FREE ESSAY ON JOSEPH FRANZ HAYDN

JOSEPH FRANZ HAYDN

Joseph Franz Haydn
(1732-1809)
He is considered by some people to be one of the most famous composers of the classical
period. His career grew with the development of classical style and forms, with the
symphony, sonata, string quartet, and other instrumental forms, in the moulding of which
he played an important part. Joseph Haydn was born in Rohrau in 1732, the son of a
wheelwright, he trained as a chorister at St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, where he
made an early living. He worked as a freelance musician, playing the violin and the
keyboard instruments, accompanying for singing lessons given by the composer Porpora, who
helped and encouraged him ( Boynick, 1). In this essay, I will discuss a brief overview
of Joseph Haydn's life. I will also talk about some of the pieces he has composed and how
they changed music forever.
In 1759 he was appointed music director to Count Morzin; but he soon moved, into service
as Vice-Kapellmeister with one of the leading Hungarian families, the Esterhazys,
becoming full Kapellmeister in 1766 (Boynick, 1). He was director of an ensemble of
generally some 15-20 musicians, with the responsibility for the music and the
instruments, and was required to compose as his employer from 1762, Prince Nikolaus
Esterhazy (Boynick, 1). At first he lived at Eisenstadt, 30 miles southeast of Vienna, by
1767 the family's residence, and Haydn's chief place to work at was at the palace of
Eszterhaza. In his early years Haydn chiefly wrote instrumental music, including
symphonies, and other pieces for the twice-weekly concerts and the prince's Tafelmusik,
and works for the instrument played by the prince, the baryton (a kind of viol), for
which
He composed circa 125 trios in ten years (Boynick, 1). After that, Haydn expanded his
musical pieces from the occasional, entertainment music towards larger and more original
pieces. Also from 1768-1772, he composed three string quartets, probably not written for
the Esterhazy establishment but for another patron or perhaps for publication (Haydn was
allowed to write other than for the Esterhazys only with permission (Boynick, 1).
Among the operas from this period are Lo speziale, L'infedelta delusa and II mondo della
luna. Haydn's job was to prepare the music, adapting or arranging it for the voices of
the resident singers. In 1779 the opera house burnt down; Haydn composed La fedelta
premiata for its reopening in 1781 (Boynick, 2). Until then his operas has largely been
comic genres; his last two for Esterhaza, Orlando paladino (1782) and Armida (1783), are
mixed or serious genres (Boynick, 2). Haydn's reputation had now grown and was
international. Much of his music had been published in all the main European centres; 
under a revised contract with the Esterhaza his employer no longer had exclusive rights
to his music (Boynick, 2).
His work in the 1780s included symphonies, piano trios, piano sonatas, and string
quartets. His influential op.33 quartets, issued in 1782, were said to be in a quite new,
special manner: this is sometimes thought to refer to the use of instruments or the style
of thematic development, but could refer to the introduction of Scherzos or mighty simply
be an advertising device (Hughes, 36). More quartets appeared at the end of the decade,
op.50 was dedicated to the King of Prussia (often said to be influenced by the quartets
Mozart had dedicated to Haydn) and two sets opp.54-5 and 64 where written for a former
Esterhazy violinist who became Viennese businessman (Hughes, 37). Other works that
carried Haydn's reputation beyond central Europe included concertos and Notturnos for a
type of that are written on commission for the King of Naples, and The Seven Last 
Words, commissioned for the Holy Week from Cadiz Cathedral and existing not only in its
original orchestral form but also for string quartet, for piano and later for chorus and
orchestra (Griesinger, 153). 
In 1790, Haydn was invited by the violinist JP Salomon to go to London to write opera,
symphonies, and other works. He composed his last f 12 symphonies for performance there,
where they enjoyed great success; he also wrote symphony concertante, choral pieces,
piano trios, piano sonatas and songs (some to English words) as well as arranging British
folksongs for publishers in London and Edinburgh (Griesinger, 157). But because of
intrigues his opera, L'anima del filosofo, on the Orpheus story, remained unperformed
(Griesinger, 157). He was honored and feted generously and played, sang and conducted
before the royal family (Griesinger, 161). He also heard Handel's musical performances in
Westminster Abbey.
Back in Vienna, his main duty was to produce masses for the princess's nameday. He wrote
six works, firmly in the Austrian mass tradition but strengthened and invigorated by his
command of symphonic technique ( Boynick, 3). Other works of his late years include
further string quartets (opp. 71 between the London visits, op. 76 and the op.77 pair
after them), showing great diversity of style and seriousness of content yet retaining
his vitality and fluency of utterance; some have a more public manner, acknowledging the
new use of string quartets at the concerts as well as in the home (Hughes, 48). The most
important work, however, is his oratorio The Creation in which his essentially
simple-hearted joy of Man, Beast and Nature, and his gratitude to God for his creation of
these things to our benefit (Boynick, 3). He then followed this piece with The Seasons,
which is very similar, but is separated into sections rather than a whole.
Haydn died in 1809 after twice dictating his recollections and preparing a catalogue of
his works (Boynick, 3). He was widely revered, even though by the time of his death, his
music was old-fashioned compared with Beethoven's. Some of his music remains unpublished
and still unknown. His operas have never succeeded in holding the stage, but he is
regarded as the father of the symphony and the string quartet. He saw both genres from
their beginnings to a high level of sophistication and artistic expression, even if he
did not originate them (Boynick, 3). He brought to them a new intellectual level and his
closely argued style of development paved the way for new composers.