Background
Franz Joseph Haydn was born on March 31, 1732, in Rohrau, Austria, the second son of humble parents. His father was a wheelwright, his mother, before her marriage, a cook for the lords of the village.
Bergkirche in Eisenstadt, site of Haydn's tomb
Franz Joseph Haydn was born on March 31, 1732, in Rohrau, Austria, the second son of humble parents. His father was a wheelwright, his mother, before her marriage, a cook for the lords of the village.
At the age of 8 Haydn became a choirboy at the Cathedral of St. Stephen's in Vienna, remaining there until his dismissal in 1749. By his own account his early years were largely given to self-instruction in music: he developed some facility as a violinist and keyboard player (but he was never a virtuoso performer); he studied briefly with the Italian opera composer and singing master Niccolò Porpora; and he became thoroughly acquainted with Viennese musical life of the period 1740 - 1760 and knew its leading figures.
In 1752, he caught the attention of the Italian composer and singing teacher Nicola Porpora, who accepted him as valet–accompanist. It was there that he learned the true fundamentals of composition.
His skills developed over time and soon he started writing music along with playing instruments. One of his first compositions, the opera, "Der krumme Teufel" ("The Limping Devil") was first premiered in 1753 with great success.
He gained much in stature over the next few years and was appointed as a musical director and chamber composer for the Bohemian count Ferdinand Maximilian von Morzin, in 1758. In this position he was made in charge of an orchestra of about 16 musicians.
After working with Morzin for three years he accepted a similar job offered by Prince Paul Anton, head of the wealthy Esterházy family, in 1761. His official title was Vice-Kapellmeister and he was placed in charge of most of the Esterházy musical establishment.
The old Kapellmeister, Gregor Werner, died in 1766 and Haydn was elevated to full Kapellmeister. He served the Esterházy family for nearly three decades and greatly raised the quality of the prince’s musical ensembles by appointing a number of gifted instrumentalists and singers.
The Esterházy family was very supportive of Haydn’s ambitious plans and greatly appreciated his musical contributions. Over the course of his employment he had the good fortune of working in an environment highly conducive to the development of his musical skills.
Haydn not only composed operas for the court, but also composed symphonies, string quartets, and other chamber music. During his career with the prince, he frequently travelled to Vienna and met Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart on one of these trips. The men developed a close friendship and found inspiration in each other’s work.
The head of the Esterházy family, Prince Nikolaus, died in 1790, and was succeeded by his son, Prince Anton. The new prince had no interest in music and dismissed most of the court musicians. However he retained Haydn though he was no longer assigned any important duty. This gave Haydn ample time to pursue his personal musical interests.
He embarked on a trip to England in 1791 and spent several months there. He met eminent musicians and received much respect from the English for his works. In mid 1792 he left for Germany where he met a young Ludwig van Beethoven and soon realized the potential he possessed. Haydn invited the young man to come to Vienna and receive musical instruction from him. Accordingly Beethoven moved to Vienna in 1792 and began studying with Haydn.
By the late 1790s, Prince Anton had died and was succeeded by Nikolaus II. The new prince wanted to revive the Esterházy musical establishment and requested Haydn to serve again as Kapellmeister. Haydn took up the position on a part-time basis. As a successful and respected composer, he had become quite wealthy by his later years. He was well cared for by his servants during the last years of his life and died peacefully on May 31, 1809, aged 77.
Joseph Haydn was a devout Roman Catholic who often turned to his rosary when he had trouble composing, a practice that he usually found to be effective.
Quotations:
"I listened more than I studied... therefore little by little my knowledge and ability were developed."
"I was never a quick writer, but composed with great care and efforts."
"There was no one near to confuse me, so I was forced to become original."
"I was cut off from the world. There was no one to confuse or torment me, and I was forced to become original."
Physical Characteristics:
Joseph Haydn was short in stature, perhaps as a result of having been underfed throughout most of his youth. He was not handsome, and like many in his day he was a survivor of smallpox; his face was pitted with the scars of this disease.
His nose, large and aquiline, was disfigured by the polyps he suffered during much of his adult life, an agonizing and debilitating disease that at times prevented him from writing music.
On November 26, 1760, Joseph Haydn married Maria Anna Theresia Keller. His marriage proved to be an unhappy one, and both the spouses took on lovers. He had no children from this marriage.
Joseph Haydn had a long term affair with Luigia Polzelli, a young Italian mezzo-soprano in the prince’s service.