What do you get when you cross a prankster with a prolific composer? You get Joseph Haydn, and there are plenty of interesting facts about Haydn and his works.
Known as the Father of the Symphony, Haydn loved injecting humor into his music. His Surprise Symphony, for instance, features a sudden loud chord meant to wake up dozing audience members.
This playful nature is just the tip of the iceberg about this amazing musician. Keep reading to learn 12 fun facts about Haydn to share with others or for your own enjoyment.
1. He Sang As A Boy Soprano
Haydn had such a good singing voice that he started singing in a church choir at age five. Later, the Choir School of St. Stephen’s in Vienna asked him to join the choir.
Because women and girls weren’t as active in music during the 18th century, young boys would sing the soprano parts. However, Haydn wasn’t allowed to continue after his voice dropped when he was 16.
2. His Father Changed His Destiny
The St. Stephen’s Cathedral’s choirmaster wanted Haydn to go through castration so that Haydn could continue to sing. However, Haydn’s father didn’t allow the procedure to happen, allowing the boy to continue with puberty.
While this meant that Haydn could no longer sing as a soprano, it did allow him to pursue other musical endeavors. He learned to play various instruments, teach, and compose, which helped him throughout his career.
3. He Wrote More Than 100 Symphonies
Some composers have written many works, but few have written as much music as Haydn. During his lifetime, he wrote 106 symphonies. Because of this, he’s known as the Father of the Symphony, even though he didn’t develop the form.
Haydn didn’t just write symphonies however; he also worked to develop the string quartet of which he wrote over 90, as well as 620 piano sonatas and 32 piano trios.
4. He Was Religious
Haydn dedicated many of his works to God, so people believed the composer was religious.
He grew up singing in a church choir, and his mother wanted him to become a Roman Catholic priest.
While he never became a priest, he composed a lot of sacred music with one of his most famous works, The Creation, definitely inspired by his faith.
When he was composing it, Haydn would pray if he ever lost the energy necessary to keep working on the piece.
5. He Was Mozart’s Mentor
After Haydn met fellow Austrian composer Mozart, he provided the younger composer with some advice.
Mozart was already a successful composer, but Haydn was able to guide him; and during their relationship, Mozart called his mentor Papa Haydn.
In addition to being Mozart’s mentor, Haydn would play in string quartets with his mentee. Mozart wrote a series of string quartets to dedicate to Haydn.
6. He Taught Beethoven
While his relationship with Beethoven wasn’t as deep as with Mozart, Haydn did teach the German composer.
Haydn taught Beethoven after Mozart passed away. The lessons didn’t last long because Haydn was busy composing and traveling around Europe, so Beethoven ended up studying with other teachers.
However, Beethoven apparently said that he “learned nothing from Haydn.”
7. He Worked For A Wealthy Family
For much of his career, Haydn worked as the Vice-Kapellmeister (assistant music director) for the Esterhazy family. While he wasn’t the main music director, he did handle everything outside of church music, which the other director managed.
The job had many responsibilities, including composing, conducting, performing, and managing opera productions. Over the years, the two princes who ran the Esterhazy family gave Haydn plenty of resources to compose music and develop his style.
8. He Moved To England
After he finished working for the Esterhazy family, Haydn moved to England where he had a unique connection to London, despite not knowing English before moving there.
While in London, he studied composition and composed even more music. During his time in the city, he wrote the London Symphonies. Other works, such as the London Trios, for two flutes and cello, had the same inspiration.
However, Haydn eventually returned to Vienna for his final years.
9. He Used Humor And Messages In His Works
When composing, Haydn would often include humor or other special messages in the music, with one example of this — his String Quartet in E-flat Major.
He would use false endings to make the audience believe the piece was done when there was still music left.
As far as more serious messaging, Haydn composed his Farewell Symphony. During the piece, players would blow out a candle before leaving the stage one at a time.
10. He Was Famous When Alive
During his lifetime, Haydn was the most famous composer alive; however, he thought that Mozart was a better composer. Still, many people across Europe knew Haydn’s music and enjoyed his works. Even today, centuries later, many people love Haydn’s music.
Because he was prolific, there are works for everyone to enjoy. Even if you don’t like one piece, you can probably find another of Haydn’s works that you do like.
11. He Was Safe When Napoleon Invaded
At the end of Haydn’s life, Napoleon invaded Austria. Fortunately, he didn’t have to worry about his safety because many people knew and loved the composer. Napoleon even sent two of his employees to guard Haydn.
By that time, Haydn was older and couldn’t move as easily, so the guards were able to protect him during the invasion so he didn’t have to move quickly to safety.
12. His Brother Was Also A Composer
Haydn wasn’t the only member of his family to write music. His younger brother, Michael Haydn, was also a composer. The two brothers were at St. Stephen’s Cathedral school together.
When the two Haydns were at the cathedral, many thought that Michael would be more successful. Of the two of them, Joseph enjoyed playing jokes even more than his brother, so people didn’t believe he would have a good career in music.
Summing Up Facts About Hayd
Joseph Haydn was a famous, prolific composer, and he’s still well known today. He not only created amazing music but also helped and inspired other composers like Mozart and Beethoven.
Haydn’s music is full of emotion and clever ideas, and people still love listening to it. Whether you’ve played his works or not, it’s fun to look at some facts about Haydn and his life.
