(Franz) Joseph Haydn[1][2] (
March 31, 1732 –
May 31, 1809) was an
Austrian composer. He was one of the most important, prolific and prominent
composers of the
classical period. He is often called the "Father of the
Symphony" and "Father of the
String Quartet" because of his important contributions to these genres. He was also instrumental in the development of the
piano trio and in the evolution of
sonata form.
[3][4]A life-long resident of Austria, Haydn spent much of his career as a court musician for the wealthy Hungarian aristocratic Esterházy family on their remote estate. Isolated from other composers and trends in music until the later part of his long life, he was, as he put it, "forced to become original".[5] At the time of his death, he was one of the most celebrated composers in Europe.[6]
Joseph Haydn was the brother of Michael Haydn, himself a highly regarded composer, and Johann Evangelist Haydn, a tenor. He was also a close friend of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and a teacher of Ludwig van Beethoven.
Joseph Haydn was born in Rohrau, Austria, a village near the border with Hungary. His father was Mathias Haydn, a wheelwright who also served as "Marktrichter", an office akin to village mayor. Haydn's mother, the former Maria Koller, had previously worked as a cook in the palace of Count Harrach, the presiding aristocrat of Rohrau. Neither parent could read music;[7] however, Mathias was an enthusiastic folk musician, who during the journeyman period of his career had taught himself to play the harp. According to Haydn's later reminiscences, his childhood family was extremely musical, and frequently sang together and with their neighbours.[8]
