Franz Joseph Haydn

Life and Works

- Around at a time when the church had less influence on musical development- Employed by a family, providing entertainment for guests, so he had a lot of freedom to explore different aspects of music- This helped him establish many key classical forms, such as the symphony, string quartet, sonata and concerto- He earned the nickname ‘Papa Haydn’- He was born in Austria, learned the harp and became a singer in a choir in Vienna at a young age- He didn’t travel much, but he formed a mutually rewarding relationship with Mozart when he visited Vienna- After a change in leadership of the Esterhazy family, he had the opportunity to travel more, and visited London where he discovered Handel

- His legacy of music is enormous, and was mostly instrumental, although he did write some choral works- His better known works are as follows:

- Choral works- Masses- Opera “Il Mondo della Luna”- Concertos- 104 symphonies- 90 String Quartets- 32 Piano Trios- 62 Piano Sonatas

- He was born during the time of Bach, and the final stages of the Baroque era- He was influenced a lot by Bach’s son, C. P. E. Bach- Another major influence was Johann Stamitz- Much of his music, however, was not influenced heavily, as he spent most of his life at work in the Esterhazy court- He also inspired other composers, including Beethoven and Mozart- He often develops larger structures out of short, simple motifs- His music is also known for its humour, such as the ending of his “surprise” symphony

Symphony No. 26 in D minor

- He wrote the symphony for Easter week, and is dated to about 1768/9- It is an early example of the Sturm und Drang style that characterised much of his music

- Because of its association with Easter week, he incorporates a melody from the ‘Passion of Christ’- It is now known as “Lamentatione” because of the Christus motif- The work is in 3 movements, ending with a minuet and trioFeatures of the Classical Period

- Classical pieces feature a lot of contrast, often with contrasting movements and themes- Often includes unexpected pauses and syncopation- Mostly homophonic, but can develop to other textures, such as polyphonic- The melodies are very tuneful, and easy to remember, and sometimes the melodies were borrowed from popular tunes- They are very balanced and symmetrical melodies- The orchestra had increased in size and range since Baroque