Joseph Haydn

He is a famous and prolific Austrian

composer of the Classical period. His
contributions to musical form have earned
him the titles "Father of Symphony" and
"Father of String Quartet"
Full name: Franz Joseph Haydn
Birth: March 31, 1732 (in Rohrau, Austria)
Death: age 77- May 31, 1809 (in Vienna.)
Parents: Mathias Haydn and Anna Maria
Koller
Wife: Maria Anna Aloysia Apollonia Keller

*Joseph Haydn was the brother of

Michael Haydn who is a highly
regarded composer himself, and of
Johann Evangelist Haydn, a tenor.
*Haydn was also a friend of Mozart

and a teacher of Beethoven.

*From 1761-90, he directed the
orchestra of Prince Eszterhzy
*He wrote the old imperial hymn of
Austria which later became the
national anthem of Germany
("Deutschlandlied")
Structure and character of his
music
-Haydn's work was central to the
development of what came to be called
sonata form. Haydn was particularly fond
of the so-called monothematic
exposition.
*monothematic exposition - the music that
establishes the dominant key is similar or
identical to the opening theme.

-Perhaps more than any other composer's,

Haydn's music is known for its humor.
*The most famous example is the sudden
loud chord in the slow movement of his
"Surprise symphony; Haydn's many
other musical jokes include numerous false
endings and the remarkable rhythmic
illusion placed in the trio section of the third
movement of Opus 50
*Opus - (The string quartets have numbers,
but are usually identified instead by their
opus numbers, which have the advantage of
indicating the groups of six quartets that
Haydn published together)
-Much of the music was written to please
and delight a prince, and its emotional tone
is correspondingly upbeat. This tone also
reflects, perhaps, Haydn's fundamentally
healthy and well-balanced personality.

-Haydn's fast movements tend to be

rhythmically propulsive and often impart a
great sense of energy, especially in the
finales.
Major Works
Choral Works - including "The Creation" (Die
Schapfung) and "The Seasons"
Masses - including the "Nelson" and the
"Theresa"
Opera "Il Mondo della Luna"
"Emperor Quartet" Op.76 No.3 which uses the
theme from the anthem "God Save Emperor
Francis" which later became the melody for the
Austrian and then the German National Anthem