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Josh Udy

Mr. Bergeson

English 322

September 14, 2017

Franz Joseph Haydn

Franz Joseph Haydn, born in Rohraun, Austria on March 31, 1732, was one of the most

influential composers in the advancement of classical style music. He started in music at a young

age as he started singing in a church choir in a nearby town at the age of 6. Two years later he

was recognized by a musical director from Viennas largest church, St. Stephens Cathedral. He

was invited to join the choir there and did so for 7 years until he was too old to sing there. After

being taught music theory by Nicola Porpora he composed his first symphony for an orchestra of

about 16 musicians. After this he came to be known in the area and was soon hired by one of

wealthiest and influential families in Austria, the Esterhzys. This is how his career as a

composer began and ended as he stayed as the familys music director until his death in 1809.

When Haydn first started composing music he did not yet have his own identity. A lot of

his first symphonies were influenced by the current music and era, but as he matured and had

more at his disposal he found his own style of music. Before Haydn, baroque music was very

popular. This music was very complex and usually had a harpsichord in the orchestra. There

were many competing melodies in this music. Haydn was one of the first people to introduce

classical music. This music was simpler and more formal. There was only one flowing melody

and almost always contained a piano in the orchestra.

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Haydn spent a lot of time with the Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart when he was young and

they both worked together and learned from each other. Mozart even wrote a few songs in honor

of Haydn. Haydns music often contained an element of humor or wit, representing himself as a

fun-loving person. In 1792 Haydn met Ludwig van Beethoven and agreed to be his mentor and

instructor. Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven ended up being the most influential composers in the

classical period. I think that it is interesting that I have heard of Beethoven and Mozart, but I

have never really heard of the person that inspired both of those people. Haydn almost single-

handedly inspired the west with a new form of music in classical music.

Over Haydns lifetime he composed over 400 different pieces for various orchestras,

ensembles, and operas. Each piece became more and more his own. His music became much

deeper as he approached 40 years old. He started new harmonic relationships with his last 6

pieces which emphasized strength and grandeur. Over all his years of composing it took him to

his last pieces to find his place in music. This stuck with me because I have always thought that

you need to know where you are going in order to reach a destination. Hayden, however, found

his destination through years of exploration and composition. This shows that sometimes you

just need to start to know where you are going.

Haydn always had a very optimistic outlook on life and he showed that through his

music. His music was always right in between the balance of order and precision, and emotion

and depth. His music and these was deceptively simple and that is what made his music so

popular during the classical period which put a strong emphasis on simplicity and class. The

music was clean and easy to listen to compared to the rougher and more unpredictable baroque

music.
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Haydns work is very interesting to me because his music was new and different

compared to what people were used to, but instead of it being rejected, it started a whole new era

of music. One of Haydns major influences was Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. Haydn combined

Bachs emotional elegant music, the complex baroque music, and the pompous music that was

popular at the time to create his own music. I would expect that people would dislike his music

due to it being different, but it ended up being embraced, and that is interesting to me. It shows

that art does not have be done in a popular style to be successful. Haydns music always carried a

piece of him in it. The music was an extension of himself that would contain different elements

of his personality and ideas. I am intrigued by the way he could project himself in his music and

that is one skill that I think I am going to take to heart.

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Works Cited

Geiringer, Karl, et al. Joseph Haydn. Encyclopdia Britannica, Encyclopdia Britannica, inc.,

2 Mar. 2017, www.britannica.com/biography/Joseph-Haydn. Accessed 14 Sept. 2017.