without much success - the oratorio “,” which critic Alexander Serov later called “a gigantic creation.” Two years later, a new masterpiece in the oratorio genre followed - “”. The oratorios became the “spectacular point” of Haydn’s creative path. In the last years of his life he no longer created music. The composer passed away in 1809, shortly after Napoleonic troops attacked Vienna.

According to the composer himself, most of all, in his difficult life and tireless work, he was supported by the realization that his work would serve people “as a source from which a tired, burdened soul will draw peace and cheerfulness.” One cannot but agree with this when listening to his sonatas, symphonies and oratorios.

Musical Seasons

Joseph Haydn (Haydn) - famous German composer, was 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 his 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 works, which are of greatest importance 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 had special significance in Haydn’s life 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.