Franz Joseph Haydn (jan 1, 1732 – jan 1, 1809)

Description:

By far the most influential composer of symphonies in the mid to late eighteenth century was Haydn, who in two momentous ways established the genre for posterity. First, by creating an unusually large and impressive body of works that became the object of widespread emulation, Haydn did more than any other composer to standardize the symphony. And second, by finally taking the genre out of the aristocratic salon and into the public sphere, he considerably enlarged both its dimensions and its cultural signifiance. He laid the foundation for the modern concert repertory, in which at least a dozen of his symphonies are still staples.

Like Handel, Haydn was what we would now call a self-made man. Unlike Bach, Mozart, and BEethoven, he was not born into an established musical family. His father was a village wheelwright in southeast Austria and, although a master craftsman, neither highly educated nor well-to-do. Later in his life, Haydn was aware of the distance that his talent and good fortune had taken him. According to one of his several contemporaneous biographers, he offered himself as an inspiration to the young, "who may see from my example that something may indeed come from nothing."

Lived in poverty, read Gradus ad Parnassum. He knew the music of CPE, which influenced his style. He also apprenticed himself for a while to Nicola Porpora.

Early works straddle the line between chamber and orchestral music, like Stamitz' Mannheim music

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