The whole complex world of classical music, which cannot be captured at a glance, is conventionally divided into epochs or styles (this applies to all classical art, but today we are talking about music specifically). One of the central stages in the development of music is the era of musical classicism. This era gave world music three names, which, probably, any person, at least a little heard of classical music, will be able to name: Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven. Since the life of these three composers was in one way or another connected with Vienna in the 18th century, the style of their music, as well as the very brilliant constellation of their names, was called Viennese classicism. These composers themselves are called the 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) - "Papa Haydn" (they say that Joseph was called so by the great Mozart himself, who, by the way, , was several decades younger than Haydn).

Anyone would be important! And papa Haydn? Not at all. It gets up a little light and - works, writes his own music. And he is dressed as if he is not a famous composer, but an inconspicuous musician. And in food is simple, 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 the occasion, maybe Haydn, like his father, would have become a carriage master.

Early childhood

The small village of Rorau, lost in Lower Austria, is a huge family headed by an ordinary worker, a coachman, who is in charge not of sound, but of carts and wheels. But Josef's father also had a good command of sound. In the poor but hospitable house of the Haydns, villagers often gathered. 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, picking up accompaniment by ear.

First successes

The musical abilities of his father affected little Josef brighter than all other children. Already at the age of five, he stood out among his peers with a beautiful, sonorous voice and an excellent sense of rhythm. With such musical data, 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 the 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 to 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), none of their family had yet switched to self-sufficiency.

The town of Hainburg generally played an important role in the fate of Josef - here he began to study music professionally. And soon Georg Reuter, a prominent musician from Vienna, visited the Hainburg church. He traveled all over the country with the same goal - to find capable, vociferous boys to sing in the choir of the Cathedral of St. Stephen. This name hardly tells us anything, but for Haydn it was a great honor. Cathedral of Saint Stephen! Symbol of Austria, symbol of Vienna! A huge example of Gothic architecture with echoing vaults. But Haydn also had to pay for singing in such a place with a vengeance. Long solemn services and court festivities, which also needed 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 leader of the choir, the same Georg Reuter, had little interest in what was happening in the minds and hearts of his wards, 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 samples. The conservatory for Haydn was replaced by a choir. Often I had to learn brilliant examples of choral music from previous eras, and Josef simultaneously drew conclusions for himself about the techniques used by composers, extracted from the musical text the knowledge and skills he needed.

The boy also had to perform work that was completely unrelated to music, for example, serving at the court table, bringing dishes. But this 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 notice, when serving dishes, made the necessary conclusions for him about the structure of the musical form or the most colorful harmonies. Certainly to interesting facts from the life of Joseph Haydn is the very fact of his musical self-education.

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

Minor beginning of independent life

The same fate befell Haydn. He was already 18 years old. After wandering through 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 under the very attic. Vienna is called the musical capital of the world for a reason. Even then, not yet glorified by the names of the Viennese classics, it was the most musical city in Europe: 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 much on it. Most of the time was spent looking for a job. In Vienna, only a few private lessons can be obtained, the income from which barely satisfies the necessary needs. Desperate to find work in Vienna, Haydn embarks on a wandering around the nearby towns and villages.

Niccolo Porpora

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

Count Morcin

Since 1759, for two years, Haydn has been living and working in the Czech Republic, on the estate of Count Morcin, who had an orchestral chapel. Haydn is the Kapellmeister, that is, the manager of this chapel. Here he writes music in large quantities, music, of course, very good, but exactly the kind that the count requires of him. It is worth noting that most musical works Haydn written precisely in the line of duty.

Under Prince Esterhazy

In 1761, Haydn moved to serve in the chapel of the already Hungarian prince Esterhazy. Remember this surname: the elder Esterhazy will die, the estate will pass into the department of his son, and Haydn will still serve. He will serve as bandmaster for Esterhazy for thirty years.

Then Austria was a huge feudal state. It included both Hungary and the Czech Republic. The feudal lords - nobles, princes, counts - considered it good form to have an orchestral and choir chapel at the court. You have probably heard something about serf orchestras in Russia, but perhaps you do not know that in Europe the situation was also not in the best way. The musician - even the most gifted, even the leader of the chapel - was in the position of a servant. At the time when Haydn was just beginning to serve with Esterhazy, in another Austrian city, Salzburg, little Mozart was growing up, who, being in the service of the count, has yet to dine in the servants' room, while sitting above the lackeys, 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 chapel orchestra to discipline in the chapel, costume features and the safety 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 became the head of the estate. Prone to luxury and celebrations, he built a country residence - Esterhaz. 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?

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

Over time, Haydn's position reached a paradox (unfortunately, the same thing would happen later with Mozart): they know him, listen to his music, talk about him in different European countries, and he himself cannot even go anywhere without the permission of his master. The humiliation that Haydn experiences from such an attitude of the prince towards him sometimes slips in letters to friends: "Am I a bandmaster or a bandleader?" (chaperon - servant).

Farewell Symphony by Joseph Haydn

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

However, these absences were rare. Much more often Haydn and the musicians of the chapel had to linger in Esterhase. The prince sometimes did not want to let the choir 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 at the summer residence for a long time. The cold had already set in for a long time, the musicians had not seen their families for a long time, and the swamps surrounding Esterhaz did not contribute to good health. The musicians turned to their bandmaster with a request to ask the prince about them. It is unlikely that a direct request would help, so Haydn writes a symphony, which he performs by candlelight. The symphony does not consist of four, but of five parts, and during the last part the musicians alternately get up, put down their instruments and leave the hall. Thus, Haydn reminded the prince that it was time to take the chapel to the city. Tradition says that the prince took the hint, and the summer vacation 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 work and his fame came at the very end of his life. Haydn's works reached their final maturity in the 80s. XVIII century. Examples of the style of the 80s include six so-called Parisian symphonies.

The difficult life of the composer 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 lifetime 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, under the impression of 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 writes music until his death.

Conclusion

We examined the main stages in 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, that's character traits musical works of Joseph Haydn.

According to a brief biography of Joseph Haydn, his birthplace was the village of Rorau, which is located near the Hungarian border. Parents were quite seriously engaged in vocals and loved to play musical instruments.

In 1737, five-year-old Josef'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 St. Stephen's Chapel in the capital.

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

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

Youth

In the 1950s, Haydn wrote a number of his first pieces of music, which brought fame to the author. Among them were the Lame Demon singspiel, which was staged in various cities of the Holy Roman Empire, as well as divertissements, serenades, string quartets, and most importantly, the Symphony No. 1 in D major.

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

Esterhazy's work

In 1760, Haydn marries Marie-Anne Keller. In their marriage there was no place for children, about which he was sad all his life. The profession of the spouse was unpleasant for the wife and she did not support her husband in his work, but divorce was forbidden at that time.

In 1761, Count von Morzin went bankrupt and Haydn was invited to work for Prince Paul Anton Esterhazy. Until 1766, he worked as a vice-kapellmeister, but after the death of the chief bandmaster of the princely court, Gregor Werner, Haydn rose in 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, making a number of changes to it. If earlier all the compositions written were the property of the princely family, then under 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 biography of Haydn. Over 29 years of service, many quartets, 6 Parisian symphonies, various oratorios and masses were created. The "Farewell" symphony of 1772 was 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 pieces of chamber music.

Last years

The peak of Haydn's greatness were two oratorios - "The Creation" in 1798 and "The Seasons" in 1801. They became a model of musical classicism. At the end of his life, the health of the famous composer deteriorated 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 reassure. People were worried that the soldiers could be ruined and their property appropriated. During Joseph Haydn's funeral, his friend Mozart's Requiem was played.

This year marks the 280th anniversary of the birth of J. Haydn. I was interested to learn some facts from the life of this composer.

1. Although in the composer's metrics in the column "date of birth" it is written "April 1st", he himself claimed that he was born on the night of March 31, 1732. A small biographical study published in 1778 attributes to Haydn the following words: “My brother Michael declared that I was born on March 31. He did not want people to say that I came into this world as an “April Fool”.

2. Albert Christoph Dees, biographer of Haydn who wrote about early years of his life tells how, at the age of six, he also learned to play the drum and took part in the procession during Holy Week, where he replaced the suddenly deceased drummer. The drum was tied to the back of a hunchback so that a little boy could play it. This instrument is still kept in the church of Hainburg.

3. Haydn started writing music without knowing musical theory. One day, the bandmaster caught Haydn writing a twelve-voice choir to the glory of the Virgin, but did not even bother to offer advice or help to the novice composer. According to Haydn, during his stay in the cathedral, the mentor taught him only two theory lessons. How the music is "arranged" the boy learned in practice, studying everything that he had to sing at the services.
Later, he told Johann Friedrich Rochlitz: "I never had a real teacher. I started learning from the practical side - first singing, then playing musical instruments, and only then composition. I listened more than I studied. I listened carefully and tried to use what made the greatest impression on me. That's how I acquired knowledge and skills."

4. In 1754 Haydn received news that his mother had died at the age of forty-seven. Fifty-five-year-old Matthias Haydn soon after married his maid, who was only nineteen. So Haydn had a stepmother who was three years younger than him.

5. Haydn's beloved girl, for unknown reasons, preferred a monastery to a wedding. It is not known why, but Haydn married her older sister, who turned out to be grumpy and completely indifferent to music. According to the musicians with whom Haydn worked, in an effort to annoy her husband, she used manuscripts of his works instead of baking paper. In addition, the spouses did not manage to experience parental feelings - the couple did not have children.

6. Tired of a long separation from their families, the musicians of the orchestra turned to Haydn with a request to convey to the prince their desire to see their relatives and the maestro, as always, came up with a cunning way to tell about their anxiety - this time with the help of a musical joke. In Symphony No. 45, the final movement ends in the key of C sharp major instead of the expected F sharp major (this creates instability and tension that needs to be resolved). At this point, Haydn inserts an Adagio to convey the mood of the musicians to his patron. The orchestration is original: the instruments fall silent one after another, and each musician, having finished the part, extinguishes the candle at his music stand, collects the notes and quietly leaves, and in the end only two violins remain playing in the silence of the hall. Fortunately, without getting angry at all, the prince took the hint: the musicians wanted to go on vacation. The next day, he ordered everyone to prepare for an immediate departure to Vienna, where the families of most of his servants remained. And Symphony No. 45 has since been called "Farewell".


7. John Bland, a London publisher, came to Esterhase, where Haydn lived, in 1789 to get hold of his new works. There is a story connected with this visit that explains why the String Quartet in F minor, Op. 55 No. 2, called "Razor". With difficulty shaving with a dull razor, Haydn, according to legend, exclaimed: "I would give my best quartet for a good razor." Upon hearing this, Blend immediately handed him his set of English steel razors. True to his word, Haydn donated the manuscript to the publisher.

8. Haydn and Mozart first met in Vienna in 1781. A very close friendship developed between the two composers, without a hint of envy or a hint of rivalry. The great respect with which each of them treated the work of the other contributed to mutual understanding. Mozart showed his older friend his new works and unconditionally accepted any criticism. He was not a student of Haydn, but he valued his opinion above that of any other musician, even his father. They were very different in age and temperament, but, despite the differences in characters, the friends never quarreled.


9. Prior to discovering Mozart's operas, Haydn wrote more or less regularly for the stage. He was proud of his operas, but, feeling the superiority of Mozart in this musical genre and at the same time not at all jealous of a friend, he lost interest in them. In the autumn of 1787, Haydn received an order from Prague for a new opera. The answer was the following letter, from which one can see the strength of the composer's affection for Mozart and how alien Haydn was to striving for personal gain: "You are asking me to write an opera buffa for you. If you are going to stage it in Prague, I am forced to reject your offer, so how all my operas are so closely tied to Esterhase that they cannot be properly performed outside of her. Everything would be different if I could write a completely new work especially for the Prague Theater. But even then it would be difficult for me to compete with a man like Mozart."

10. There is a story explaining why the Symphony No. 102 in B flat major is called "The Miracle". At the premiere of this symphony, as soon as it was silenced last sounds, all the spectators rushed to the front of the hall to express their admiration for the composer. At that moment, a huge chandelier fell off the ceiling and fell right on the spot where the audience had recently been sitting. That no one was hurt was a miracle.

Thomas Hardy, 1791-1792

11. The Prince of Wales (later King George IV) commissioned a portrait of Haydn from John Hoppner. When the composer sat down on a chair to pose for the artist, his face, always cheerful and cheerful, became uncommonly serious. Wanting to return the smile inherent in Haydn, the artist specially hired a German maid to entertain the eminent guest with a conversation while the portrait was being painted. As a result, in the painting (now in the collection of Buckingham Palace), Haydn does not have such a tense expression on his face.

John Hoppner, 1791

12. Haydn never considered himself handsome, on the contrary, he thought that nature had deprived him outwardly, but at the same time, the composer was never deprived of the attention of ladies. His cheerful nature and subtle flattery ensured him their favor. He was in very good relations with many of them, but with one, Mrs. Rebecca Schroeter, widow of the musician Johann Samuel Schroeter, he was especially close. Haydn even admitted to Albert Christoph Dees that if he had been single at that time, he would have married her. Rebecca Schroeter repeatedly sent fiery love messages to the composer, which he carefully copied into his diary. At the same time, he maintained a correspondence with two other women for whom he also had strong feelings: with Luigia Polcelli, a singer from Esterhase, who at that time lived in Italy, and Marianne von Genzinger.


13. One day, a friend of the composer, the famous surgeon John Hunter, suggested that Haydn remove polyps in his nose, from which the musician suffered most of his life. When the patient arrived in the operating room and saw the four burly attendants who were supposed to hold him during the operation, he was frightened and began to scream and struggle in horror, so that all attempts to operate on him had to be abandoned.

14. By the beginning of 1809, Haydn was almost an invalid. Last days his life was turbulent: Napoleon's troops captured Vienna in early May. During the bombardment of the French, a shell fell near Haydn's house, the whole building shook, and panic arose among the servants. The patient must have suffered greatly from the roar of the cannonade, which did not stop for more than a day. But nevertheless, he still had the strength to reassure his servants: "Don't worry, as long as Papa Haydn is here, nothing will happen to you." When Vienna surrendered, Napoleon ordered that a sentry be posted near Haydn's house to ensure that the dying man was no longer disturbed. It is said that almost every day, despite his weakness, Haydn played the Austrian national anthem on the piano - as an act of protest against the invaders.

15. In the early morning of May 31, Haydn fell into a coma and quietly left this world. In the city where the enemy soldiers were in charge, many days passed before people learned of Haydn's death, so that his funeral went almost unnoticed. On June 15, a funeral service was held in honor of the composer, at which Mozart's Requiem was performed. The service was attended by many senior ranks of the French officers. At first, Haydn was buried in a cemetery in Vienna, but in 1820 his remains were transferred to Eisenstadt. When the grave was opened, it was found that the composer's skull was missing. It turns out that two of Haydn's friends bribed the gravedigger at the funeral to take the composer's head. From 1895 to 1954, the skull was in the museum of the Society of Music Lovers in Vienna. Then, in 1954, he was finally buried along with the rest of the remains in the garden of the Bergkirche, the city church of Eisenstadt.

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

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

The musicality of the father, his love for music was inherited by the children. Little Josef attracted the attention of musicians at the age of five. He had excellent hearing, memory, sense of rhythm. His sonorous silvery voice led everyone into admiration.

Thanks to his outstanding musical abilities, the boy first got into the church choir of the small town of Gainburg, and then into the choir chapel at the Cathedral (main) St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna. This was a significant event in the life of Haydn. After all, he had no other opportunity to receive a musical education.

Singing in the choir was very good for Haydn, but the only school. The boy's abilities developed rapidly, and difficult solo parts began to be entrusted to him. The church choir often performed at city festivities, weddings, and funerals. The choir was also invited to participate in court celebrations. And how much time did it take to perform in the church itself, to rehearse? All this was a heavy burden for the little singers.

Josef was quick-witted and quickly perceived everything new. He even found time to play the violin and clavichord and achieved significant success. Only now his attempts to compose music did not meet with support. For nine years of being in the choir chapel, he received only two lessons from its leader!

However, the lessons did not appear immediately. Before that, I had to go through a desperate time of looking for a job. Little by little, I managed to find some work, although it did not provide, but still allowed me not to die of hunger. Haydn began to give singing and music lessons, played the violin at festive evenings, and sometimes just on the highways. On commission, he composed several of his first works. But all these earnings were accidental. Haydn understood that to become a composer one had to study hard and hard. He began to study theoretical works, in particular the books of I. Mattheson and I. Fuchs.

The collaboration with the Viennese comedian Johann Joseph Kurz proved 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 compiled by him. Haydn wrote music, which, unfortunately, has not come down to us. We only know that The Crooked Demon was performed in the winter of 1751-1752 in the theater at the Karinth Gate and was a success. "Haydn received 25 ducats for him and considered himself very rich."

Bold debut of the young, not enough famous composer on the theater stage in 1751 immediately brought him popularity in democratic circles and ... very bad reviews from zealots 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, from his symphonies to his masses.

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

Porpora reviewed Haydn's composing experiments and gave him instructions. Haydn, to reward the teacher, was an accompanist in his singing lessons and even waited on him.

Under the roof, in the cold attic where Haydn huddled, on an old broken clavichord, he studied the works of famous composers. BUT folk songs! How many he listened to 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, for the most part cheerful and cheerful.

In the life and work of Haydn, a turning point was gradually brewing. His financial situation began to improve little by little, life positions get stronger. At the same time, the great creative talent brought its first significant fruits.

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

The impetus was an acquaintance with a music lover, landowner Karl Furnberg. Inspired by Fürnberg's attention and material 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 philanthropist also took care of strengthening his financial position. He recommended the composer to the Viennese Bohemian aristocrat and music lover Count Josef Franz Morzin. Mortsin spent the winter in Vienna, and in the summer he lived on his estate Lukawiec near Pilsen. In the service of Mortsin, as a composer and bandmaster, Haydn received gratuitous premises, meals and salaries.

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

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

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

His wife soon showed herself to be a woman of the highest degree of narrow-mindedness, dullness and quarrelsomeness. She absolutely did not understand and did not 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 ruthlessly destroyed a number of Haydn's music manuscripts, using them for papillottes and pâté linings. Moreover, she was very wasteful and demanding.

Having married, Haydn violated the conditions of service with Count Morcin - the latter accepted only unmarried people into his chapel. However, he did not have to hide the change in his personal life for a long time. Financial shock forced Count Morcin to give up musical pleasures and dissolve the chapel. Haydn was in danger of being left without a permanent income again.

But then he received an offer from a new, more powerful patron of the arts - the richest and most influential Hungarian magnate - Prince Paul Anton Esterhazy. Drawing attention to Haydn in Morzin's castle, Esterhazy appreciated his talent.

Not far from Vienna, in the small Hungarian town of Eisenstadt, and in the summer in the Estergaz country palace, Haydn spent thirty years as a bandmaster (conductor). The responsibilities of the bandmaster included directing the orchestra and singers. Haydn also had to compose symphonies, operas, quartets and other works at the request of the prince. Often the capricious prince ordered to write a new essay by the next day! Talent and extraordinary diligence rescued Haydn here too. Operas appeared one after another, as well as symphonies, including "The Bear", "Children's", "School Teacher".

Leading the chapel, the composer could listen to the live performance of the works he created. This made it possible to correct everything that did not sound good enough, and 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 the symphonies, Haydn did not set himself the task of individualizing the plot. The composer's programming is most often based on individual associations and pictorial "sketches". Even where it is more solid and consistent - purely emotionally, as in the "Farewell Symphony" (1772), or genre, as in the "Military Symphony" (1794), it still lacks distinct 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. Hoffmann:

“In the writings of Haydn, the expression of a childishly joyful soul dominates; his symphonies lead us to boundless green groves, to a cheerful, motley crowd happy people, in front of us, boys and girls rush 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 a beloved image that rushes far away, in the pink shimmer of the evening, not approaching or disappearing, and while he is there, the night does not come, for he himself is the evening dawn burning above over the mountain and over the grove.

Haydn's craftsmanship has reached perfection over the years. His music invariably aroused the admiration of numerous Esterhazy guests. The name of the composer became widely known outside of his homeland - in England, France, Russia. Six symphonies performed in Paris in 1786 were called "Parisian". But Haydn had no right to go anywhere outside the princely estate, print his works or simply donate them without the consent of the prince. And the prince did not like the absences of "his" Kapellmeister. He was accustomed to Haydn, along with other servants, waiting at a certain time for his orders in the hall. At such moments, the composer especially acutely felt his dependence. "Am I a bandmaster or a bandleader?" he exclaimed bitterly in letters to friends. Once he still managed to escape and visit Vienna, see acquaintances, friends. How much joy brought him meetings with his beloved Mozart! Fascinating conversations gave way to the performance of quartets, where Haydn played the violin and Mozart the viola. With particular pleasure, Mozart performed the quartets written by Haydn. In this genre, the great composer considered himself his student. But such encounters were extremely rare.

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

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

Despite his dependent position, Haydn could not leave the service. At that time, the musician had the opportunity to work only in court chapels or lead the church choir. Before Haydn, not a single composer had ever ventured into an independent existence. Haydn did not dare to part with a permanent job.

In 1791, when Haydn was already about 60 years old, the old prince Esterhazy died. His heir, who did not have a great 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 give Haydn a pension sufficient to keep "his servant" from entering his new service.

Haydn was happy! Finally, he is free and independent! On the offer to go with concerts in England, he agreed. Traveling by ship, Haydn saw the sea for the first time. And how many times he dreamed 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 a picture of a raging sea.

Life in England was also unusual for Haydn. Concerts in which he conducted his works were held with triumphant success. This was the first open mass recognition of his music. The University of Oxford elected him 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, the colors of the orchestra became richer and more varied.

Despite being very busy, Haydn had time to listen and new music. A particularly strong impression was made on him by the oratorios of the German composer Handel, his older 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 by the will of God. The third and last part is about the paradise life of Adam and Eve before the fall.

A number of judgments of contemporaries and immediate descendants about the "Creation of the World" by Haydn are characteristic. This oratorio was a huge success during the composer's lifetime and greatly increased his fame. However, there were also critical voices. Naturally, the visual figurativeness of Haydn's music shocked philosophers and aesthetics, tuned in to the "sublime" way. Serov enthusiastically wrote about the "Creation of the World":

“What a gigantic creation is this oratorio! There is, by the way, one aria depicting the creation of birds - this is a decisively higher triumph of onomatopoeic music, and moreover, "what energy, what simplicity, what simple-hearted grace!" - it is decidedly beyond comparison. The oratorio The Four Seasons should be recognized as an even more significant work by Haydn than The Creation of the World. The text of the oratorio The Seasons, like the text of The Creation, 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 for nature, the delights of rural 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.

The composition of the huge score of The Four Seasons was not easy for the decrepit Haydn, it cost him many worries and sleepless nights. In the end, he was tormented by headaches and the persistence of 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 gone. The last years the composer spent on the outskirts of Vienna, in a small house. A quiet and secluded dwelling was visited by admirers of the composer's talent. The conversations touched on the past. Haydn especially liked to remember his youth - hard, labor, 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.

haydn composer instrumental orchestra

J. Haydn is rightfully considered the founder of several directions at once: modern orchestra, quartet, symphony and classical instrumental music.

short biography Haydn: childhood

Josef was born in the small Austrian town of Rorau. All his ancestors were artisans and peasants. Joseph's parents were also ordinary people. My father worked in the carriage business. Mother served as a cook. The boy inherited musicality from his father. While still a five-year-old child, he attracted attention, as he had a sonorous voice, excellent hearing and a sense of rhythm. First, he was taken to sing in the church choir in the town of Gainburg, and from there he ended up in the chapel at St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna. It was a great opportunity for the boy to get a musical education. He stayed there for 9 years, but as soon as his voice began to break, the young man was fired without any ceremony.

J. Haydn. Biography: composer debut

From that moment on, Josef began a completely different life. For eight years he lived by giving music and singing lessons, playing the violin at holidays, and even just on the road. Haydn understood that without education one could not get further. He independently studied theoretical works. Soon fate brought him to the famous comic actor Kurtz. He immediately appreciated Josef's talent and invited him to write music for the libretto, which he composed for the opera The Crooked Demon. The essay has not reached us. But it is known for sure that the opera was a success.

The debut immediately brought the young composer popularity in democratic circles and bad reviews from adherents of the old traditions. Important for the development of Haydn as a musician were classes with Nicola Porpora. The Italian composer reviewed Josef's compositions and gave valuable advice. In the future, the financial situation of the composer improved, new compositions appeared. Significant support was provided to Josef by the landowner Karl Fürnberg, a music lover. He recommended him to Count Morcin. Haydn stayed in his service as a composer and bandmaster for only a year, but at the same time he had free accommodation, food and received a salary. In addition, such a successful period inspired the composer to new compositions.

J. Haydn. Biography: marriage

While serving with Count Morzin, Josef became friends with the hairdresser I.P. Keller and fell in love with his youngest daughter Teresa. But the matter did not come to marriage. For hitherto unknown reasons, the girl left her father's house. Keller suggested that Haydn marry his eldest daughter, and he agreed, which he later regretted more than once.

Joseph was 28 years old, Maria Anna Keller - 32. She turned out to be a very limited woman who did not appreciate her husband's talent at all, moreover, she was too demanding and wasteful. Soon, Joseph had to leave the count for two reasons: he accepted only singles into the chapel, and then, having gone bankrupt, he was forced to completely dissolve it.

J. Haydn. Biography: service with Prince Esterhazy

The threat of being left without a permanent salary did not hang over the composer for long. Almost immediately, he received an offer from Prince P. A. Esterhazy, the patron of the arts, even richer than before. Haydn spent 30 years as a conductor with him. His duties included managing the singers and the orchestra. He also had to compose symphonies, quartets and other works at the request of the prince. Haydn wrote most of his operas during this period. In total, he composed 104 symphonies, the main value of which lies in the organic reflection of the unity of the physical and spiritual principles in man.

J. Haydn. Biography: trip to England

The composer, whose name became known far beyond the borders of his homeland, has not yet traveled anywhere except Vienna. He could not do this without the permission of the prince, and he did not tolerate the absence of a personal bandmaster. At these moments, Haydn felt his dependence especially sharply. When he was already 60 years old, Prince Esterhazy died, and his son dissolved the chapel. In order for his “servant” to have the opportunity not to enter the service of someone else, he assigned him a pension. Free and happy Haydn went to England. There he gave concerts in which he was a conductor when performing his own works. Absolutely all of them passed with triumph. Haydn became an honorary member of Oxford University. He visited England twice. During this period he composed 12 London Symphonies.

Biography of Haydn: last years

These works became the pinnacle of his work. After them, nothing significant was written. A stressful life took away his strength. He spent his last years in silence and solitude in a small house located on the outskirts of Vienna. Sometimes he was visited by admirers of talent. J. Haydn died in 1809. He was buried first in Vienna, and later the remains were transferred to Eisenstadt, the city where the composer spent many years of his life.