Joseph Haydn

Joseph Haydn (1732–1809) was an Austrian composer, called the father of the symphony and string quartet. Born at Rohrau, he sang in the choir of St. Stephen’s Cathedral from 1740 until his voice broke in 1749, when he was dismissed.

In 1761 he joined the Esterházy family as vice-Kapellmeister, rising to Kapellmeister in 1766, and for nearly thirty years led his orchestra, mostly at remote Eszterháza. Cut off from other composers, he said, he was ‘forced to become original’. By 1790 he was Europe’s leading composer; he befriended Mozart and taught the young Beethoven.

Two London visits produced his twelve London symphonies. Back in Vienna he wrote the oratorios The Creation and The Seasons and the Emperor’s Hymn. When French shells hit his neighbourhood in 1809, he reportedly told his servants that no harm could reach them where Haydn was. He died on 31 May.