The village where the great composer Haydn was born. Haydn's biography. The period of creative maturity

18.06.2019

Joseph Haydn was given a long life by fate - the composer died at the age of 77, but that’s not the only reason why he creative heritage so extensively: he wrote more than a hundred symphonies alone.

The future composer was born in the village of Rohrau, located in the possessions of the Counts of Harrach in Lower Austria. There is also a peculiar secret in the composer’s biography: in his works he willingly quoted Croatian folk melodies, and in the area where he was born, representatives of this people live now, lived then - along with the Hungarians and Czechs... it is possible (although it has not been proven ), that the “father of the symphony” could have Slavic roots.

Matthias Haydn, Joseph's father, was a carriage maker, but the family was fond of amateur music-making, which allowed his parents to notice musical abilities boy. To learn choral singing, play the violin and harpsichord, he was sent to his relatives in Hainburg an der Donau. Here the director of the chapel of the Vienna Cathedral drew the attention of the talented boy, and eight-year-old Joseph went to Vienna, where he worked as a chorister for several years. He often performed solo, because Josef had an excellent treble, but that was the only thing they valued about him: no one taught him composition, and when the young man’s voice began to break, he was simply thrown out into the street.

Eking out a half-starved existence, earning pennies by private lessons and playing the violin in a traveling ensemble, the young man, despite the circumstances, improved his composing skills. He studies the keyboard music of Philip Emmanuel Bach and delves into the musical theoretical works of German authors. Haydn was unable to pay for the composition lessons that Nicola Porpora gave him, and instead of paying, he worked them as an accompanist in singing lessons and even as a servant.

Fortune smiled on Haydn in 1759 - he became a conductor court chapel Count Morcin. In the service of this aristocrat, Haydn wrote his first symphonies and quartets. True, he did not remain Morcin’s bandmaster for long - in 1761 the count disbanded his choir, but during this time another aristocrat, the Hungarian prince Esterhazy, managed to pay attention to the composer. He accepted Haydn as vice-kapellmeister, and in 1766 - kapellmeister. In this position, he was required to lead an orchestra, compose music, and even stage operas.

Perhaps the position of the court conductor played a certain role in the enormous legacy Haydn left - often, by order of Prince Esterhazy, the composer had to not only write a symphony in one day, but also practice it with the court orchestra. And yet, the main explanation for such high productivity lies in the “method” that Joseph Haydn himself once described: every morning, after saying a prayer, he began composing music, and if he did not succeed, he prayed again - and worked again... truly , he was a “craftsman” in the best, highest sense of the word - a man whose whole life was spent in tireless work... Perhaps he learned this from his father, a carriage maker?

Haydn entered the history of music as the “father of the symphony.” This genre existed before, but it was in Haydn’s work that the sonata-symphonic cycle became what we know it now - three movements in a sonata and four in a symphony, each of which contains something that is not in the others... The quintessence of the thinking of classicism with his cult of reason and moderation. This scheme turned out to be so successful that it did not collapse either under the pressure of the passions of romanticism or in the storms of the twentieth century - it changed, appeared in a new quality, but was always preserved - and we owe this to Joseph Haydn.

At first, Haydn's works, written in the service of Esterhazy, were considered the property of this aristocratic family, but in 1779 the contract was changed, and the composer received the right to sell his scores to publishers. This contributed to the composer's international fame.

Haydn served at the Esterhazy court for about thirty years. In 1790, the prince died, his son disbanded the orchestra, but according to the prince’s will, the composer received a lifelong pension. Thanks to this, Haydn was able to travel abroad, which he had previously been unable to afford. The composer visited London twice, where his music enjoyed great success. For the first time in many years, the composer had the opportunity to work with large orchestras and perform in large halls in front of a general public, and not in front of a narrow circle of aristocrats. The composer's twelve symphonies, written at this time and known as the London Symphonies, became the pinnacle of his symphonic creativity.

Exceptional performance allowed Haydn to surprise the world at the age of 67. At this age, when people are already reluctant to take on something new, the composer created a work in a genre that he had previously approached only once and without much success - the oratorio “,” which critic Alexander Serov later called “a gigantic creation.” Two years later, a new masterpiece in the oratorio genre followed - “”. The oratorios became the “spectacular point” of Haydn’s creative path. IN recent years he no longer created music in his life. The composer passed away in 1809, shortly after Napoleonic troops attacked Vienna.

According to the composer himself, most of all, in his difficult life and tireless work, he was supported by the realization that his work would serve people “as a source from which a tired, burdened soul will draw peace and cheerfulness.” One cannot but agree with this when listening to his sonatas, symphonies and oratorios.

Musical Seasons

Name: Joseph Haydn

Age: 77 years old

Activity: composer

Marital status: widower

Joseph Haydn: biography

It is no coincidence that composer Joseph Haydn is called the father of the symphony. It was thanks to the genius of the creator that this genre acquired classical perfection and became the basis on which the symphony from.

Among other things Haydn first created complete examples of other leading genres of the classicism era - string quartet and keyboard sonata. He was also the first to write secular oratorios in German. Later, these compositions stood on a par with the greatest achievements of the Baroque era - the English oratorios of George Frideric Handel and the German cantatas.

Childhood and youth

Franz Joseph Haydn was born on March 31, 1732 in the Austrian village of Rohrau, bordering Hungary. The composer's father had no music education, but in teenage years I learned to play the harp on my own. Franz’s mother was also partial to music. From early childhood, his parents discovered that their son had outstanding vocal abilities and excellent hearing. Already at the age of five, Josef sang loudly with his father, then mastered playing the violin perfectly, after which he came to the church choir to perform masses.

From the biography of a representative of the Viennese classical school, it is known that the far-sighted father, as soon as his son was six years old, sent his beloved child to a neighboring city to his relative Johann Matthias Frank, the rector of the school. In his establishment, the man taught children not only grammar and mathematics, but also gave them singing and violin lessons. There Haydn mastered string and wind instruments, retaining his gratitude to his mentor throughout his life.

Hard work, perseverance and a natural, sonorous voice helped Joseph become famous in his native land. One day, the Viennese composer Georg von Reuter came to Rohrau to select young singers for his choir. Franz impressed him and Georg took 8-year-old Joseph into the choir of Vienna's largest cathedral. There, for a couple of years, Haydn learned the art of singing, the subtleties of composition, and even composed spiritual songs.

The most difficult period for the composer began in 1749, when he had to earn a living by giving lessons, singing church choirs and playing various ensembles on string instruments. Despite the difficulties, the young man never became discouraged and never lost his desire to learn new things.

Franz spent the money he earned on lessons from the composer Nicolo Porpora, and when Joseph was unable to pay, the young man accompanied the mentor’s young students during lessons. Haydn, like a man possessed, studied books on composition and disassembled keyboard sonatas, up to late at night diligently composing music of different genres.

In 1751, in one of the suburban Viennese theaters They staged Haydn's opera entitled "The Lame Demon", in 1755 the creator had his first string quartet, and four years later - his first symphony. This genre in the future became the most important in the entire work of the composer.

Music

The year 1761 was a turning point in the composer’s life: on May 1, he entered into a contract with Prince Esterhazy and for thirty years remained the court conductor of this aristocratic Hungarian family.

The Esterhazy family lived in Vienna only in winter, and their main residence was in the small town of Eisenstadt, so it is not surprising that Haydn had to exchange his stay in the capital for six years to a monotonous existence on the estate.

The contract concluded between Franz and Count Esterhazy stated that the composer was obliged to compose the plays that his lordship would require. Early Haydn symphonies but written for the relatively small number of musicians at his disposal. After a couple of years of impeccable service, the composer was allowed to include new instruments in the orchestra at his discretion.

The main genre of the creator’s creativity piece of music“Autumn” always remained a symphony. At the turn of the 60-70s, compositions appeared one after another: No. 49 (1768) - “Passion”, No. 44, “Mourning”, and No. 45.

They reflected an emotional response to the new stylistic movement emerging in German literature, called “Storm and Drang”. It is also worth noting that during this period children's symphonies also appeared in the creator's repertoire.

After Joseph's fame went beyond the borders of Austria, the composer wrote six symphonies at the request of the Paris concert society, and after fulfilling orders received from the capital of Spain, his works began to be published in Naples and London.

At the same time, the life of a genius was illuminated by friendship with. It should be noted that relations between artists were never marred by rivalry or envy. Mozart claimed that it was from Joseph that he first learned how to create string quartets, so he dedicated a couple of works to his mentor. Franz himself considered Wolfgang Amadeus the greatest of contemporary composers.

After 50 years, Haydn’s usual way of life changed dramatically. The Creator received freedom, although he continued to be listed as a court bandmaster among the heirs of Prince Esterhazy. The chapel itself was dissolved by the descendants of a noble family, and the composer left for Vienna.

In 1791, Franz was invited to go on tour to England. The terms of the contract included the creation of six symphonies and their performance in London, as well as the writing of an opera and twenty works in addition. It is known that at that time Haydn was given an orchestra with 40 musicians at his disposal. The year and a half spent in London became triumphant for Joseph, and the English tour was no less successful. During the tour, the composer composed 280 works and even became a Doctor of Music at Oxford University.

Personal life

The popularity gained in Vienna helped the young musician get a job with Count Morcin. It was for his chapel that Joseph wrote the first five symphonies. It is known that in less than two years of working with Mortsin, the composer managed to improve not only his financial situation, but also tie himself in marriage.

At that time, 28-year-old Joseph had tender feelings for the youngest daughter of the court hairdresser, and she, unexpectedly for everyone, went to a monastery. Then Haydn, either in revenge or for some other reason, married her sister Maria Keller, who was 4 years older than Joseph.

Their family union was not happy. The composer's wife was grumpy and wasteful. Among other things, the young lady did not at all appreciate her husband’s talent and often used her husband’s manuscripts instead of baking paper. To the surprise of many family life in the absence of love, children and home comfort lasted 40 years.

Due to the reluctance to realize himself as a caring husband and the inability to prove himself as a loving father, the composer devoted four decades of his married life to symphonies. During this time, Haydn wrote hundreds of works in this genre, and 90 operas of the talented genius were staged at the Prince Esterhazy Theater.

The composer found his late love in the Italian troupe of this theater. The young Neapolitan singer Luigia Polzelli charmed Haydn. Josef, passionately in love, achieved an extension of the contract with her, and also simplified the vocal parts, understanding its capabilities.

True, the relationship with Luigia did not bring happiness to the creator. The girl was too arrogant and selfish, so even after the death of his wife, Haydn did not dare to marry her. It is worth noting that at the end of his life, in the last version of his will, the composer reduced the amount allotted to Polzelli by half.

Death

In the last decade of his life, inspired by the Handel Festival at Westminster Cathedral, Haydn developed an interest in choral music. The composer created six masses, as well as oratorios (“The Creation of the World” and “The Seasons”).

Haydn died on May 31, 1809 in Vienna, occupied by Napoleonic troops. Myself french emperor Having learned about the death of the eminent Austrian, he gave the order to post a guard of honor at the door of his house. The funeral took place on June 1.

Sarcophagus of Joseph Haydn

An interesting fact is that when in 1820 Prince Esterhazy ordered the reburial of Haydn’s remains in the church of Eisenstadt, and the coffin was opened, it turned out that there was no skull under the surviving wig (it was stolen to study the structural features and protect it from destruction). The skull was only reunited with the remains in the middle of the next century, on June 5, 1954.

Discography

"Farewell Symphony"
"Oxford Symphony"
"Funeral Symphony"
"Creation of the World"
"Seasons"
"Seven Words of the Savior on the Cross"
"The Return of Tobias"
"Pharmacist"
"Acis and Galatea"
"Desert Island"
"Armida"
"Fisherwomen"
"Deceived Infidelity"

FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN

ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: ARIES

NATIONALITY: AUSTRIAN

MUSICAL STYLE: CLASSICISM

IMPORTANT WORK: “STRING QUARTET IN D MINOR”

WHERE HAVE YOU HEARD THIS MUSIC: IN NUMEROUS WEDDING SCENES ON SCREEN. INCLUDING THE FILM “WEDDING STICKERS.”

WORDS OF WISDOM: “I WAS SEPARATED FROM THE WORLD. THERE WAS NO ONE AROUND TO EMBARRASS OR HURT ME. I WAS DOOMED TO BE ORIGINAL."

For thirty years Joseph Haydn was a servant. Admittedly, a high-ranking servant, and yet, like an ordinary cook, he listened to the orders of his masters every day.

A servant, by definition, is required to constantly bow, shuffle his feet and fawn in every possible way, but the advantages of his position are also obvious. For many years, Haydn had an audience always ready to listen to his works, a quality orchestra at hand and leisure to pursue what most interested him in music.

Of course, Haydn was happy when he was finally left to his own devices, but he never denied the benefits that his years of service brought him. These experiences helped him develop into one of the most original - and influential - composers of his time.

STRONG IN TALENT, RICH IN POVERTY

Haydn was born into a family of wheelwrights in the Austrian village of Rohrau near the Hungarian border. His father Matthias independently learned to play the harp and on long winter evenings amused himself by playing folk melodies. Matthias's second son, Josef, sang along with his handsome father from an early age. in a high voice. The parents noted that the boy hit the notes surprisingly accurately. Rohrau had little to offer a musically gifted child, and when Haydn was only six years old, he was sent to the city of Hainburg to live with an elderly relative, a schoolteacher.

Haydn spent two years in Hainburg, comprehending various wisdom, but truly tempting horizons opened up before him when the director of the chapel of Vienna's St. Stephen's Cathedral was passing through the city. Having heard the young Haydn sing, the Viennese musician assigned him to the cathedral boys' choir.

Alas, the boy soprano is destined short life. As a teenager, Haydn, worried about his future, seriously considered saving his voice by joining the ranks of castrati, but his father somehow found out about his plans and urgently went to Vienna to prevent his son from carrying them out. When Haydn's voice broke, the choir director immediately fired him. A sixteen-year-old boy found himself on the street with three shirts, a shabby coat and extensive musical knowledge.

FRAU HAYDN'S CULINARY SECRET

By luck, Haydn met a sympathetic acquaintance who did not allow him to sleep on the street. After some time, Haydn “got rich” so much that he was able to rent a place for himself in Vienna - a miserable room on the sixth floor without a stove and even without a window; but he managed to scrape together the piano, and he didn’t need anything else.

Playing in Viennese orchestras, which occasionally performed his own compositions, Haydn gradually attracted the attention of noble music lovers, and in 1759 he received the position of bandmaster at the court of Count Karl von Morzin. Thus, young man I had enough money to get married. He fell in love with Teresa Keller, the daughter of a postmaster, but his parents decided to give Teresa a nun. However, the Kellers, with a trained eye, saw a good groom in Haydn, and persuaded him to marry Teresa’s sister, Maria Anna.

If this union inspired anyone with trembling hopes, they were very soon dispelled into dust. Maria Anna, being older than her husband, had a grumpy character, but her most unforgivable flaw - from her husband's point of view - was that she was not at all interested in music. “She doesn’t care who to marry - a shoemaker or an artist,” Haydn complained. They had no children, and after a few years, family life was reduced to scenes of jealousy and mutual insults. Rumor has it that Frau Haydn used her husband's scores as baking paper.

FROM RAGS TO RICHES

Despite family difficulties, Haydn was doing well. In 1761, he was taken as assistant bandmaster to Prince Pal Antal Esterházy, a wealthy and influential Hungarian nobleman, imperial field marshal and, incidentally, patron of musicians. Haydn was required to conduct the well-trained Esterhazy orchestra and choir and compose music for both daily use and special occasions, and in return the composer was entitled to an enviable salary, comfortable housing and a generous subsidy for the purchase of clothing. The Esterházy family was so pleased with Haydn that they did not want to part with him when Prince Pal Esterházy died and the title passed to his younger brother Miklas, who later appointed Haydn as chief bandmaster.

The high position did not negate the fact that Haydn remained in the position of a servant - his contract contained an unambiguous requirement to appear to the prince every day for orders. Haydn spent a lot of time and effort pleasing the proud prince and courtiers; his letters are full of flattering phrases (“I kiss the hem of your robe”!), without which a servant’s appeal to a noble nobleman would be unthinkable. One of Haydn's most difficult responsibilities was mediating between the orchestra members and the court; For his kindness and generosity towards musicians, he was nicknamed Pope Haydn.

THE CLEAVAGE OF THE FLIRTATING COUNTESS SO AMAZED THE YOUNG AND UNMARRIED HAYDN, SITTING AT THE HARPIRDSIAN, THAT THE POOR GUY THROWED IN A FIRE.

Every spring, the princely court went to the country estate of Esterhazy, where he remained until late autumn. The winters in Vienna were pitifully short, and Haydn ended up spending thirty years away from musical life. In isolation, he was forced to experiment at his own risk. Possessing neither Mozart's brilliant intuition nor Bach's selfless interest in music theory, Haydn moved forward in unimpressive leaps, but slowly, step by step. Over time, he became a remarkable composer and musical reformer. He transformed the symphonic form, making it what we know it today. In fact, he created the string quartet, once and for all defining its structure, within which composers have been creating ever since. Although many of Haydn's works appeared only with sole purpose to please the tastes of his patrons (he wrote countless trios with the participation of his beloved string instrument Prince Miklash - a baritone, now out of use - and many comic operas for the court theater on the Esterhazy estate), but Joseph Haydn also created other works, those that won the recognition of listeners for their harmony, grace and life-affirming intonation.

FINALLY FREE

Almost thirty years of forced seclusion ended in 1790 with the death of Prince Miklash. Miklash was succeeded by his son Anton, who was not inclined towards music. As a result, Haydn gained freedom in professional life. (In his personal life, he also felt free from obligations; for some time now he and Maria Anna lived separately, and Haydn started affairs on the side, invariably decent.) He toured England and Italy on triumphant tours, conducting his own writings, and performed several times in Vienna.

Prince Anton died in 1795 and was succeeded by Miklash II, who decided to revive the musical glory of the House of Esterházy. Since this Miklash Esterházy, unlike his predecessors, did not intend to live in the wilderness of the countryside, Haydn returned to service - more out of courtesy than out of sincere zeal. During these years, Haydn worked on the oratorios “The Creation of the World” and “The Seasons,” which are now considered his best works: The composer's ingenuity and the beauty of the works are truly undeniable. With the advent of the new, nineteenth century, Haydn lost both strength and health. His final years were marred by the atrocities of the war between Austria and Napoleonic France. On May 12, 1809, the French began a powerful bombardment of Vienna, cannonballs falling a few meters from Haydn's house. The Austrian capital soon capitulated, but the French placed a guard of honor at Haydn's doorstep. He died on May 31, just after midnight.

STRANGE MISADVENTIONS OF HAYDN'S HEAD

Since the war was raging around, Haydn was buried in a hurry. However, in 1814, Prince Miklash II asked permission to transport the composer’s ashes to the Esterházy estate in Eisenstadt. The body was exhumed, but when officials opened the coffin, they discovered to their horror that the body was missing its head.

The hunt for Haydn's head began immediately. And it turned out that two passionate enthusiasts of phrenology - a science now defunct, but very popular in the nineteenth century (phrenology claimed to determine personality traits by lumps on the skull) - bribed a gravedigger in order to get the composer's head. These two would-be phrenologists, Rosenbaum and Peters, kept Haydn's skull in a custom-made black box.

When the headless body was brought to Eisenstadt, Prince Esterhazy felt deeply insulted. He ordered police to search Peters' home, but later learned that Rosenbaum's wife had hidden the skull in a straw mattress and was lying on the bed during the search, pretending to be asleep. As a result, the prince paid the Rosenbaums, and in exchange for an impressive check, they gave him a skull - according to their assurances, an authentic one.

In the end, Haydn's skull ended up in one of the Viennese museums, where it lay until 1954, when Prince Pal Esterházy reunited the composer’s body with his head in a burial place located in the Austrian city of Eisenstadt (Burgenland). So, 131 years later, Haydn regained integrity.

LITTLE DRUMMER

Johann Matthias Frank, a relative and guardian of the young Haydn in Hainburg, led a local orchestra that played at city celebrations and funerals. The sudden death of the drummer put Frank in a very difficult position, and he had no choice but to quickly teach seven-year-old Haydn, who had discovered early musical talent, play the drum. But the trouble was that the drum was too heavy for the little boy. The quick-witted Frank found a hunchback who agreed to tie a drum on his back, and young Haydn marched cheerfully and lightly through the streets of Hainburg, beating out the rhythm on the hunchback walking in front of him.

FRIENDS FOREVER

Haydn met Mozart in Vienna in 1781, and they became immediate friends, despite their 24-year age difference. Each recognized the other as genuine musical talent. Mozart claimed that he learned the art of string quartets from Haydn, and Haydn once declared to Mozart’s father: “I will tell you on honor and call God to witness, your son is the greatest composer I know.”

Mozart died while Haydn was on a long absence from London. At first, Haydn refused to believe in his friend’s death, hoping that these were just false rumors. But the sad news was confirmed, and Haydn fell into deep sorrow. Many years later, in 1807, when one of his friends started talking about Mozart, Haydn burst into tears. “Sorry,” he said, “every time I hear the name Mozart, I must, must mourn him.”

STOP THE MUSIC!

In 1759, having received his first lucrative position as a house musician for Count Karl von Morzin, Haydn was a fairly young man whose professional employment and high moral standards had until then protected him from acquaintance with the joys of the flesh.

One day, while Haydn was sitting at the harpsichord, the pretty Countess von Morzin leaned over to look at the notes he was playing from, and the virgin Haydn had a magnificent view of the Countess's cleavage. The musician felt feverish and stopped playing. The Countess inquired what was the matter, and Haydn exclaimed: “But, Your Excellency, such a spectacle would make anyone give up!”

Haydn had an extraordinary sense of humor as a composer. The musicians of the Esterhazy court orchestra, missing their relatives, were upset every time the move to the city from the village estate was again postponed, and Haydn figured out how to unobtrusively express their feelings in the next symphony that he was composing. His Farewell Symphony lacks the usual grand finale, instead the musicians complete their parts one by one and, when finished, each blows out the candle and leaves. At the very end, only the first violins remain on stage. The prince took the hint: the next day after the performance of the “Farewell” symphony, he gave the command to prepare for departure.

Another symphony was intended specifically for the London public, who, as Haydn noted, had the unpleasant habit of dozing off during the slow movements. For his next symphony, Haydn composed an incredibly gentle, calm Andante: at the end of this slow movement the sounds completely died away, and then in the ensuing silence the orchestra exploded with music and the thunder of the timpani. At the premiere, the audience almost jumped out of their seats - and thus the “Surprise” symphony was born.

SWEN ENEMIES

Although Haydn's friends knew full well that the composer had not lived with his wife for a long time, the level of mutual hostility between the spouses never ceased to surprise them. One day, a certain friend noticed a large stack of unopened letters on Haydn’s desk. “Oh, this is from my wife,” the composer explained. - She writes to me once a month, and I answer her once a month. But I don’t open her letters and I’m almost sure that she doesn’t read mine.”

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One of the greatest composers of all time is Franz Joseph Haydn. A brilliant musician of Austrian origin. The man who created the foundations of classical music school, as well as the orchestral-instrumental standard that we see in our time. In addition to these merits, Franz Joseph represented the Vienna Classical School. There is an opinion among musicologists that musical genres symphony and quartet were first composed by Joseph Haydn. The talented composer lived a very interesting and eventful life.

Read a short biography of Joseph Haydn and many interesting facts about the composer on our page.

Brief biography of Haydn

Haydn's biography began on March 31, 1732, when little Joseph was born in the fair commune of Rohrau (Lower Austria). His father was a wheelwright, and his mother worked as a servant in the kitchen. Thanks to his father, who loved to sing, the future composer became interested in music. Absolute pitch and an excellent sense of rhythm were gifted to little Joseph by nature. These musical abilities allowed the talented boy to sing in church choir Gainburg. Later, due to the move, Franz Joseph will be accepted into the Vienna Choir Chapel at the Catholic Cathedral of St. Stephen.

Because of his stubbornness, sixteen-year-old Josef lost his job - a place in the choir. This happened just during the voice mutation. Now he has no income to support himself. Out of desperation, the young man takes on any job. The Italian vocal maestro and composer Nicola Porpora took the young man as his servant, but Joseph found benefit in this work as well. The boy delves into the science of music and begins to take lessons from a teacher.

Porpora could not have noticed that Josef has genuine feelings for music, and on this basis the famous composer decides to offer the young man an interesting job - to become his personal valet companion. Haydn held this position for almost ten years. The maestro paid for his work mainly not in money; he worked with young talent music theory and harmony. So the talented young man learned many important musical fundamentals V different directions. Over time, Haydn's financial problems slowly begin to disappear, and his initial works as a composer are successfully accepted by the public. At this time, the young composer wrote his first symphony.

Despite the fact that in those days it was considered already “too late,” Haydn decided to start a family with Anna Maria Keller only at the age of 28. And this marriage turned out to be unsuccessful. According to his wife, Joseph had an indecent profession for a man. Within two dozen life together the couple never had children, which also influenced the unsuccessful family history. With all these troubles, musical genius He was a faithful husband for 20 years. But an unpredictable life brought Franz Josef together with a young and charming opera singer Luigia Polzelli, who was only 19 years old when they met. Passionate love befell them, and the composer promised to marry her. But the passion faded rather quickly, and he did not keep his promise. Haydn seeks patronage among the rich and influential people. In the early 1760s, the composer received a job as second bandmaster in the palace of the influential Esterhazy family (Austria). For 30 years, Haydn worked at the court of this noble dynasty. During this time they composed huge amount symphonies - 104.

Haydn did not have many close friends, but one of them was - Amadeus Mozart . Composers meet in 1781. After 11 years, Joseph is introduced to the young Ludwig van Beethoven, whom Haydn makes his student. Service at the palace ends with the death of the patron - Joseph loses his position. But the name Franz Joseph Haydn has already thundered not only in Austria, but also in many other countries such as Russia, England, France. During his stay in London, the composer earned almost as much in one year as he did in 20 years as conductor of the Esterhazy family, his former employers.

The composer's last work is considered to be the oratorio "The Seasons". He composes it with great difficulty; he was hampered by headaches and problems sleeping.

The great composer dies at the age of 78 (May 31, 1809) Joseph Haydn spent last days at his home in Vienna. Later it was decided to transport the remains to Eisenstadt.

Interesting facts

It is generally accepted that Joseph Haydn's birthday is March 31st. But his certificate indicated a different date - April 1. If you believe the composer's diaries, then such a minor change was made in order not to celebrate his holiday on April Fool's Day.
Little Joseph was so talented that he could play the drums at the age of 6! When the drummer who was supposed to take part in the procession on the occasion of Holy Week suddenly died, Haydn was asked to replace him. Because the future composer was short, due to the characteristics of his age, then in front of him walked a hunchback, who had a drum tied on his back, and Joseph could calmly play the instrument. The rare drum still exists today. It is located in Hainburg Church.
The young Haydn's singing voice was so impressive that he was asked to join the St. Stephen's Cathedral choir school in Vienna when the boy was only five years old.
The choirmaster of St. Stephen's Cathedral suggested that Haydn undergo a certain operation to prevent his voice from breaking, but fortunately the father of the future composer intervened and prevented this.
When the composer’s mother died at the age of 47, his father quickly married a young maid who was 19 years old. The difference between the ages of Haydn and his stepmother was only 3 years, and the “son” turned out to be older.

Haydn loved a girl who for some reason decided that life in a monastery was better than family life. Then the musical genius invited his beloved’s older sister, Anna Maria, to marry. But this rash decision did not lead to anything good. The wife turned out to be grumpy and not understanding of her husband’s musical hobbies. Haydn wrote that Anna Maria used his music manuscripts as kitchen utensils.
Haydn's biography contains interesting legend about the name of the F-moll String Quartet “Razor”. One morning Haydn was shaving with a dull razor, and when his patience ran out, he shouted that if he were given a normal razor now, he would give his wonderful work. At that moment, John Bland was nearby, a man who wanted to publish the composer's manuscripts, which no one had yet seen. After hearing this, the publisher without hesitation handed over his English steel razors to the composer. Haydn kept his word and presented the new work to the guest. Thus, the String Quartet received such an unusual name.
It is known that Haydn and Mozart had a very strong friendship. Mozart greatly respected and revered his friend. And if Haydn criticized the work of Amadeus or gave any advice, Mozart always listened, Joseph’s opinion for young composer always came first. Despite their peculiar temperaments and age difference, the friends had no quarrels or disagreements.
“Miracle” - this is the name attributed to symphonies No. 96 in D major and No. 102 in B major. All this is because of one story that happened after the concert of this work ended. People rushed to the stage to thank the composer and bow to him for the beautiful music. As soon as the listeners were at the front of the hall, a chandelier fell with a roar behind them. There were no casualties - and it was a Miracle. Opinions differ at the premiere of which particular symphony this amazing incident occurred.
The composer suffered from nasal polyps for more than half his life. This became known to the surgeon, and also good friend Joseph to John Henter. The doctor recommended coming to him for an operation, which Haydn initially decided to do. But when he came to the office where the operation was to take place and saw 4 large assistant surgeons, whose task was to hold the patient during the painful procedure, the brilliant musician got scared, struggled and screamed loudly. In general, the idea of getting rid of polyps has sunk into oblivion. As a child, Joseph suffered from smallpox.

Haydn has a Symphony with timpani strikes or it is also called "Surprise". The history of the creation of this symphony is interesting. Joseph and the orchestra periodically toured London, and one day he noticed how some spectators during a concert fell asleep or were already watching beautiful dreams. Haydn suggested that this happens because the British intelligentsia are not used to listening classical music and doesn't have special feelings to art, but the British are a people of traditions, so they always attended concerts. The composer, the life of the party and a merry fellow, decided to act cunningly. Without thinking twice, he wrote a special symphony for the English public. The piece began with quiet, smooth, almost soothing melodic sounds. Suddenly, during the sound, a drum beat and the thunder of timpani were heard. Such a surprise was repeated more than once in the work. So, Londoners no longer fell asleep in concert halls, where Haydn conducted.
When the composer died, he was buried in Vienna. But later it was decided to rebury the remains of the musical genius in Eisenstadt. When the grave was opened, it was discovered that Joseph's skull was missing. It was a trick of two friends of the composer, who took the head for themselves by bribing people in the cemetery. Almost 60 years old (1895-1954) skull Viennese classic located in the museum (Vienna). It was not until 1954 that the remains were reunited and buried together.

Mozart was delighted with Haydn and often invited him to his concerts, and Joseph reciprocated the young prodigy and often played with him in a quartet. It is noteworthy that at Haydn's funeral the sound was "Requiem" by Mozart , who died 18 years before his friend and teacher.
Haydn's portrait can be found on German and Soviet postage stamps, issued in 1959 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the composer's death, and on the Austrian 5 euro coin.
The German anthem and the old Austro-Hungarian anthem owe their music to Haydn. After all, it was his music that became the basis of these patriotic songs.

Films about Joseph Haydn

Many educational documentaries have been made based on Haydn’s biography. All these films are interesting and exciting. Some of them tell more about the musical achievements and discoveries of the composer, while others tell various facts from the personal life of the Viennese classic. If you want to get to know this musical figure better, then we bring to your attention small list documentaries:

The film company "Academy media" shot a 25-minute documentary"Haydn" from the "Famous Composers" series.
On the Internet you can find two interesting films"In Search of Haydn". The first part lasts a little more than 53 minutes, the second 50 minutes.
Haydn is described in some episodes from the documentary section "History by Notes". From episodes 19 to 25, each of which lasts less than 10 minutes, you can study interesting biographical data of the great composer.
There is a short documentary from Encyclopedia Chanel about Joseph Haydn that is only 12 minutes long.
An interesting 11-minute film about Haydn’s absolute pitch can also be easily found on the Internet network “Absolute Pitch - Franz Joseph Haydn.”

In Guy Ritchie's 2009 Sherlock Holmes, the adagio from String Quartet No. 3 in D major is heard during the scene where Watson and his fiancée Mary dine with Holmes at a restaurant called "The Royal".
The 3rd movement of the cello concerto is used in English film"Hilary and Jackie" 1998
The piano concerto is featured in Steven Spielberg's film Catch Me If You Can.
The minuet from the 33rd sonata is inserted into the musical accompaniment of the film "The Runaway Bride" (continued famous film"Gorgeous").
Adagio e cantibile from Sonata No. 59 is used in 1994's The Vampire Diaries starring Brad Pitt.
The sounds of the B-dur string quartet "Sunrise" are heard in the 1997 horror film "Relic".
In the magnificent film "The Pianist", which received 3 Oscars, Haydn's Quartet No. 5 is heard.
Also, string quartet No. 5 comes from the music for films " Star Trek: Uprising" 1998 and "Fort
Symphonies No. 101 and No. 104 can be found in the 1991 film The Lord of Tides.
The 33rd string quartet is used in the 1997 comedy George of the Jungle.
The third part of String Quartet No. 76 "Emperor" can be found in the films "Casablanca" 1941, "Bulworth" 1998, "Cheap Detective" 1978, and "The Dirty Dozen".
Concerto for trumpet and orchestra appears in "Big Deal" with Mark Wahlberg.
In “The Bicentennial Man,” based on the book by the brilliant science fiction writer Isaac Asimov, you can hear Haydn’s Symphony No. 73 “The Hunt.”

Haydn House Museum

In 1889, the Haydn Museum was opened in Vienna, which is located in the composer's home. For 4 whole years, Joseph slowly built his “corner” with the money earned during the tour. Initially there was a low house, which, at the behest of the composer, was rebuilt by adding floors. The second floor was where the musician himself lived, and below he settled his assistant Elsper, who copied Haydn’s notes.

Almost all the exhibits in the museum are the personal property of the composer during his lifetime. Handwritten notes, painted portraits, the instrument Haydn used to play, and other interesting things. It is unusual that the building has a small room dedicated to Johannes Brahms . Johannes greatly respected and honored the work of the Viennese classic. This room is filled with his personal belongings, furniture and tools.

This is real music! This is what should be enjoyed, this is what everyone who wants to cultivate a healthy musical sense, a sound taste should absorb into themselves.
A. Serov

The creative path of J. Haydn - the great Austrian composer, an older contemporary of W.A. Mozart and L. Beethoven - lasted about fifty years, crossed the historical boundary of the 18th-19th centuries, and covered all stages of the development of the Viennese classical school - from its origins in the 1760s. until the flowering of Beethoven's work at the beginning of the new century. The intensity of the creative process, the wealth of imagination, the freshness of perception, the harmonious and integral sense of life were preserved in Haydn's art until the very last years of his life.

The son of a carriage maker, Haydn discovered rare musical abilities. At the age of six he moved to Hainburg, sang in the church choir, learned to play the violin and harpsichord, and from 1740 he lived in Vienna, where he served as a choirmaster in the chapel of St. Stephen's Cathedral ( cathedral Vienna). However, in the chapel they valued only the boy’s voice - a treble of rare purity, and entrusted him with the performance of solo parts; and the composer's inclinations, awakened in childhood, remained unnoticed. When his voice began to break, Haydn was forced to leave the chapel. The first years of independent life in Vienna were especially difficult - he was poor, hungry, wandering without a permanent shelter; Only occasionally was it possible to find private lessons or play the violin in a traveling ensemble. However, despite the vicissitudes of fate, Haydn retained his openness of character, his sense of humor, which never betrayed him, and the seriousness of his professional aspirations - he studies the keyboard works of F. E. Bach, independently studies counterpoint, gets acquainted with the works of the greatest German theorists, takes composition lessons from N. . Porpora - famous Italian opera composer and teacher.

In 1759, Haydn received the position of bandmaster from Count I. Mortsin. The first instrumental works (symphonies, quartets, clavier sonatas) were written for his court chapel. When Morcin dissolved the chapel in 1761, Haydn entered into a contract with P. Esterhazy, the richest Hungarian magnate and patron of the arts. The duties of the vice-kapellmeister, and after 5 years the princely chief-kapellmeister, included not only composing music. Haydn had to conduct rehearsals, maintain order in the chapel, be responsible for the safety of notes and instruments, etc. All of Haydn’s works were the property of Esterhazy; the composer did not have the right to write music commissioned by others, and could not freely leave the prince’s possessions. (Haydn lived on the Esterhazy estates - Eisenstadt and Esterhaz, occasionally visiting Vienna.)

However, many advantages and, above all, the opportunity to dispose of an excellent orchestra that performed all the composer’s works, as well as relative material and everyday security, persuaded Haydn to accept Esterhazy’s offer. Haydn remained in court service for almost 30 years. In the humiliating position of a princely servant, he retained his dignity, inner independence and desire for continuous creative improvement. Living far from the light, with almost no contact with the wide musical world, he became during his service with Esterhazy the greatest master of European scale. Haydn's works were successfully performed in major musical capitals.

So, in the mid-1780s. The French public became acquainted with six symphonies, called “Parisian”. Over time, the composites became increasingly burdened by their dependent position and felt loneliness more acutely.

The minor symphonies - “Mourning”, “Suffering”, “Farewell” - are colored with dramatic, anxious moods. Lots of reasons to different interpretations- autobiographical, humorous, lyrical and philosophical - gave the finale to “Farewell” - during this endlessly lasting Adagio, the musicians leave the orchestra one after another until two violinists remain on stage, finishing the melody, quiet and gentle...

However, a harmonious and clear view of the world always dominates both in Haydn’s music and in his sense of life. Haydn found sources of joy everywhere - in nature, in the lives of peasants, in his works, in communication with loved ones. Thus, acquaintance with Mozart, who arrived in Vienna in 1781, grew into real friendship. These relationships, based on deep inner kinship, understanding and mutual respect, had a beneficial effect on the creative development of both composers.

In 1790, A. Esterhazy, the heir of the deceased Prince P. Esterhazy, dissolved the chapel. Haydn, who was completely freed from service and retained only the title of bandmaster, began to receive a lifelong pension in accordance with the will of the old prince. Soon the opportunity arose to fulfill a long-time dream - to travel outside of Austria. In the 1790s. Haydn made two tours to London (1791-92, 1794-95). The 12 “London” symphonies written on this occasion completed the development of this genre in Haydn’s work, confirmed the maturity of Viennese classical symphonism (somewhat earlier, in the late 1780s, Mozart’s last 3 symphonies appeared) and remained the pinnacle phenomena in the history of symphonic music. London symphonies were performed in unusual and extremely attractive conditions for the composer. Accustomed to the more closed atmosphere of the court salon, Haydn performed for the first time in public concerts and felt the reaction of a typical democratic audience. He had at his disposal large orchestras, similar in composition to modern symphonies. The English public enthusiastically received Haydn's music. At Oxfood he was awarded the title of Doctor of Music. Under the impression of G. F. Handel’s oratorios heard in London, 2 secular oratorios were created - “The Creation of the World” (1798) and “The Seasons” (1801). These monumental, epic-philosophical works, affirming the classical ideals of beauty and harmony of life, the unity of man and nature, worthily crowned creative path composer.

The last years of Haydn's life were spent in Vienna and its suburb of Gumpendorf. The composer was still cheerful, sociable, objective and friendly in his attitude towards people, and still worked hard. Haydn passed away at an alarming time, in the midst of Napoleonic campaigns, when French troops had already occupied the capital of Austria. During the siege of Vienna, Haydn consoled his loved ones: “Don’t be afraid, children, where Haydn is, nothing bad can happen.”

Haydn left a huge creative legacy - about 1000 works in all genres and forms that existed in the music of that time (symphonies, sonatas, chamber ensembles, concerts, operas, oratorios, masses, songs, etc.). Large cyclic forms (104 symphonies, 83 quartets, 52 keyboard sonatas) constitute the main, most precious part of the composer’s work and determine his historical place. On the exceptional significance of Haydn's works in evolution instrumental music wrote P. Tchaikovsky: “Haydn immortalized himself, if not by inventing, then by improving that excellent, ideally balanced form of sonata and symphony, which Mozart and Beethoven later brought to the last degree of completeness and beauty.”

The symphony in Haydn’s work has come a long way: from early examples close to the genres of everyday and chamber music (serenade, divertissement, quartet), to the “Paris” and “London” symphonies, in which the classical patterns of the genre were established (the relationship and order of the parts of the cycle - sonata Allegro, slow movement, minuet, fast finale), characteristic types thematic and development techniques, etc. Haydn's symphony takes on the meaning of a generalized “picture of the world”, in which different aspects of life - serious, dramatic, lyrical-philosophical, humorous - are brought to unity and balance. The rich and complex world of Haydn's symphonies has the remarkable qualities of openness, sociability, and focus on the listener. Their main source musical language- genre-everyday, song and dance intonations, sometimes directly borrowed from folklore sources. Included in the complex process of symphonic development, they discover new imaginative, dynamic possibilities. Complete, ideally balanced and logically constructed forms of parts of the symphonic cycle (sonata, variation, rondo, etc.) include elements of improvisation; remarkable deviations and surprises heighten interest in the very process of development of thought, which is always fascinating and filled with events. Haydn’s favorite “surprises” and “practical jokes” helped the perception of the most serious genre of instrumental music, giving rise to specific associations among listeners that were fixed in the names of the symphonies (“Bear”, “Chicken”, “Clock”, “Hunting”, “ School teacher", etc.). Forming the typical patterns of the genre, Haydn also reveals the wealth of possibilities for their manifestation, outlining different paths of evolution of the symphony in the 19th-20th centuries. In Haydn's mature symphonies, the classical composition of the orchestra is established, including all groups of instruments (strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion). The composition of the quartet is also stabilized, in which all instruments (two violins, viola, cello) become full members of the ensemble. Of great interest are Haydn's keyboard sonatas, in which the composer's truly inexhaustible imagination each time opens up new options for constructing a cycle, original ways of designing and developing the material. The last sonatas written in the 1790s. clearly focused on the expressive capabilities of the new instrument - the piano.

Throughout his life, art was Haydn’s main support and constant source of inner harmony, peace of mind and health, He hoped that it would remain so for future listeners. “There are so few joyful and contented people in this world,” wrote the seventy-year-old composer, “everywhere they are haunted by grief and worries; Perhaps your work will sometimes serve as a source from which a person full of worries and burdened with affairs will draw moments of peace and relaxation.”