History Music / JosephHaydn

* CoolOldGuy: He was known as 'Papa Haydn' in his old age and commanded respect from almost everyone.

Franz Joseph Haydn (March 31, 1732 – May 31, 1809) was an Austrian composer and a pioneering figure in ClassicalMusic. Haydn's parents noticed his talent at a young age, and sent him to live with a relative in Hainburg, where he could receive a good musical education. He was picked to be a boy soprano in Vienna's Cathedral of St. Steven. He worked there for a few years, and was promptly fired when his voice broke. Haydn freelanced for the next few years, getting attention in local orchestras. He finally earned a long term position at the court of Prince Paul Esterházy (and later for his brother and successor Nikolaus). Prince Esterházy's court spent half of every year in the countryside, which isolated Haydn from the musical mainstream for thirty years. This forced him to be very creative. He [[TropeMaker essentially invented]] the symphony and the string quartet. Even [[Music/WolfgangAmadeusMozart Mozart]] noted Haydn as a profound influence on his work.

* RecycledSoundtrack: Haydn once composed a Mass called the ''Schöpfungsmesse'' or ''Creation Mass''. It got its name because he recycled music from one of his oratorios, also called ''The Creation'' (he took some music from Adam and Eve's final duet), for the "qui tollis peccata mundi" passage of the Gloria movement. One of his patrons, Empress Maria Theresa, did not like this and had Haydn recompose that particular passage for her own copy of the work.

* NoRespectGuy: Haydn wasn't exactly this for most of his life: he was treated well by his employers, his musicians liked him and he had the warm admiration of his younger contemporary, [[Music/WolfgangAmadeusMozart Mozart]], but whenever one of the nobles who employed him died and he got taken up by a new one, he found that he usually had to earn their respect all over again because they thought that he was just a competent employee. Then he went to London in the 1790s and was [[HospitalityForHeroes hailed as a genius]]. When he went back to Vienna, he found that in his absence he'd acquired a HundredPercentHeroismRating.

* {{Troll}}: He was a lover of practical jokes and incorporated a number into his compositions.

* AwfulWeddedLife: By all accounts, Haydn and his wife Maria Anna were completely incompatible, but divorce was not an option by the laws of the time (Habsburg Austria being a bastion of Catholicism and all). He said he "liked" her at first (though he liked her sister much more), but there was little affection and she had no appreciation for his musical talents (reportedly even using his scores for hair-curling paper), and the marriage was childless, with [[YourCheatingHeart both of them taking lovers]]. Eventually, they separated, but Haydn continued to support her financially until she died.

* AchievementsInIgnorance: Although he had been a working musician since childhood, he had almost no formal training in composition or music theory, and his long periods of working at Prince Esterházy's estate meant he had little time or opportunity to study the work of other composers, or be influenced by them. As a result he had to wing it, compositionally speaking--and the result was some of the most original music yet written. Haydn's music basically codified the classical style that would be used by Mozart and which Beethoven would build upon.
* AwfulWeddedLife: By all accounts, Haydn and his wife Maria Anna were completely incompatible, but divorce was not an option by the laws of the time (Habsburg Austria being a bastion of Catholicism and all). He said he "liked" her at first (though he liked her sister much more), but there was little affection and she had no appreciation for his musical talents (reportedly even using his scores for hair-curling paper), and the marriage was childless, with [[YourCheatingHeart both of them taking lovers]]. Eventually they separated, but Haydn continued to support her financially until she died.

* HeAlsoDid: A tune from one of his string quartets is used for the [[UsefulNotes/{{Germany}} German national anthem]]. Not bad for an [[UsefulNotes/MisplacedNationalism Austrian who spent most of his life working for Hungarians.]] Notably, it was used for the Austrian anthem as well, and is originally believed to be a Croat folk song. He wrote it after being inspired by British patriotism and the way they flocked around "God Save the King".

** Symphony No. 45, better known as the ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._45_%28Haydn%29 Farewell]]'' symphony; though not a nightmare ending, it is pretty disconcerting. The last movement ends with the musicians, one or a few at a time, quietly leaving the stage, with the final part played by just two violins. This was Haydn's hint to his patrons, the Esterhazy family, that his orchestra's stay at their summer palace had gone on for too long and that they would really like to get back to their families.

* StarvingArtist: Haydn was this for much of his youth, working as a choirboy. He strove to be the best singer he could, so that he would be invited to aristocratic parties where the musicians were offered refreshments.

* TropeCodifier: He was this for two of the most influential forms in classical music, the string quartet and the symphony. Basically, before Haydn, there weren't any string quartets or symphonies worth mentioning. Haydn codified them; he composed so many illustrious examples of both that, for the next couple of centuries at least, composers who wanted to get taken seriously had to demonstrate that they could write string quartets and/or symphonies.[[note]]Very, very few composers managed to get away with writing neither; typically, those who did so were predominantly opera composers such as Wagner and Verdi, and even they aren't really exceptions: Wagner wrote a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_in_C_major_(Wagner) symphony]] and Verdi wrote a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/String_Quartet_(Verdi) quartet]].[[/note]] Only in the mid-20th century did the quartet and the symphony cease to be forms which composers were automatically expected to write. It could be argued that in classical music, at any rate, Haydn codified Trope Codifying.

* LastNoteNightmare:

* GodIsGood: A devout Catholic, he turned to his rosary when he had trouble composing. On most of his compositions, he wrote ''In Nomine Domini'' (In the Name of the Lord) on the first page and added ''Laus Deo'' (Praise God) after his signature at the end.

* DrinkOrder: Tokay. He loved Tokay. Like, ''really'' loved Tokay--in his day, most of the Austrian aristocracy and anyone who associated with them liked the wine, but Haydn was particularly obsessed.

* AchievementsInIgnorance: He had almost no formal training in composition or music theory, and his long periods of working at Prince Esterházy's estate meant he had little time to study the work of other composers, Consequently, he was very innovative.

** * Near the end of the second movement of his [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._93_(Haydn) Symphony No. 93 in D major]] there is a part where the music gradually becomes slower and softer - and is then suddenly interrupted by a loud "fart" from the bassoons.
** The second movement of Symphony No. 94, AKA the ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surprise_symphony Surprise]]'' Symphony, has a nice peaceful melody, but is then rudely interrupted by an extremely loud G-Major chord. Haydn did it to wake up slumbering members of the audience. He was known as a prankster, and this is one of the many jokes in his pieces.

* OddFriendship: Quiet, nature-loving family man Haydn and brash, urban socialite Mozart.
** And later, the elder, genial Haydn and the young, tempestuous Beethoven.

* FallingChandelierOfDoom: At the premiere of Symphony No. 96 in London, the audience crowded to the front of the theatre to applaud the composer. Just at that moment, a chandelier fell from the ceiling and crashed right where they had been sitting. There were no injuries, earning the piece the nickname ''Miracle''.[[note]]Although it sounds like an UrbanLegend, scholars agree that the event did indeed take place-- but it was actually the premiere of Symphony No. 102.[[/note]]

** The ''Creation'' Mass got its name from the bass solo ''Qui tollis peccata mundi'', which used a tune from Adam and Eve's duet in his oratorio ''The Creation''. [[UsefulNotes/MariaTheresa Empress Maria Theresa]] [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotHeinous thought this so scandalous]] she ordered Haydn to rewrite it for her copy of the Mass.

* CallBack: The oratorio ''The Seasons'' has a moment where a ploughman whistles while he works, and the tune he whistles is the melody from one of Haydn's own earlier hits, the Symphony #94.

* {{Troll}}: He may have been the first one!

* AwfulWeddedLife: By all accounts, Haydn and his wife Maria Anna were completely incompatible, but divorce was not an option by the laws of the time (Habsburg Austria being a bastion of Catholicism and all). He said he "liked" her at first, but there was little affection and she had no appreciation for his musical talents (reportedly even using his scores for hair-curling paper), and the marriage was childless. Eventually they separated, but Haydn continued to support her financially until she died.
* CallBack: The oratorio ''The Seasons'' has a moment where a ploughman whistles while he works, and the tune he whistles is the melody from one of Haydn's own earlier hits.

** The second movement of Symphony No. 94, AKA the ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surprise_symphony Surprise]]'' Symphony, has a nice peaceful melody, but is then rudely interrupted by loud, accented notes. Haydn did it to wake up slumbering members of the audience. He was known as a prankster, and this is one of the many jokes in his pieces.

* StarvingArtist: Haydn was this for much of his youth.

Franz Joseph Haydn (March 31, 1732–May 31, 1809) was an Austrian composer and a pioneering figure in ClassicalMusic. Haydn's parents noticed his talent at a young age, and sent him to live with a relative in Hainburg, where he could receive a good musical education. He was picked to be a boy soprano in Vienna's Cathedral of St. Steven. He worked there for a few years, and was promptly fired when his voice broke. Haydn freelanced for the next few years, getting attention in local orchestras. He finally earned a long term position at the court of Prince Paul Esterházy (and later for his brother and successor Nikolaus). Prince Esterházy's court spent half of every year in the countryside, which isolated Haydn from the musical mainstream for thirty years. This forced him to be very creative. He [[TropeMaker essentially invented]] the symphony and the string quartet. Even [[Music/WolfgangAmadeusMozart Mozart]] noted Haydn as a profound influence on his work.

* FallingChandelierOfDoom: At the premiere of Haydn's Symphony no. 96 in London, the audience crowded to the front of the theatre to applaud the composer. Just at that moment, a chandelier fell from the ceiling and crashed right where they had been sitting. There were no injuries, earning the piece the nickname "Miracle Symphony." [[note]]Although it sounds like an UrbanLegend, scholars agree that the event did indeed take place-- but it was actually the premiere of Symphony No.102.[[/note]]

* EndingFatigue: Invoked in String Quartet in E-Flat Major, Op. 33, No. 2 aka "The Joke", which sounds like a normal rondo until the end of the piece, when there's a grand pause. Then he starts the piece over, with one to three measures of silence between each phrase. This goes on for a while, and he finally ends it in the middle of a phrase. Audiences had no idea when to applaud, as the piece just kept going.

** Symphony No.45, better known as the ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._45_%28Haydn%29 Farewell]]'' symphony; though not a nightmare ending, it is pretty disconcerting. The last movement ends with the musicians, one or a few at a time, quietly leaving the stage, with the final part played by just two violins. This was Haydn's hint to his patrons, the Esterhazy family, that his orchestra's stay at their summer palace had gone on for too long and that they would really like to get back to their families.
** The second movement of Symphony No.94, AKA the ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surprise_symphony Surprise]]'' Symphony, has a nice peaceful melody, but is then rudely interrupted by loud, accented notes. Haydn did it to wake up slumbering members of the audience. He was known as a prankster, and this is one of the many jokes in his pieces.

* ProgressiveInstrumentation: Inverted for comic effect the "Farewell Symphony," where the musicians drop out one at a time until at the end there are just two violins playing.

* ScareChord: Symphony No 94, the ''Surprise'', features an unexpected fortissimo chord about 30 seconds into the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uq78fAgTevs otherwise quiet second movement]].

* ThatsAllFolks: Symphony No 45, known as the ''Farewell'' Symphony - he and his musicians were kept at Prince Nikolaus Esterházy's summer palace much longer than expected, so at the end of the last movement, each musician stopped playing and left the stage, snuffing out their candle, until there were two violinists left. The prince got the hint and let them go the next day.

Franz Joseph Haydn (March 31, 1732–May 31, 1809) was an Austrian composer and a pioneering figure in ClassicalMusic. Haydn's parents noticed his talent at a young age, and sent him to live with a relative in Hainburg, where he could receive a good musical education. He was picked to be a boy soprano in Vienna's Cathedral of St. Steven. He worked there for a few years, and was promptly fired when his voice broke. Haydn freelanced for the next few years, getting attention in local orchestras. He finally earned a long term position at the court of Prince Paul Esterházy (and later for his brother and successor Nikolaus). Prince Esterházy's court spent half of every year in the countryside, which isolated Haydn from the musical mainstream for thirty years. This forced him to be very creative. He essentially invented the symphony and the string quartet. Even [[Music/WolfgangAmadeusMozart Mozart]] noted Haydn as a profound influence on his work.

* AwfulWeddedLife: By all accounts, Haydn and his wife Maria Anna were completely incompatible, but divorce was not an option by the laws of the time. He said he "liked" her at first, but there was little affection and she had no appreciation for his musical talents (reportedly even using his scores for hair-curling paper), and the marriage was childless. Eventually they separated, but Haydn continued to support her financially until she died.

Joseph Haydn (31 March 1732 –- 31 May 1809) was an Austrian composer and a pioneering figure in ClassicalMusic. Haydn's parents noticed his talent at a young age, and sent him to live with a relative in Hainburg, where he could receive a good musical education. He was picked to be a boy soprano in Vienna's Cathedral of St. Steven. He worked there for a few years, and was promptly fired when his voice broke. Haydn freelanced for the next few years, getting attention in local orchestras. He finally earned a long term position at the court of Prince Paul Esterházy (and later for his brother and successor Nikolaus). Prince Esterházy's court spent half of every year in the countryside, which isolated Haydn from the musical mainstream for thirty years. This forced him to be very creative. He essentially invented the symphony and the string quartet. Even [[Music/WolfgangAmadeusMozart Mozart]] noted Haydn as a profound influence on his work.

Joseph Haydn (31 March 1732 –- 31 May 1809) was an Austrian composer and a pioneering figure in ClassicalMusic. Haydn's parents noticed his talent at a young age, and sent him to live with a relative in Hainburg, where he could receive a good musical education. He was picked to be a boy soprano in Vienna's Cathedral of St. Steven. He worked there for a few years, and was promptly fired when his voice broke. Haydn freelanced for the next few years, getting attention in local orchestras. He finally earned a long term position at the court of Prince Paul Esterházy (and later for his brother and successor Nikolaus). Prince Esterházy's court spent half of every year in the countryside, which isolated Haydn from the musical mainstream for thirty years. This forced him to be very creative. He essentially invented the symphony and the string quartet. Even [[Creator/WolfgangAmadeusMozart Mozart]] noted Haydn as a profound influence on his work.

* AwfulWeddedLife: By all accounts, Haydn and his wife Maria Anna were completely incompatible, but divorce was not an option by the laws of the time. He said he "liked" her at first, but there was little affection and she had no appreciation for his musical talents (reportedly even using his scores for hair-curling paper), and the marriage was childless. Eventually they separated, but Haydn continued to support her financially until her death.