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Joseph Haydn: The Father of the Symphony
Austrian composer of the Classical era, born in Rohrau on 31 March 1732
Joseph Haydn was born in Rohrau, Austria, on 31 March 1732, the son of a wheelwright. As a boy he sang in the choir of St Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna.
In 1761 he joined the court of the Esterházy princes, eventually becoming its music director. There he wrote dozens of symphonies, string quartets and operas.
In the 1790s his London Symphonies were hugely popular. His oratorios The Creation and The Seasons crowned his career, and he died in Vienna in 1809.
Career highlights
- 1732Born in Rohrau, Austria
- 1740Choirboy: at St Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna
- 1761Joins the Esterházy court
- 1772Farewell Symphony: musicians leave the stage one by one
- 1791First London visit
- 1792Surprise Symphony
- 1797Emperor's Hymn: melody later used for Germany's anthem
- 1798The Creation
- 1809Dies in Vienna
Did you know?Soon after his burial, his skull was stolen by followers of phrenology, and it was not reunited with the rest of his remains until 1954.
