Life and Music of Franz Joseph Haydn

by sweetpotato, Aug 28, 2007

Haydn under the Classical patronage system.

Regarded as the father of classical style, Franz Joseph Haydn lived a long, enjoyable career as he developed the symphonies, sonatas, and strings quartets of the classical era. Haydn benefited from the patronage system, which was a major problem for other composers of his time. He experimented with different forms of writing and incorporated a wide range of elements in music. He was also able to put a bit of humour into his works. Both Mozart and Beethoven respected him and paid homage.

Haydn was born in an Austrian village called Rohrau. There, he lived with his father who's profession was a wheelwright. His 2 brothers, Michael and Johann Haydn, were singers and this talent was also carried down to Haydn. He went to Vienna once he was accepted into the St. Stephen's Cathedral Choir as a choirboy. This was also where he settled in an attic and mastered the art of the harpsichord once he was dismissed from the choir.

His reputation grew as a musician and he was eligible to obtain the aristocratic patronage offered to musicians. Haydn's most important patrons were probably the Esterhazy family, who were a group of wealthy Hungarian princes. They had a palace, and a private opera house. Haydn was given the job as a music director with his very own orchestra. With this comes a wide range of responsibilities, such as including composition, running the orchestra, playing chamber music for and with his patrons, and eventually the mounting of operatic productions. This was still a wonderful opportunity for Haydn because Esterhazy family always liked what Haydn offered to them. This gave him a chance to explore into music the way he wanted to. Unfortunately, the Esterhazys were succeeded by another prince who was not interested in music, and he dismissed Haydn.

After this he got another job offer from Johann Peter Salomon to London where he was to conduct new symphonies with a large orchestra. He wrote the Salomon Symphonies in honour of him. At the Oxford University, he received the honorary doctor of music degree. During this time, Haydn also taught Beethoven, but because of his bad temper, Haydn dismissed him. Haydn still was an influence for Beethoven's music. Haydn also had 2 London tours. Earlier, he also had toured Paris and wrote 6 symphonies in Paris. He died peacefully in 1809 and was acknowledged as a premiered musician.

Overall, Haydn seemed to have benefited from the patronage system. At the Esterhazy mansion, he had his own room to live, 30 years of financial stability, and whatever he wrote, the princes liked. Both at the Esterhazy and Salomon estates, he enjoyed working with a large orchestra. The patronage system was a big advantage for Haydn.

Style

Franz Joseph Haydn's style is famous for its humour and drama. He had a sense of humour and this is often showed through his music. Haydn's music contains lots of pauses and switches often from major and minor. This is shown in his Quinten String Quartet. He also used a lot of elements from folk elements. Folk dances were part of his natural heritage. Haydn also used formal sonata allegro structure. He also used the multi-movement sonata cycle very often and his themes are angular for motivic development. The music that Haydn wrote showed the maturity of the classical style.