Joseph Haydn
Austrian Classical composer, pivotal in chamber music and symphonic form.
via Wikipedia: Joseph Haydn · see source
Franz Joseph Haydn (31 March 1732 – 31 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. He played a key role in developing chamber music forms, including the string quartet and piano trio. Because of his influence on musical structure, he is often referred to as the "Father of the Symphony," the "Father of the String Quartet," and the "Father of Sonata Form."
Haydn came from a modest background, born to working-class parents in a small rural village. He began his career as a chorister at St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, then endured a difficult period working as a freelance musician. He eventually found success as music director for the wealthy Esterházy family at their palace in rural Hungary. Although he had his own orchestra there, the position isolated him from other composers and musical trends, which, as he put it, "forced [him] to become original." During this time, his music was widely published, and he became the most celebrated composer in Europe. Notable works from this period include the Paris and London symphonies. After his patron Nikolaus Esterházy died in 1790, Haydn was free to travel, and he gained further fame performing in London and Vienna. In his later years, he composed the oratorios *The Creation* (1798) and *The Seasons* (1801). From 1803 until his death, he was in poor health and unable to compose. He died in Vienna in 1809 at age 77.
Critic Harold C. Schonberg described Haydn as "the Classic performer par excellence," noting that over his long life he grew up with new musical ideas and shaped them more than anyone else. He was the older brother of composer Michael Haydn, a friend and mentor to Mozart, and a teacher of Beethoven. Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven are sometimes grouped together as the "First Viennese School."
Haydn was born in Rohrau, Austria, a village then on the border with Hungary. His father, Mathias Haydn, was a wheelwright and also served as a marketplace supervisor. His mother, Maria Koller, had worked as a cook in the palace of Count Harrach, the local aristocrat. Neither parent could read music, but Mathias was an enthusiastic folk musician who had taught himself to play the harp. Haydn later recalled that his family was very musical, often singing together and with neighbors.
Recognizing their son's musical talent and knowing he could not get serious training in Rohrau, his parents accepted a proposal when Haydn was about six years old. They apprenticed him to their relative Johann Matthias Frankh, a schoolmaster and choirmaster in nearby Hainburg. Haydn moved in with Frankh and never lived with his parents again. Life there was difficult; Haydn later remembered being frequently hungry and embarrassed by his dirty clothes. Still, he quickly learned to play harpsichord and violin and sang treble parts in the church choir.
His singing impressed listeners, and in 1739 he caught the attention of Georg Reutter the Younger, music director at St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, who was visiting Hainburg in search of new choirboys. After passing an audition, Haydn moved to Vienna in 1740 and worked as a chorister for the next nine years. He lived in the Kapellhaus next to the cathedral with Reutter, Reutter's family, and four other choirboys (including his younger brother Michael after 1745). They were taught Latin, other school subjects, voice, violin, and keyboard. Reutter gave Haydn only two lessons in music theory and composition, but Haydn learned much by working as a professional musician at St. Stephen's, one of Europe's leading musical centers. Reutter, like Frankh, did not always ensure Haydn was properly fed. Haydn later told his biographer that he was motivated to sing well in hopes of being invited to perform for aristocratic audiences, where singers were usually given refreshments.
By 1749, Haydn's voice had changed and he could no longer sing high choral parts. Empress Maria Theresa complained to Reutter about his singing, calling it "crowing." After Haydn cut off a fellow chorister's pigtail as a prank, Reutter caned him and dismissed him. A friend, Johann Michael Spangler, took him in, sharing his family's crowded attic room for a few months. Haydn then began working as a freelance musician. He struggled at first, taking jobs as a music teacher, a street serenader, and, in 1752, as a valet-accompanist for the Italian composer Nicola Porpora, from whom he later said he learned "the true fundamentals of composition." He also briefly played the organ in the Bohemian Chancellery chapel for Count Friedrich Wilhelm von Haugwitz.
- born
- 31 March 1732
- died
- 31 May 1809
- field
- Composer
- nationality
- Austrian
- known_for
- Pivotal in evolution of string quartet and piano trio; called 'Father of the Sym
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Haydn arose from humble origins, the child of working people in a rural village. He established his career first by serving as a chorister at St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna, then through an arduous period as a freelance musician. Eventually he found career success, spending much of his working life as music director for the wealthy Esterházy family at their palace of Eszterháza in rural Hungary. Though he had his own orchestra there, it isolated him from other composers and trends in music so that he was, as he put it, "forced to become original". During this period his music circulated widely in publication, eventually making him the most celebrated composer in Europe. Notable works include the Paris and London symphonies. With the death of his patron Nikolaus Esterházy in 1790, Haydn was free to travel, and augmented his fame as a performer before the public in both London and Vienna. Late in life, he composed the oratorios The Creation (1798) and The Seasons (1801). The last years of his life (1803–1809) were spent in a state of debility, unable to compose due to poor health. He died in Vienna in 1809 at the age of 77.
Reader's Guide
Haydn's significance lies in his pivotal role in shaping Classical music forms, particularly the symphony, string quartet, and sonata form. His long career spanned the development of the Classical style, and his isolation at Eszterháza forced him to develop an original voice. His music circulated widely, making him the most celebrated composer in Europe during his lifetime. He was a friend and mentor of Mozart and a teacher of Beethoven, and together with them is sometimes referred to as the "First Viennese School". Harold C. Schonberg writes that Haydn "was the Classic performer par excellence, and in his long life, from 1732 to 1809, he grew up with the new musical ideas and, more than any one man, shaped them." His legacy includes the Paris and London symphonies, and the oratorios The Creation and The Seasons.
Did You Know?
- Haydn's father Mathias was a wheelwright and folk musician who taught himself to play the harp during his journeyman period.
- As a chorister at St. Stephen's Cathedral, Haydn was motivated to sing well in hopes of gaining more invitations to perform before aristocratic audiences, where the singers were usually served refreshments.
- Haydn was dismissed from the choir after snipping off the pigtail of a fellow chorister; he was first caned, then summarily thrown into the streets.
- He studied the counterpoint exercises in Johann Joseph Fux's text Gradus ad Parnassum and carefully studied the work of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, saying of Bach's first six keyboard sonatas, 'I did not leave my clavier till I played them through.'
- Haydn's first opera, Der krumme Teufel (The Limping Devil), was premiered successfully in 1753 but soon closed down by censors due to 'offensive remarks'.
Common Misconceptions (Editorial)
A common misconception is that Haydn was born in a city or into a musical family; in fact, he arose from humble origins as the child of working people in a rural village, and his father was a wheelwright and folk musician, not a trained professional. Another misconception holds that Haydn thrived on creative freedom and collaboration with other major composers; in reality, his isolation from other composers and trends while serving the Esterházy family forced him to become original, as he himself put it. Additionally, some may believe Haydn’s career ended with a gradual fade into retirement; instead, after his patron’s death in 1790, he traveled widely, performed in London and Vienna, and composed major late works like *The Creation* and *The Seasons* before poor health finally stopped him in 1803.
Why It Matters (Editorial)
Haydn matters because he fundamentally shaped the musical forms we still recognize today—the symphony, the string quartet, and the piano trio—earning him the lasting titles “Father of the Symphony” and “Father of the String Quartet.” His work endures not only for its innovation but for its humanity, rising from a childhood of rural poverty and a career of enforced isolation to produce music that became the most celebrated in Europe, proving that artistic greatness often emerges from constraint, not comfort.
Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)
"Franz Joseph Haydn (March 31 1732 – May 31 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the piano trio." — Joseph Haydn "Give Him thanks, all ye His works so wondrous! Sing His honor, sing His glory, bless and magnify His Name! Jehovah’s praise endures forevermore, Amen, Amen!." — Joseph Haydn "The libretto of an 18th-century oratorio by Joseph Haydn states in praise of Jehovah. Source: The Watchtower magazine, article: Praise the King of Eternity!, 4/1, 1996." — Joseph Haydn "Ich sage ihnen vor Gott, als ein ehrlicher Mann, ihr Sohn ist der größte Componist, den ich von Person und den Nahmen nach kenne: er hat geschmack, und über das die größte Compositionswissenschaft." — Joseph Haydn
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Joseph Haydn?
Franz Joseph Haydn was an Austrian composer who worked during the Classical period and helped define the sound of 18th-century orchestral and chamber music. He is widely recognized for establishing the structural foundations of the symphony, string quartet, and piano trio.
Why is Haydn called the 'Father of the Symphony'?
He earned that nickname because his large body of symphonic works laid out the formal blueprint that later composers like Mozart and Beethoven expanded upon. His experiments with orchestral structure turned the symphony into a fully independent genre.
What musical forms is Haydn most credited with developing?
He is credited with shaping the modern string quartet, the piano trio, and sonata form into the templates we still use today. His chamber music output set compositional standards that remained influential well into the Romantic era.
When was Joseph Haydn born and when did he die?
He was born on 31 March 1732 in Austria and died on 31 May 1809. His career spanned the late Baroque transition into the full flowering of the Classical style.
What nationality was Haydn and what era did he compose in?
Haydn was Austrian and his output belongs squarely to the Classical period. His work bridged earlier orchestral traditions with the more rigorously structured forms that came to define late-18th-century music.
More in Great Composers 1-22
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record