Haydn Flashcards
Where and when was Haydn born?
Haydn was born in Rohrau, Austria in 1732
What was Haydn’s family background?
His father was a wheelwright and his mother was a cook. Even though they couldn’t read music, they often sang together, sometimes even with their neighbors. When Haydn was 5, his father discovered that he had a talent for singing and sent him to Hainburg for musical training, where he learned the violin and harpsichord
What did Haydn do in Vienna and why did he leave?
Haydn was invited to be a choirboy but when he was 17 his voice changed so he was dismissed
What did Haydn do after the choir?
Haydn was poor for a time but when he became an accompanist to Nicola Porpora, he taught him the fundamentals of composition and Haydn eventually grew fame and became the Kapellmeister for Count Ferdinand von Morzin. But soon, he found a position as the kapellmeister for the wealthy Esterhazy family, which was demanding, but granted him access to a small orchestra. Soon, he was able to sell his own work and travelled to France and England where he composed many symphonies known as the Paris and London symphonies
When did Haydn die?
1807
What was Haydn’s musical style?
He utilized a lot of Sonatas, String Quartets and Symphonies in i=his works and was quite playful with simple melodies
What contributions did Haydn make to music?
Haydn is known as the father of symphony and string quartet because of his major contributions to it and also contributed to the development of sonata form
