Symphonie surprise joseph haydn biography

His biographer Dies wrote: "he couldn't understand how it happened that in his life he had been loved by many a pretty woman.

Symphonie surprise joseph haydn biography

His nose, large and aquiline, was disfigured by the polyps he suffered during much of his adult life, an agonizing and debilitating disease that at times prevented him from writing music. James Webster summarizes Haydn's role in the history of classical music as follows: "He excelled in every musical genre. He is familiarly known as the 'father of the symphony' and could with greater justice be thus regarded for the string quartet; no other composer approaches his combination of productivity, quality and historical importance in these genres.

A central characteristic of Haydn's music is the development of larger structures out of very short, simple musical motifs, often derived from standard accompanying figures. The music is often quite formally concentrated, and the important musical events of a movement can unfold rather quickly. Haydn's work was central to the development of what came to be called sonata form.

His practice, however, differed in some ways from that of Mozart and Beethoven, his younger contemporaries who likewise excelled in this form of composition. Haydn was particularly fond of the so-called monothematic exposition, in which the music that establishes the dominant key is similar or identical to the opening theme. Haydn also differs from Mozart and Beethoven in his recapitulation sections, where he often rearranges the order of themes compared to the exposition and uses extensive thematic development.

Haydn's formal inventiveness also led him to integrate the fugue into the classical style and to enrich the rondo form with more cohesive tonal logic see sonata rondo form. Haydn was also the principal exponent of the double variation form—variations on two alternating themes, which are often major- and minor-mode versions of each other.

Perhaps more than any other composer's, Haydn's music is known for its humor. The most famous example is the sudden loud chord in the slow movement of his "Surprise" symphony; Haydn's many other musical jokes include numerous false endings e. Much of the music was written to please and delight a prince, and its emotional tone is correspondingly upbeat.

This tone also reflects, perhaps, Haydn's fundamentally healthy and well-balanced personality. Occasional minor-key works, often deadly serious in character, form striking exceptions to the general rule. Haydn's fast movements tend to be rhythmically propulsive and often impart a great sense of energy, especially in the finales. Some characteristic examples of Haydn's "rollicking" finale type are found in the "London" Symphony No.

Haydn's early slow movements are usually not too slow in tempo, relaxed, and reflective. Later on, the emotional range of the slow movements increases, notably in the deeply felt slow movements of the quartets Op. The minuets tend to have a strong downbeat and a clearly popular character. Over time, Haydn turned some of his minuets into "scherzi" which are much faster, at one beat to the bar.

One of the most apt tributes to Haydn was spoken by the poet John Keats. Keats, dying of tuberculosis, was brought to Rome by his friends in Novemberin the hope that the climate might help to mitigate his suffering. The poet died a few weeks later on 23 Februaryat the age of According to his friend Joseph Severn: "About this time he expressed a strong desire that we had a pianoforte, so that I might play to him, for not only was he passionately fond of music, but found that his constant pain and o'erfretted nerves were much soothed by it.

This I managed to obtain on loan, and Dr. Clark procured me many volumes and pieces of music, and Keats had thus a welcome solace in the dreary hours he had to pass. Among the volumes was one of Haydn's Symphonies, and these were his delight, and he would exclaim enthusiastically, 'This Haydn is like a child, for there is no knowing what he will do next.

Haydn's early work dates from a period in which the compositional style of the High Baroque seen in J. Bach and Handel had gone out of fashion. This was a period of exploration and uncertainty, and Haydn, born 18 years before the death of Bach, was himself one of the musical explorers of this time. An older contemporary whose work Haydn acknowledged as an important influence was Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach.

Tracing Haydn's work over the six decades in which it was produced roughly from toone finds a gradual but steady increase in complexity and musical sophistication, which developed as Haydn learned from his own experience and that of his colleagues. Several important landmarks have been observed in the evolution of Haydn's musical style. In the late s and early s, Haydn entered a stylistic period known as "Sturm und Drang" "storm and stress".

This term is taken from a literary movement of about the same time, though it appears that the musical development actually preceded the literary one by a few years. The musical language of this period is similar to what went before, but it is deployed in work that is more intensely expressive, especially in the works in minor keys.

James Webster describes the works of this period as "longer, more passionate, and more daring". Some of the most famous compositions of this time are the "Trauer" Mourning Symphony No. It was also around this time that Haydn became interested in writing fugues in the Baroque style, and three of the Op. Following the climax of the "Sturm und Drang", Haydn returned to a lighter, more overtly entertaining style.

There are no quartets from this period, and the symphonies take on new features: the scoring often includes trumpets and timpani. These changes are often related to a major shift in Haydn's professional duties, which moved him away from "pure" music and toward the production of comic operas. Several of the operas were Haydn's own work see List of operas by Joseph Haydn ; these are seldom performed today.

Haydn sometimes recycled his opera music in symphonic works, which helped him continue his career as a symphonist during this hectic decade. Inan important change in Haydn's contract permitted him to publish his compositions without prior authorization from his employer. This may have encouraged Haydn to rekindle his career as a composer of "pure" music.

The change made itself felt most dramatically inwhen Haydn published the six Op. Charles Rosen has argued that this assertion on Haydn's part was not just sales talk but meant quite seriously, and he points out a number of important advances in Haydn's compositional technique that appear in these quartets, advances that mark the advent of the Classical style in full flower.

These include a fluid form of phrasing, in which each motif emerges from the previous one without interruption, the practice of letting accompanying material evolve into melodic material, and a kind of "Classical counterpoint" in which each instrumental symphonie surprise joseph haydn biography maintains its own integrity. These traits continue in the many quartets that Haydn wrote after Op.

In the s, stimulated by his England journeys, Haydn developed what Rosen calls his "popular style", a method of composition that, with unprecedented success, created music having great popular appeal but retaining a learned and rigorous musical structure. An important element of the popular style was the frequent use of folk or folk-like material see Haydn and folk music.

Haydn took care to deploy this material in appropriate locations, such as the endings of sonata expositions or the opening themes of finales. In such locations, the folk material serves as an element of stability, helping to anchor the larger structure. Haydn's popular style can be heard in virtually all of his later work, including the twelve "London" symphonies, the late quartets and piano trios, and the two late oratorios.

The return to Vienna in marked the last turning point in Haydn's career. Although his musical style evolved little, his intentions as a composer changed. While he had been a servant, and later a busy entrepreneur, Haydn wrote his works quickly and in profusion, with frequent deadlines. As a rich man, Haydn now felt that he had the symphonie surprise joseph haydn biography of taking his time and writing for posterity.

This is reflected in the subject matter of The Creation and The Seasonswhich address such weighty topics as the meaning of life and the purpose of humankind and represent an attempt to render the sublime in music. Haydn's new intentions also meant that he was willing to spend much time on a single work: both oratorios took him over a year to complete.

Haydn once remarked that he had worked on The Creation so long because he wanted it to last. The change in Haydn's approach was important in the history of classical music, as other composers were soon following his lead. Notably, Beethoven adopted the practice of taking his time and aiming high. Anthony van Hoboken prepared a comprehensive catalogue of Haydn's works.

The Hoboken catalogue assigns a catalog number to each work, called its Hoboken number abbreviated H. These Hoboken numbers are often used in identifying Haydn's compositions. Haydn's string quartets also have Hoboken numbers, but they are usually identified instead by their opus numbers, which have the advantage of indicating the groups of six quartets that Haydn published together.

For example, the string quartet Opus 76, No. In Vienna in Haydn bought himself a fortepiano made by Wenzel Schantz. When the composer was visiting London for the first time, an English piano builder, John Broadwood, supplied him with a concert grand. Joseph Haydn. Historical Context. Biography Early life Joseph Haydn was born in Rohrau, Austria, a village that at that time stood on the border with Hungary.

Struggles as a freelancer ByHaydn had matured physically to the point that he was no longer able to sing high choral parts. The years as Kapellmeister Haydn's job title under Count Morzin was Kapellmeisterthat is, music director. Years of celebrity in Vienna Haydn returned to Vienna in Retirement, illness, and death By the end ofHaydn's condition had declined to the point that he became physically unable to compose.

His biographer Dies reported Haydn saying in "I must have something to do—usually musical ideas are pursuing me, to the point of torture, I cannot escape them, they stand like walls before me. Works James Webster summarizes Haydn's role in the history of classical music as follows: "He excelled in every musical genre. Identifying Haydn's works Anthony van Hoboken prepared a comprehensive catalogue of Haydn's works.

Vienna: Camesinaische Buchhandlung. English translation in: Dies, Albert Christoph In Gotwals, Vernon ed. It is usually called by its nickname, the Surprise Symphonyalthough in German it is more often referred to as the Symphony " mit dem Paukenschlag " "with the kettledrum stroke". Haydn wrote the symphony in in London for a concert series he gave during the first of his visits to England — The premiere took place at the Hanover Square Rooms in London on March 23,symphonie surprise joseph haydn biography Haydn leading the orchestra seated at a fortepiano.

The Surprise Symphony is scored for a Classical-era orchestra consisting of two each of flutesoboesbassoonshornstrumpetsplus timpaniand the usual string section consisting of first and second violinsviolascellosand double basses. Haydn's music contains many jokes, and the 'Surprise' Symphony includes probably the most famous of all: a sudden fortissimo chord at the end of an otherwise piano opening theme in the variation-form second movement.

The music then returns to its original quiet dynamicas if nothing had happened, and the ensuing variations do not repeat the joke. In his old age Haydn was asked by his biographer Griesinger whether he had written this "surprise" of the Andante in order to waken the audience:. The first Allegro of my symphony had already met with countless Bravos, but the enthusiasm reached its highest peak at the Andante with the Drum Stroke.

It was simple, profound, and sublime. The andante movement was particularly admired. The andante movement was particularly admired. The Morning Herald critic wrote:. The Room was crowded last night A new composition from such a man as Haydn is a great event in the history of music. Critical applause was fervid and abundant. The first movement has a lyrical 3 4 introduction preceding a highly rhythmic main section in 6 8 time.

The second, "surprise", movement, is an andante theme and variations in 2 4 time in the subdominant key of C major. The theme is in two eight-bar sections, each repeated. The repeat at the end of the first section is pianissimo with pizzicato in the lower strings to set up the surprise. Four variations of the theme follow, starting with embellishment in sixteenth notes by the first violins, moving to a stormy variation in C minor with trumpets and timpani, followed by solos for the first oboist and flautistand concluding with a sweeping and lyrical forte repeat in triplets.

In the coda section, the opening notes are stated once more, this time reharmonized with gently dissonant diminished seventh chords over a tonic pedal. Haydn's music contains many jokes, and the Surprise Symphony includes probably the most famous of all: a sudden fortissimo chord at the end of the otherwise piano opening theme in the variation-form second movement.

The music then returns to its original quiet dynamic as if nothing has happened, and the ensuing variations do not repeat the joke. In German, the work is referred to as the Symphony mit dem Paukenschlagor, with the kettledrum stroke. The third movement is a minuet and trioin ternary form in the tonic key G major. The tempo, allegro molto very quicklyis of note since it marks the historical shift away from the old minuet which was played at a slower, danceable, tempo toward the scherzo ; by his last quartets Haydn had started marking his minuets presto.

The fourth movement is a characteristically rhythmic, energetic and propulsive Haydn finale. The movement is written in sonata rondo form with the opening bars appearing both at the beginning and in the middle of the development section. The stirring coda emphasizes the timpani. Another theory suggests he inserted it to wake up the music lovers who had dozed off after their dinners and drinks.

Another theory suggests he inserted it to make the symphony memorable in light of the competition he faced from a series of London concerts directed by Ignatz Pleyel. Symphony No.