Joseph Haydn was an Austrian musical composer who lived during the Classical period. He was one of the main developers of chamber music. His contributions to the world of music made him go down in history and be recognized as the "father of the symphony.".
Haydn worked most of his life as a private composer for a wealthy family of the time. This led him to withdraw from the compositions of other contemporary artists, which caused him to produce his own musical style. However, his style was so famous that it circulated throughout Europe.
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Franz Joseph Haydn was born in 1732 in a small village in Austria, near the Hungarian border. His family was not very wealthy financially, but from an early age they noticed Haydn's musical talent.
Knowing that there was no way to exploit his talent in his small native village, his parents sent him to the residence of Johan Frankh, a relative who ran a music school a few kilometers away..
At just 6 years old, Haydn left his parents' home to train in the musical arts with Frankh..
Although his musical training was on the right track, life did not come easy for young Haydn. He was constantly humiliated by the filthy state of his clothing and more than once he went hungry because they did not give him enough to eat..
However, the musical director of St. Stephen's Cathedral heard him sing and recruited him as a member of the choir. She spent nine years as a choir singer for the cathedral, where she significantly improved her musical abilities..
After some personal problems, he was expelled from the cathedral choir and dedicated himself to work on his own. Having received no formal training in musical composition, he devoted much of his time to learning this art. His main influence was the music of Bach.
In 1761 the famous composer Nicola Porpora offered to give him composition lessons in exchange for Haydn becoming his assistant..
This event finished Haydn's formation as a composer, and shortly after he was appointed musical master of the Esterházy family palace..
He worked as a private songwriter for almost 30 years. He had a lot of responsibilities and had to move with the royal family wherever they went. Without a doubt, the position was a unique musical opportunity for Haydn..
The prince of the family had a great interest in learning to play the bariton, a stringed instrument not very common at the time. During 10 years Haydn composed more than 190 specialized musical pieces for this instrument and supervised the prince in his musical learning.
In 1779 the Esterházy family renegotiated their contract, allowing Haydn to publish his works with other music houses. As a consequence of this, he stopped composing operas and devoted himself mainly to the production of quartets and symphonies..
His prolonged stay with the Esterházy family led him to feel incredibly lonely. I didn't have the opportunity to travel very often.
For this reason, when his contract ended, he accepted an invitation in 1791 to move to London and work alongside businessman Johan Peter Salomon..
His work in London was frequent, as in 1794 he returned to England to give a series of concerts that made him obtain a significant amount of money. His work was widely recognized and appreciated in England..
This made his concerts attract a large audience. In England, Haydn created several of his most important works.
In 1795 he returned to Vienna, where he again worked with the Esterházy family but only as part-time composer..
Already a recognized public figure, when Haydn was not working he made several visits to public places. His health was not in good condition and he passed away at the age of 77 in Austria..
Joseph Haydn was one of the most prolific composers in history. During his musical career he created 108 unique symphonies, 68 string quartets, 32 entertainments for small orchestras, 126 bariton trios (most for the Esterházy family), and a plethora of works for piano, violin, and cello..
On the other hand, Haydn is recognized as the first composer to invent the string quartet, he created the style of classical music and influenced Mozart and his student Beethoven to produce works that today are considered the most important in classical music..
Haydn had a particular character that made him unique for the time: he was an incredibly joking person and with a cheerful personality..
This usually pleased those around him, but his attitude caused him several problems when he was young. Haydn had a particular taste for practical jokes.
The reason Haydn was expelled from the St Stephen's Cathedral choir was because of a prank he played on another showgirl. During one of her singing sessions she cut off the tail of one of the chorus girls. His teacher immediately expelled him from the choir.
However, he was a devout Catholic who respected God. When it was difficult for him to compose a musical work, he looked for his rosary to ask God for help.
This generally worked quite well for him. Most of his manuscripts began with the phrase "In the name of God" and ended with "Praise God.".
Despite being an extremely honest and correct person, Haydn was very ambitious. In many cases, he sold his works several times, which was considered fraud. In addition, he was a difficult negotiator and always sought to obtain as much money as possible for his work..
A curious phrase that Haydn said to his biographer was the following: “I don't understand how I attracted so many beautiful women in my life. It couldn't have been because of my beauty. " According to those who knew him, Haydn was not a physically attractive person.
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