How are you?
This week's lecture is “Franz
Joseph Haydn”, the 6th topic of “Classical
Music”, which is a summary of the contents of “91. Classical Music: 6. Franz Joseph Haydn”
introduced on June 10th, 2017.
Franz Joseph Haydn was
an Austrian composer of the Classical era, born on March 31, 1732 and died on
May 31, 1809. Haydn, who played an important role in the development of chamber
music such as the piano trio, is also called "Father of the Symphony"
and "Father of the String Quartet" for his contributions to musical
form.
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| Portrait of Joseph Haydn, Thomas Hardy (1791) |
His parents had noticed
that their son was musically gifted, but in his hometown, Rohrau, Haydn did not
have the opportunity to obtain serious musical training. Then, when Haydn was
six years old, his parents accepted a proposal from their relative, Johann
Matthias Frankh, who was the schoolmaster and choirmaster in Hainburg, and
Haydn received a musical education as his pupil at his home.
In 1740, Haydn joined
the boys' choir of St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, where he worked for the
next nine years as a chorister.
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| St. Stephen's Cathedral |
In 1760, he married
Maria Anna Theresia Keller, but their marriage was very unhappy.
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| Maria Anna Theresia Keller |
In 1761, Haydn worked
as Vice-Kapellmeister of the orchestra of Prince Paul Anton, head of the
Esterházy family, and, upon the death of Paul Anton in 1762, Haydn worked for
his successor, Nikolaus I, for almost 30 years until 1790.
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| Nikolaus I, Prince Esterházy |
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| Eszterháza Palace |
In 1809, Haydn died peacefully, but after burial in a cemetery, his tomb was dug up unexpectedly, and his head was also missing, shocking the bereaved family. In response, his family officially requested the Austrian Empire to find his head, and finally, his head was returned to Austria in 1954, 145 years after it was excavated from the tomb and separated.
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| Haydn’s Skull |
Haydn established a
model of instrumental music in the Classical era with more than 100 symphonies
and nearly 70 string quartets.
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| Wax sculpture of Haydn, Franz Thaler (c.1800) |
Mozart's friend and
mentor, Beethoven's teacher, and composer Michael Haydn's older brother, Haydn
left behind masterpieces of church music such as Masses, Die Schöpfung (The
Creation), and Die Jahreszeiten (The Seasons) in his later years.
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| Haydn's tomb in the Bergkirche, Eisenstadt |
Thank you.
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