Joseph Haydn short biography. Joseph Haydn - biography, photos, personal life of the composer. Free musician again

The content of the article

HAYDN, (FRANZ) JOSEPH(Haydn, Franz Joseph) (1732–1809), Austrian composer, one of the greatest classics of musical art. Born on March 31 or April 1, 1732 (date of birth is contradictory) into a peasant family in Rohrau (Burgenland region in eastern Lower Austria). His father, Matthias Haydn, was a carriage maker, his mother, Maria Koller, served as a cook in the family of Count Harrach, owner of an estate in Rohrau. Joseph was the second child of his parents and their eldest son. Previously, it was believed that Haydn’s ancestors were Croats (who in the 16th century began to move to Burgenland to escape the Turks), but thanks to the research of E. Schmidt, it turned out that the composer’s family was purely Austrian.

Early years.

Recalling his childhood, Haydn wrote in 1776: “My father... was an ardent lover of music and played the harp without knowing the notes at all. As a five-year-old child, I could absolutely sing his simple melodies, and this prompted my father to entrust me to the care of our relative, the rector of the school in Hainburg, so that I could study the fundamental principles of music and other sciences necessary for youth... When I was seven years old, the now deceased Kapellmeister von Reuther [G.K. von Reuther, 1708–1772], passing through Hainburg, accidentally heard my weak but pleasant voice. He took me with him and assigned me to the chapel [of the Cathedral of St. Stefan in Vienna], where, continuing my education, I studied singing, playing the harpsichord and violin, and from very good teachers. Until I was eighteen, I performed soprano roles with great success, not only in the cathedral, but also at court. Then my voice disappeared, and I had to eke out a miserable existence for eight whole years... I composed mostly at night, not knowing whether I had any gift for composition or not, and recorded my music diligently, but not quite correctly. This continued until I had the good fortune to study the true fundamentals of art from Mr. Porpora [N. Porpora, 1685–1766], who then lived in Vienna.”

In 1757, Haydn accepted the invitation of the Austrian aristocrat Count of Fürnberg to spend the summer at his Weinzierl estate, which was adjacent to the large Benedictine monastery at Melk on the Danube. The string quartet genre was born in Weinzirl (the first 12 quartets, written in the summer of 1757, were opuses 1 and 2). Two years later, Haydn became the bandmaster of Count Ferdinand Maximilian Morcin at his castle Lukavec in the Czech Republic. For Morcin's chapel, the composer wrote his First Symphony (in D major) and several divertimentos for winds (some of them were discovered relatively recently, in 1959, in a hitherto unexplored Prague archive). On November 26, 1760, Haydn married Anna Maria Keller, the daughter of the count's hairdresser. This union turned out to be childless and generally unsuccessful: Haydn himself usually called his wife “a fiend of hell.”

Soon, Count Morcin dissolved the chapel to cut costs. Then Haydn accepted the position of vice-kapellmeister offered to him by Prince Paul Anton Esterházy. The composer arrived at the princely estate of Eisenstadt in May 1761 and remained in the service of the Esterházy family for 45 years.

In 1762, Prince Paul Anton died; his brother Miklos “The Magnificent” became his successor - at this time the Esterhazy family became famous throughout Europe for its patronage of the arts and artists. In 1766, Miklos rebuilt the family hunting house into a luxurious palace, one of the richest in Europe. Eszterhaza, the prince's new residence, was called the “Hungarian Versailles”; among other things, there was a real Opera theatre with 500 seats and a marionette theater (for which Haydn composed operas). In the presence of the owner, concerts and theatrical performances were given every evening.

Haydn and all the musicians of the chapel had no right to leave Eszterhaza while the prince himself was there, and none of them, with the exception of Haydn and the orchestra conductor, violinist L. Tomasini, were allowed to bring their families to the palace. It so happened that in 1772 the prince stayed in Eszterhaza longer than usual, and the musicians asked Haydn to write a piece that would remind His Highness that it was high time for him to return to Vienna. This is how the famous Farewell Symphony , where in the final movement the orchestra members finish their parts one by one and leave, leaving only two solo violins on stage (these parts were played by Haydn and Tomasini). The prince looked with surprise as his bandmaster and conductor put out the candles and headed for the exit, but he understood the hint, and the next morning everything was ready to leave for the capital.

Years of glory.

Gradually, Haydn's fame began to spread throughout Europe, which was facilitated by the activities of Viennese companies that were engaged in copying notes and selling their products throughout the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Austrian monasteries also did a lot to spread Haydn’s music; copies of various of his works are kept in a number of monastic libraries in Austria and the Czech Republic. Parisian publishers published Haydn's works without the author's consent. The composer himself, in most cases, was not at all aware of these pirated publications and, of course, did not receive any profit from them.

In the 1770s, opera performances in Eszterháza gradually developed into permanent opera seasons; their repertoire, which consisted mainly of operas by Italian authors, was learned and performed under the direction of Haydn. From time to time he composed his own operas: one of them, Lunar world based on the play by C. Goldoni ( Il mondo della luna, 1777), was resumed with great success in 1959.

Haydn spent the winter months in Vienna, where he met and became friends with Mozart; they admired each other, and neither of them allowed anyone to speak ill of their friend. In 1785, Mozart dedicated six magnificent string quartets to Haydn, and once at a quartet meeting held in Mozart’s apartment, Haydn told Wolfgang’s father, Leopold Mozart, that his son was “the greatest of composers” whom he, Haydn, knew from reviews or personally. Mozart and Haydn enriched each other creatively in many ways, and their friendship is one of the most fruitful unions in the history of music.

In 1790, Prince Miklos died, and for some time Haydn received freedom of movement. Subsequently, Prince Anton Esterházy, Miklós's heir and new owner Haydn, not having any particular love for music, disbanded the orchestra altogether. Having learned about the death of Miklos, I.P. Zalomon, a German by birth, who worked in England and achieved great success there in organizing concerts, hastened to arrive in Vienna and conclude a contract with Haydn.

English publishers and impresarios had long tried to invite the composer to the English capital, but Haydn’s duties as Esterházy’s court conductor did not allow long absences from Austria. Now the composer willingly accepted Zalomon’s offer, especially since he had two lucrative contracts in reserve: to compose an Italian opera for the Royal Theater and to compose 12 instrumental compositions for concerts. In fact, Haydn did not begin to compose all 12 plays anew: several nocturnes, previously unknown in England, had been written earlier by order of the Neapolitan king, and the composer also had several new quartets in his portfolio. Thus, for the English concerts of the 1792 season, he wrote only two new symphonies (Nos. 95 and 96) and included several more symphonies in the program that had not yet been performed in London (Nos. 90–92), but were previously composed by order Count d'Ogny from Paris (so-called Paris symphonies).

Haydn and Zalomon arrived in Dover on New Year's Day 1791. In England, Haydn was received with honor everywhere, and the Prince of Wales (the future King George IV) showed him many courtesies. Zalomon's cycle of Haydn concertos was a huge success; during the premiere of Symphony No. 96 in March, the slow movement had to be repeated - “a rare case,” as the author noted in a letter home. The composer decided to stay in London for the next season. Haydn composed four new symphonies for him. Among them was famous symphony Surprise (№ 104, Symphony with timpani strike: in its slow movement, the gentle music is suddenly interrupted by a deafening timpani beat; Haydn allegedly said that he wanted to “make the ladies jump in their chairs”). The composer also composed a wonderful chorus for England Storm (The Storm) into English text and Symphony Concertante (Sinfonia concertante).

On his way home in the summer of 1792, Haydn, passing through Bonn, met L. van Beethoven and took him on as a student; the aging master immediately recognized the scale of the young man’s talent and in 1793 predicted that “he will someday be recognized as one of the best musicians in Europe, and I will be proud to call myself his teacher.” Until January 1794, Haydn lived in Vienna, then went to England and remained there until the summer of 1795: this trip turned out to be no less triumphant than the previous ones. During this time, the composer created his last - and best - six symphonies (Nos. 99–104) and six magnificent quartets (Ops. 71 and 74).

Last years.

After returning from England in 1795, Haydn took his former place at the Esterházy court, where Prince Miklós II now became ruler. Main responsibility The composer was composing and learning a new mass every year for the birthday of Princess Maria, Miklos's wife. Thus, the last six Haydn masses were born, including Nelsonovskaya, always and everywhere enjoying special sympathy from the public.

TO last period Haydn's work also includes two large oratorios - world creation (Die Schöpfung) And Seasons (Die Jahreszeiten). During his stay in England, Haydn became acquainted with the work of G.F. Handel, and, apparently, Messiah And Israel in Egypt inspired Haydn to create his own epic choral works. Oratorio world creation was first performed in Vienna in April 1798; Seasons- three years later. Work on the second oratorio seems to have exhausted the master’s strength. Last years Haydn spent his time in peace and quiet in his cozy home on the outskirts of Vienna, in Gumpendorf (now within the capital). In 1809 Vienna was besieged by Napoleonic troops, and in May they entered the city. Haydn was already very weak; he got out of bed only to play the Austrian national anthem on the clavier, which he himself had composed several years earlier. Haydn died on May 31, 1809.

Formation of style.

Haydn's style is organically connected with the soil on which he grew up - with Vienna, the great Austrian capital, which was for the Old World the same "melting pot" as New York was for the New World: Italian, South German and other traditions were fused here in a single style. Viennese composer mid 18th century had several different styles: one – “strict”, intended for masses and other church music: still in it the main role belonged to polyphonic writing; the second is operatic: in it the Italian style prevailed until the time of Mozart; the third is for “street music,” represented by the cassation genre, often for two horns and strings or for a wind ensemble. Having found himself in this motley world, Haydn quickly created his own style, which was uniform for all genres, be it mass or cantata, street serenade or keyboard sonata, quartet or symphony. According to stories, Haydn claimed that his greatest influence was C. P. E. Bach, the son of Johann Sebastian: indeed, Haydn’s early sonatas very closely follow the models of the “Hamburg Bach.”

As for Haydn's symphonies, they are firmly connected with the Austrian tradition: their prototypes were the works of G. K. Wagenzeil, F. L. Gassmann, d'Ordognier and to a lesser extent M. Monna.

Creation.

Among Haydn's most famous works are world creation And Seasons, epic oratorios in the manner of the late Handel. These works made the author famous in Austria and Germany in to a greater extent, rather than his instrumental opuses.

On the contrary, in England and America (as well as in France), the foundation of Haydn’s repertoire is orchestral music, and some of the symphonies are at least the same Symphony with timpani strike- enjoy, deservedly or not, special preference. Others remain popular in England and America London symphonies; the last of them, No. 12 in D major ( London), is rightfully considered the pinnacle of Haydn's symphonism.

Unfortunately, the works chamber genres in our time, they are not so well known and loved - perhaps because the practice of home, amateur quartet and ensemble music-making in general is gradually fading away. Professional quartets performing before the “public” are not an environment in which music is performed only for the sake of music itself, but Haydn’s string quartets and piano trios, containing deeply personal, intimate statements of the musician, his deepest thoughts, are intended primarily for performances in an intimate chamber setting among close people, but not at all for virtuosos in ceremonial, cold concert halls.

The twentieth century brought to life Haydn's masses for soloists, choir and orchestra - monumental masterpieces choral genre with complex accompaniment. Although these works have always been fundamental to the church musical repertoire of Vienna, they have never previously spread beyond Austria. Nowadays, however, sound recording has brought to the general public these wonderful works, mainly belonging to late period creativity of the composer (1796–1802). Among the 14 Masses, the most perfect and dramatic is Missa in Angustiis (Mass in times of fear, or Nelson's Mass, composed during the days of the historic victory of the English fleet over the French in the battle of Abukir, 1798).

As for keyboard music, we should especially highlight the late sonatas (Nos. 50–52, dedicated to Theresa Jensen in London), the late keyboard trios (almost all created during the composer’s stay in London) and the exceptionally expressive Andante con variazione in F minor (in the autograph kept in the New York public library, this work is called a “sonata”), which appeared in 1793, between Haydn’s two trips to England.

In genre instrumental concert Haydn did not become an innovator, and in general did not feel any particular attraction to him; most interesting sample concerto in the composer's work is undoubtedly the concerto for trumpet and orchestra in E-flat major (1796), written for an instrument with valves, a distant predecessor of the modern valve trumpet. In addition to this late work, mention should be made of the Cello Concerto in D major (1784) and a series of elegant concertos written for the Neapolitan king Ferdinand IV: they feature the solo of two hurdy-gurdy organ pipes (lira organizzata) - rare instruments that sound like a barrel organ.

The meaning of Haydn's work.

In the 20th century It turned out that Haydn cannot be considered, as previously believed, the father of the symphony. Complete symphonic cycles, including a minuet, were created already in the 1740s; that even earlier, between 1725 and 1730, four symphonies by Albinoni appeared, also with minuets (their manuscripts were found in the German city of Darmstadt). I. Stamitz, who died in 1757, i.e. at the time when Haydn began working in orchestral genres, he was the author of 60 symphonies. Thus, Haydn's historical merit is not in creating the symphony genre, but in summing up and improving what was done by his predecessors. But Haydn can be called the father of the string quartet. Apparently, before Haydn there was no genre that had the following typical features: 1) composition - two violins, viola and cello; 2) four-part (allegro in sonata form, slow part, minuet and finale or allegro, minuet, slow part and finale) or five-part (allegro, minuet, slow part, minuet and finale - options that do not essentially change the form). This model grew out of the divertissement genre as it was cultivated in Vienna in the mid-18th century. There are many five-part divertissements written by different authors around 1750 for different compositions, i.e. for a wind ensemble or for winds and strings (a composition of two horns and strings was especially popular), but so far it has not been possible to discover a cycle for two violins, viola and cello.

Now we know that among the many technical innovations previously attributed to Haydn, most, strictly speaking, are not his discoveries; Haydn's greatness lies rather in the fact that he was able to comprehend, elevate and bring to perfection pre-existing simple forms. I would like to note one technical discovery, mainly due to Haydn personally: this is the form of the rondo sonata, in which the principles of the sonata (exposition, development, reprise) merge with the principles of the rondo (A-B-C-A or A-B-A-C –A–B–A). Most of the finales in Haydn's later instrumental works (for example, the finale of Symphony No. 97 in C major) are excellent examples of rondo sonatas. In this way, a clear formal difference was achieved between the two fast movements of the sonata cycle - the first and the final.

Haydn's orchestral writing reveals a gradual weakening of the connection with the old basso continuo technique, in which keyboard instrument or the organ filled the sound space with chords and formed a “skeleton” on which other lines of the modest orchestra of those times were superimposed. In Haydn's mature works, basso continuo practically disappears, except, of course, for the recitatives in vocal works, where keyboard or organ accompaniment is still needed. In his treatment of woodwinds and brass, Haydn reveals from the very first steps an innate sense of color; Even in very modest scores, the composer demonstrates an unmistakable flair for choosing orchestral timbres. Written with very limited means, Haydn's symphonies are, as Rimsky-Korsakov put it, orchestrated as well as any other music in Western Europe.

A great master, Haydn tirelessly renewed his language; Together with Mozart and Beethoven, Haydn formed and brought to a rare degree of perfection the style of the so-called. Viennese classicism. The beginnings of this style lie in the Baroque era, and its late period leads directly to the era of Romanticism. Fifty years creative life Haydn filled the deepest stylistic gap - between Bach and Beethoven. In the 19th century all attention was focused on Bach and Beethoven, and at the same time they forgot the giant who managed to build a bridge between these two worlds.

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 the classical music school, as well as the orchestral and 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. You will learn about this and much more on this page.

Franz Joseph Haydn. Movie.

short biography

On March 31, 1732, 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 the Gainburg church choir. Franz Joseph would later be accepted into the Vienna Choir Chapel at the Catholic Cathedral of St. Stephen.
At the age of sixteen, 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 in 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 relationship family history. But an unpredictable life brought Franz Josef together with the young and charming opera singer Luigia Polzelli, who was only 19 years old when they met. But the passion faded quite quickly. Haydn seeks patronage among rich and influential people. In the early 1760s, the composer received a job as second bandmaster in the palace of the influential Esterhazy family. For 30 years, Haydn worked at the court of this noble dynasty. During this time, he composed a huge number of symphonies - 104.
Haydn had few 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

Russian Quartet op.33

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.

It is known that Haydn and Mozart had a very strong friendship. Mozart greatly respected and revered his friend. And if Haydn criticized Amadeus’s works or gave any advice, Mozart always listened; Joseph’s opinion always came first for the young composer. Despite their peculiar temperaments and age difference, the friends had no quarrels or disagreements.

Symphony No. 94. "Surprise"

1. Adagio - Vivace assai

2.Andante

3. Menuetto: Allegro molto

4. Finale: Allegro molto

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 fell asleep during a concert or were already having beautiful dreams. Haydn suggested that this happens because the British intelligentsia are not used to listening to classical music and do not have any special feelings for art, but the British are a people of tradition, so they necessarily 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. Thus, Londoners no longer fell asleep in concert halls where Haydn conducted.

Symphony No. 44. "Trauer".

1. Allegro con brio

2. Menuetto - Allegretto

3. Adagio 15:10

4.Presto 22:38

Concerto for piano and orchestra, D major.

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.

Haydn is rightly considered the father of the symphony and quartet, the great founder of the classical instrumental music, the founder of the modern orchestra.

Franz Joseph Haydn was born on March 31, 1732 in Lower Austria, in the small town of Rohrau, located on the left bank of the Leita River, between the towns of Bruck and Hainburg, near the Hungarian border. Haydn's ancestors were hereditary Austro-German peasant artisans. The composer's father, Matthias, was engaged in carriage business. Mother - nee Anna Maria Koller - served as a cook.

The father's musicality and love of music were inherited by his children. Little Joseph already attracted the attention of musicians at the age of five. He had excellent hearing, memory, and a sense of rhythm. His ringing silver voice delighted everyone.

Thanks to his outstanding musical abilities, the boy first joined the church choir of the small town of Gainburg, and then the choir chapel at the Cathedral (main) St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna. This was a significant event in Haydn's life. After all, there is no other way to get musical education he didn't have.

Singing in a choir was a very good, but only school for Haydn. The boy's abilities quickly developed, and he was assigned difficult solo parts. The church choir often performed at city festivals, weddings, and funerals. The choir was also invited to participate in court celebrations. How much time did it take to perform in the church itself, for rehearsals? All this was a heavy load for the little singers.

Josef was understanding and quickly accepted everything new. He even found time to play the violin and clavichord and achieved significant success. Only his attempts to compose music did not meet with support. During his nine years in the choir, he received only two lessons from its director!

However, the lessons did not appear immediately. Before that, I had to go through a desperate time of searching for income. Little by little I managed to find some work, which, although it did not provide any support, still allowed me not to die of hunger. Haydn began giving singing and music lessons, played the violin at festive evenings, and sometimes just at big roads. By order, he composed several of his first works. But all these earnings were random. Haydn understood: to become a composer, you need to study a lot and hard. He began to study theoretical works, in particular the books of I. Matteson and I. Fuchs.

The collaboration with the Viennese comedian Johann Joseph Kurz turned out to be useful. Kurtz was at that time very popular in Vienna as a talented actor and author of a number of farces.

Kurtz, having met Haydn, immediately appreciated his talent and offered to compose music for the libretto of the comic opera “The Crooked Demon” that he compiled. Haydn wrote music that, unfortunately, has not reached us. We only know that “The Crooked Demon” was performed in the winter of 1751-1752 in the theater at the Carinthian Gate and was a success. “Haydn received 25 ducats for it and considered himself very rich.”

A bold debut of a young, still little-known composer on theater stage in 1751 immediately brought him popularity in democratic circles and... very bad reviews from adherents of old musical traditions. Reproaches of “buffoonery,” “frivolity,” and other sins were later transferred by various zealots of the “sublime” to the rest of Haydn’s work, starting with his symphonies and ending with his masses.

The last stage of Haydn's creative youth - before he embarked on an independent path as a composer - were classes with Nicola Antonio Porpora, an Italian composer and conductor, a representative of the Neapolitan school.

Porpora reviewed Haydn's compositional experiments and gave him instructions. Haydn, in order to reward the teacher, was an accompanist in his singing lessons and even served as his servant.

Under the roof, in the cold attic where Haydn huddled, on an old broken clavichord, he studied the works of famous composers. A folk songs! He listened to so many of them, wandering day and night through the streets of Vienna. Here and there a variety of folk tunes sounded: Austrian, Hungarian, Czech, Ukrainian, Croatian, Tyrolean. Therefore, Haydn’s works are permeated with these wonderful melodies, most of them cheerful and cheerful.

A turning point was gradually brewing in Haydn's life and work. His financial situation began to improve little by little and his position in life became stronger. At the same time, his great creative talent bore its first significant fruits.

Around 1750, Haydn wrote a small mass (in F major), showing in it not only a talented assimilation of modern techniques of this genre, but also an obvious inclination towards composing “cheerful” church music. A more important fact is that the composer composed his first string quartet in 1755.

The impetus was an acquaintance with a music lover, landowner Karl Furnberg. Encouraged by Fürnberg's attention and financial support, Haydn first wrote a series of string trios, and then the first string quartet, which was soon followed by about two dozen others. In 1756, Haydn composed the Concerto in C major. Haydn's patron also took care of strengthening his financial position. He recommended the composer to the Czech Viennese aristocrat and music lover Count Joseph Franz Morzin. Morcin spent the winter in Vienna, and in the summer he lived on his estate Lukavec near Pilsen. In the service of Morcin, as a composer and conductor, Haydn received free accommodation, food and salary.

This service turned out to be short-lived (1759-1760), but still helped Haydn take further steps in composition. In 1759, Haydn created his first symphony, and after it in coming years four others.

Both in the field of the string quartet and in the field of the symphony, Haydn was to define and crystallize the genres of a new musical era: composing quartets, creating symphonies, he showed himself to be a bold, decisive innovator.

While in the service of Count Morzin, Haydn fell in love with the youngest daughter of his friend, the Viennese hairdresser Johann Peter Keller, Teresa, and was seriously planning to marry her. However, for reasons that remain unknown, the girl left parents' house, and her father could not find anything better than to say: “Haydn, you should marry my eldest daughter" It is unknown what prompted Haydn to respond positively. One way or another, Haydn agreed. He was 28 years old, his bride, Maria Anna Aloysia Apollonia Keller, was 32. The marriage took place on November 26, 1760, and Haydn became... an unhappy husband for many decades.

His wife soon proved herself to be an extremely narrow-minded, stupid and quarrelsome woman. She absolutely did not understand or appreciate the great talent of her husband. “She didn’t care,” Haydn once said in his old age, “whether her husband was a shoemaker or an artist.”

Maria Anna mercilessly destroyed a number of Haydn's music manuscripts, using them for curlers and linings for pates. Moreover, she was very wasteful and demanding.

Having married, Haydn violated the terms of service with Count Morcin - the latter accepted only single men into his chapel. However, he did not have to hide the change in his personal life for long. The financial shock forced Count Morcin to abandon musical pleasures and dissolve the chapel. Haydn faced the threat of again being left without a permanent income.

But then he received an offer from a new, more powerful patron of the arts - the richest and very influential Hungarian magnate - Prince Pavel Anton Esterhazy. Paying attention to Haydn in Morcin Castle, Esterhazy appreciated his talent.

Not far from Vienna, in the small Hungarian town of Eisenstadt, and in summer time in the Eszterhaz country palace, Haydn spent thirty years as conductor (conductor). The duties of the bandmaster included directing the orchestra and singers. Haydn also had to compose symphonies, operas, quartets and other works at the prince’s request. Often the capricious prince ordered a new essay to be written by the next day! Haydn’s talent and extraordinary hard work helped him here too. One after another, operas appeared, as well as symphonies, including “The Bear”, “Children’s Room”, “School Teacher”.

While directing the chapel, the composer could listen to live performances of the works he created. This made it possible to correct everything that did not sound good enough, and to remember what turned out to be especially successful.

During his service with Prince Esterhazy, Haydn wrote most of his operas, quartets and symphonies. In total, Haydn created 104 symphonies!

In his symphonies, Haydn did not set himself the task of individualizing the plot. The composer’s programming is most often based on individual associations and visual “sketches.” Even where it is more integral and consistent - purely emotionally, as in the “Farewell Symphony” (1772), or genre-wise, as in the “War Symphony” (1794), it still lacks clear plot foundations.

The enormous value of Haydn's symphonic concepts, for all their comparative simplicity and unpretentiousness, is in a very organic reflection and implementation of the unity of the spiritual and physical world of man.

This opinion is expressed, and very poetically, by E.T.A. Hoffman:

“Haydn’s works are dominated by the expression of a childish, joyful soul; his symphonies lead us into vast green groves, into a cheerful, motley crowd of happy people, boys and girls rush in front of us in choral dances; Laughing children hide behind trees, behind rose bushes, playfully throwing flowers. A life full of love, full of bliss and eternal youth, as before the Fall; no suffering, no sorrow - only a sweetly elegiac desire for the beloved image, which floats in the distance, in the pink flicker of the evening, neither approaching nor disappearing, and while it is there, night does not come, for he himself is the evening dawn burning above mountain and over the grove."

Haydn's skill has reached perfection over the years. His music invariably aroused the admiration of Esterhazy's many guests. The composer's name became widely known outside his homeland - in England, France, and Russia. The six symphonies performed in Paris in 1786 were called "Parisian". But Haydn had no right to go anywhere outside the prince’s estate, print his works, or simply give them as a gift without the consent of the prince. And the prince did not like the absences of “his” bandmaster. He was accustomed to Haydn, along with other servants, waiting for his orders in the hallway at a certain time. At such moments, the composer felt his dependence especially acutely. “Am I the bandmaster or the conductor?” - he exclaimed bitterly in letters to friends. One day he managed to escape and visit Vienna, see acquaintances and friends. How much joy it brought him to meet his beloved Mozart! Fascinating conversations were followed by performances of quartets, with Haydn playing the violin and Mozart playing the viola. Mozart took particular pleasure in performing quartets written by Haydn. In this genre, the great composer considered himself his student. But such meetings were extremely rare.

Haydn had a chance to experience other joys - the joys of love. On March 26, 1779, the Polzelli spouses were received into the Esterhazy Chapel. Antonio, the violinist, was no longer young. His wife, singer Luiga, a Moorish woman from Naples, was only nineteen years old. She was very attractive. Luigia lived unhappily with her husband, just like Haydn. Exhausted by the company of his grumpy and quarrelsome wife, he fell in love with Luigia. This passion lasted, gradually weakening and dimming, until the composer’s old age. Apparently, Luigia reciprocated Haydn’s feelings, but still, more self-interest than sincerity appeared in her attitude. In any case, she steadily and very persistently extorted money from Haydn.

Rumor even called (it is not known whether correctly) Luigi's son Antonio the son of Haydn. Her eldest son Pietro became the composer’s favorite: Haydn took care of him like a father and took an active part in his training and upbringing.

Despite the dependent position, leave Haydn service could not. At that time, a musician had the opportunity to work only in court chapels or lead a church choir. Before Haydn, no composer had ever dared to exist independently. Haydn also did not dare to part with his permanent job.

In 1791, when Haydn was already about 60 years old, the old Prince Esterhazy died. His heir, who did not have much love for music, dissolved the chapel. But he was also flattered that the composer, who had become famous, was listed as his bandmaster. This forced the young Esterhazy to grant Haydn a pension sufficient to prevent “his servant” from entering a new service.

Haydn was happy! Finally he is free and independent! He agreed to the offer to go to England for concerts. While traveling on a ship, Haydn saw the sea for the first time. And how many times did he dream about it, trying to imagine the boundless water element, the movement of the waves, the beauty and variability of the color of the water. Once in his youth, Haydn even tried to convey in music the picture of a raging sea.

Life in England was also unusual for Haydn. The concerts in which he conducted his works were a triumphant success. This was the first open mass recognition of his music. The University of Oxford elected him as an honorary member.

Haydn visited England twice. Over the years, the composer wrote his famous twelve London Symphonies. The London Symphonies complete the evolution of Haydn's symphony. His talent reached its peak. The music sounded deeper and more expressive, the content became more serious, and the colors of the orchestra became richer and more varied.

Despite being extremely busy, Haydn managed to listen to new music. He was especially impressed by the oratorios of the German composer Handel, his senior contemporary. The impression of Handel's music was so great that, returning to Vienna, Haydn wrote two oratorios - “The Creation of the World” and “The Seasons”.

The plot of “The Creation of the World” is extremely simple and naive. The first two parts of the oratorio tell about the emergence of the world according to the will of God. The third and last part is about the heavenly life of Adam and Eve before the Fall.

A number of judgments of contemporaries and immediate descendants about Haydn’s “Creation of the World” are typical. This oratorio was a huge success during the composer’s lifetime and greatly increased his fame. Nevertheless, critical voices were also heard. Naturally, the visual imagery of Haydn’s music shocked philosophers and aestheticians who were in a “sublime” mood. Serov wrote enthusiastically about “The Creation of the World”:

“What a gigantic creation this oratorio is! There is, by the way, one aria depicting the creation of birds - this is absolutely the highest triumph of onomatopoeic music, and, moreover, “what energy, what simplicity, what simple-minded grace!” “This is absolutely beyond any comparison.” The oratorio “The Seasons” should be recognized even more significant work Haydn than "The Creation of the World". The text of the oratorio “The Seasons,” like the text of “The Creation of the World,” was written by van Swieten. The second of Haydn's great oratorios is more diverse and deeply human not only in content, but also in form. This is a whole philosopheme, an encyclopedia of pictures of nature and Haydn’s patriarchal peasant morality, glorifying work, love of nature, delights village life and the purity of naive souls. In addition, the plot allowed Haydn to create a very harmonious and complete, harmonious musical concept of the whole.

Composing the enormous score of “The Four Seasons” was not easy for the decrepit Haydn, costing him many worries and sleepless nights. Towards the end he was tormented by headaches and the obsession with musical performances.

The London Symphonies and oratorios were the pinnacle of Haydn's work. After the oratorios he wrote almost nothing. Life has been too stressful. His strength was exhausted. The composer spent his last years on the outskirts of Vienna, in a small house. The quiet and secluded home was visited by admirers of the composer's talent. The conversations concerned the past. Haydn especially loved to remember his youth - hard, laborious, but full of bold, persistent searches.

Haydn died in 1809 and was buried in Vienna. Subsequently, his remains were transferred to Eisenstadt, where he spent so many years of his life.

The entire complex world of classical music, which cannot be covered at one glance, is conventionally divided into eras or styles (this applies to all classical art, but today we are talking specifically about music). One of the central stages in the development of music is the era musical classicism. This era gave world music three names, which, probably, any person who has heard at least a little about classical music, can name: Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven. Since the lives of these three composers were in one way or another connected with Vienna in the 18th century, the style of their music, as well as the brilliant constellation of their names itself, was called Viennese classicism. These composers themselves are called Viennese classics.

"Papa Haydn" - whose papa?

The oldest of the three composers, and therefore the founder of the style of their music, is Franz Joseph Haydn, whose biography you will read in this article (1732-1809) - “father Haydn” (they say that the great Mozart himself called Joseph that way, who, by the way, , was several decades younger than Haydn).

Anyone would put on airs! And Father Haydn? Not at all. He gets up at first light and works, writes his music. And he is dressed as if he were not a famous composer, but an inconspicuous musician. He is simple both in food and in conversation. He called all the boys from the street and allowed them to eat wonderful apples in his garden. It is immediately clear that his father was a poor man and that there were many children in the family - seventeen! If not for chance, maybe Haydn, like his father, would have become a master of carriage making.

Early childhood

The small village of Rohrau, lost in Lower Austria, a huge family, headed by - ordinary worker, a carriage maker whose responsibility is not the mastery of sound, but carts and wheels. But Joseph’s father also had a good command of sound. Villagers often gathered in the poor but hospitable Haydn house. They sang and danced. Austria is generally very musical, but perhaps the main subject of their interest was the owner of the house himself. Not knowing musical notation, he nevertheless sang well and accompanied himself on the harp, selecting the accompaniment by ear.

First successes

Little Joseph was more clearly affected by his father's musical abilities than all the other children. Already at the age of five, he stood out among his peers with his beautiful, ringing voice and excellent sense of rhythm. With such musical abilities, it was simply destined for him not to grow up in his own family.

At that time, church choirs were in dire need of high voices- female voices: soprano, alto. Women, according to the structure of patriarchal society, did not sing in the choir, so their voices, so necessary for a full and harmonious sound, were replaced by the voices of very young boys. Before the onset of mutation (that is, the restructuring of the voice, which is part of the changes in the body during adolescence), boys with good musical abilities could well replace women in the choir.

So very little Joseph was taken into the choir of the church of Hainburg, a small town on the banks of the Danube. For his parents, this must have been a huge relief - at such an early age (Josef was about seven) no one in their family had yet become self-sufficient.

Cathedral of St. Stefan

The town of Hainburg generally played an important role in Joseph’s fate - here he began to study music professionally. And soon Georg Reuther, a prominent musician from Vienna, visited the Hainburg church. He traveled around the country with the same goal - to find capable, vocal boys to sing in the choir of the Cathedral of St. Stefan. This name hardly tells us anything, but for Haydn it was a great honor. St. Stephen's Cathedral! Symbol of Austria, symbol of Vienna! A huge specimen with echoing arches gothic architecture. But Haydn had to pay more than that for singing in such a place. Long solemn services and court festivities, which also required a choir, took up a huge part of his free time. But you still had to study at the school at the cathedral! This had to be done in fits and starts. The director of the choir, the same Georg Reuther, had little interest in what was going on in the minds and hearts of his charges, and did not notice that one of them was taking his first, perhaps clumsy, but independent steps in the world of composing music. The work of Joseph Haydn then still bore the stamp of amateurism and the very first attempts. For Haydn, the conservatory was replaced by a choir. Often he had to learn brilliant examples of choral music from previous eras, and Joseph along the way drew conclusions for himself about the techniques used by composers and extracted the knowledge and skills he needed from the musical text.

The boy had to do work that was completely unrelated to music, for example, serving at the court table and serving dishes. But this also turned out to be beneficial for the development of the future composer! The fact is that the nobles at court ate only to high symphonic music. And the little footman, whom the important nobles did not even notice, while serving the dishes, made to himself the necessary conclusions about the structure musical form or the most colorful harmonies. Of course, interesting facts from the life of Joseph Haydn include the very fact of his musical self-education.

The situation at school was harsh: boys were punished petty and severely. No further prospects were foreseen: as soon as the voice began to break and was no longer as high and sonorous as before, its owner was mercilessly thrown out into the street.

Minor start to independent life

Haydn suffered the same fate. He was already 18 years old. After wandering the streets of Vienna for several days, he met an old school friend, and he helped him find an apartment, or rather, a small room right under the attic. It is not for nothing that Vienna is called the music capital of the world. Even then, not yet glorified by the names of the Viennese classics, it was the most musical city in Europe: the melodies of songs and dances floated through the streets, and in the little room under the very roof in which Haydn settled, there was a real treasure - an old, broken clavichord (a musical instrument, one of forerunners of the piano). However, I didn't have to play it much. Most of my time was spent looking for work. In Vienna it is possible to obtain only a few private lessons, the income from which barely allows one to meet the necessary needs. Desperate to find work in Vienna, Haydn begins to wander around nearby cities and villages.

Niccolo Porpora

This time - Haydn's youth - was overshadowed by acute need and constant search for work. Until 1761, he managed to find work only temporarily. Describing this period of his life, it should be noted that he worked as an accompanist for Italian composer, as well as vocalist and teacher Niccolo Porpora. Haydn got a job with him specifically to learn music theory. It was possible to learn while performing the duties of a footman: Haydn had to not only accompany.

Count Morcin

From 1759, for two years, Haydn lived and worked in the Czech Republic, on the estate of Count Morcin, who had an orchestral chapel. Haydn is the conductor, that is, the manager of this chapel. Here he writes a lot of music, music, of course, very good, but exactly the kind that the count demands from him. It is worth noting that the majority musical works Haydn was written precisely while performing official duties.

Under the leadership of Prince Esterhazy

In 1761, Haydn began serving in the chapel of the Hungarian Prince Esterhazy. Remember this surname: the elder Esterhazy will die, the estate will pass to the department of his son, and Haydn will still serve. He would serve as Esterhazy's bandmaster for thirty years.

At that time, Austria was a huge feudal state. It included both Hungary and the Czech Republic. Feudal lords - nobles, princes, counts - considered it good form to have an orchestral and choir chapel. You've probably heard something about serf orchestras in Russia, but maybe you don't know that things weren't going well in Europe either. A musician - even the most talented one, even the leader of a choir - was in the position of a servant. At the time when Haydn was just beginning to serve with Esterházy, in another Austrian city, Salzburg, little Mozart was growing up, who, while in the service of the count, would have to dine in the people's room, sitting above the footmen, but below the cooks.

Haydn had to fulfill many large and small responsibilities - from writing music for holidays and celebrations and learning it with the choir and orchestra of the chapel, to discipline in the chapel, the peculiarities of the costume and the preservation of notes and musical instruments.

The Esterhazy estate was located in the Hungarian town of Eisenstadt. After the death of the elder Esterhazy, his son took over the estate. Prone to luxury and celebrations, he built a country residence - Eszterhaz. Guests were often invited to the palace, which consisted of one hundred and twenty-six rooms, and, of course, music had to be played for the guests. Prince Esterhazy went to the country palace for all the summer months and took all his musicians there.

Musician or servant?

A long period of service at the Esterhazy estate became the time of birth of many new works by Haydn. By order of his master, he writes large works V different genres. Operas, quartets, sonatas, and other works come from his pen. But Joseph Haydn especially loves the symphony. This is a large, usually four-movement work for symphony orchestra. It was under Haydn’s pen that a classical symphony appeared, that is, an example of this genre on which other composers would later rely. During his life, Haydn wrote about one hundred and four symphonies (the exact number is unknown). And, of course, them most of was created precisely by the bandmaster of Prince Esterhazy.

Over time, Haydn's position reached a paradox (unfortunately, the same thing would later happen to Mozart): they know him, they listen to his music, they talk about him in different European countries, but he himself cannot even go anywhere without the permission of his owner. The humiliation that Haydn experiences from similar attitude the prince to him, sometimes slips in in letters to friends: “Am I a bandmaster or a conductor?” (Chapel - servant).

Joseph Haydn's Farewell Symphony

It is rare for a composer to be able to escape from the circle of official duties, visit Vienna, and see friends. By the way, for some time fate brings him together with Mozart. Haydn was one of those who unconditionally recognized not only the phenomenal virtuosity of Mozart, but precisely his deep talent, which allowed Wolfgang to look into the future.

However, these absences were rare. More often than not, Haydn and the choir musicians had to linger in Eszterhaza. The prince sometimes did not want to let the chapel go to the city even at the beginning of autumn. In the biography of Joseph Haydn, interesting facts undoubtedly include the history of the creation of his 45th, so-called Farewell Symphony. The prince once again detained the musicians for a long time in the summer residence. The cold had long set in, the musicians had not seen their family members for a long time, and the swamps surrounding Eszterhaz were not conducive to good health. The musicians turned to their bandmaster with a request to ask the prince about them. A direct request would hardly help, so Haydn writes a symphony, which he performs by candlelight. The symphony consists not of four, but of five movements, and during the last one the musicians take turns standing up, putting down their instruments and leaving the hall. Thus, Haydn reminded the prince that it was time to take the chapel to the city. The legend says that the prince took the hint, and the summer holiday was finally over.

Last years of life. London

The life of the composer Joseph Haydn developed like a path in the mountains. It's hard to climb, but at the end - the top! The culmination of both his creativity and his fame came at the very end of his life. Haydn's works reached their final maturity in the 1980s. XVIII century. Examples of the style of the 80s include six so-called Parisian symphonies.

The composer's difficult life was marked by a triumphant conclusion. In 1791, Prince Esterhazy dies, and his heir dissolves the chapel. Haydn, already a well-known composer throughout Europe, becomes an honorary citizen of Vienna. He receives a house in this city and a lifelong pension. The last years of Haydn's life are very radiant. He visits London twice - as a result of these trips, twelve London symphonies appeared - his last works in this genre. In London, he gets acquainted with the work of Handel and, impressed by this acquaintance, for the first time tries himself in the oratorio genre - Handel's favorite genre. In his declining years, Haydn created two oratorios that are still known today: “The Seasons” and “The Creation of the World.” Joseph Haydn wrote music until his death.

Conclusion

We examined the main stages of the life of the father of the classical style in music. Optimism, the triumph of good over evil, reason over chaos and light over darkness, these are the characteristic features of the musical works of Joseph Haydn.

According to a short biography of Joseph Haydn, his birthplace was the village of Rohrau, which is located near the Hungarian border. My parents studied vocals quite seriously and loved to play musical instruments.

In 1737, five-year-old Joseph's predisposition to music was discovered. Then his uncle took him to his city. In the Danube city of Hainburg, the boy began to learn to play music and practice singing. There his efforts were noticed by Georg von Reutter, a famous composer and director of the capital's St. Stephen's Chapel.

For the next ten years, Josef had to work in various places to support himself. He managed to ask to become a student of the composer Nicola Porpora. The price of the lessons was high, so young Joseph begged to listen to them sitting behind a curtain.

Haydn failed to receive a systematic education, but he filled in the gaps by studying the content of the works of I. Fuchs, I. Matteson and other composers.

Youth

In the 50s, Haydn wrote a number of his first musical works, which brought fame to the author. Among them were the singspiel “The Lame Demon,” which was staged in various cities of the Holy Roman Empire, as well as divertissements, serenades, string quartets, and most importantly, Symphony No. 1 in D major.

In 1759, he managed to get a job as bandmaster for Count Karl von Morzin. The count had his own small orchestra, in which Joseph continued his work, composing symphonies for the count.

Working with Esterhazy

In 1760, Haydn married Maria Anna Keller. There was no room for children in their marriage, something he grieved about all his life. The wife found her husband's profession unpleasant and did not support her husband in his work, but divorce was prohibited at that time.

In 1761, Count von Morzin went bankrupt and Haydn was invited to go work for Prince Pavel Anton Esterházy. Until 1766, he worked as vice-kapellmeister, but after the death of the chief kapellmeister of the princely court, Gregor Werner, Haydn rose through the ranks and began to write music, organize an orchestra and stage operas, already having full rights to do so.

In 1779, Haydn and Esterhazy renegotiated the contract, introducing a number of changes to it. If previously all written compositions were the property of the princely family, then with the new contract the composer could write to order and sell any new works.

Heritage

Work at the court of the Esterhazy family was creative flourishing in the biography of Haydn. During his 29 years of service, many quartets, 6 Parisian symphonies, various oratorios and masses were created. The Farewell Symphony of 1772 became widely known. The opportunity to come to Vienna helped Haydn communicate with Mozart himself.

In total, during his life, Haydn wrote 104 symphonies, 52 sonatas, 36 concertos, 24 operas and 300 different works of chamber music.

Last years

The peak of Haydn's greatness were two oratorios - "The Creation of the World" in 1798 and "The Seasons" in 1801. They became examples of musical classicism. End of life health famous composer shook sharply. His last works remained unfinished. Death found him in Vienna, a few days after Napoleon's army occupied it. The composer's dying words were addressed to his servants, whom he wanted to calm down. People were worried that the soldiers could be ruined and their property stolen. During Joseph Haydn's funeral, his friend Mozart's Requiem was played.

Biography test

Check how well you remember Haydn's short biography.