Who was Franz Joseph Haydn? What are his famous works? For which princely family did he work for years? What happened to his skull after his death? Where is he buried?
He was born Franz Joseph Haydn on March 31, 1732 in Rohrau, Lower Austria. He hardly ever used his first name. He was the second of twelve children and the eldest son. His younger brother Michael Haydn also went down in history as a composer.
At the age of 8, he came to Vienna as a choirboy at St. Stephen’s and received a good musical education. He began to compose during this time. He later became a pupil and assistant to the famous singing teacher Nikolaus Porpora.
First Kapellmeister at Esterházy Palace
The decisive turning point in his life came in 1761, when he entered the service of the Esterházy princes and became the first Kapellmeister at Esterházy Palace.
His numerous compositions such as symphonies, operas, masses, string quartets and sonatas became famous throughout Europe and were performed in France, England, Spain and even America .
Together with Mozart and Beethoven, he is considered the founder of Viennese Classicism, a style of European art music.
After the death of Prince Nikolaus Joseph Esterházy, the orchestra was dissolved and Haydn went to Vienna as princely Kapellmeister . In 1791, he composed the famous Timpani Symphony in England, where he spent several long periods of time. He also received an honorary doctorate from Oxford University.
Joseph Haydn’s most famous works
Well-known works include “The Creation ” and “The Seasons”. He also became famous for the “Kaiserhymne” , which he set to music in honor of the Holy Roman Emperor Franz II. This was considered the official “Austrian Imperial Anthem” until the end of the Habsburg monarchy. In 1922, it became the anthem of the then German Empire and is still the national anthem of Germany today.
In 1793, Haydn bought a house in Gumpendorf, in today’s 6th district, which was also to become his death house . Joseph Haydn died on May 31, 1809, 9 years after his wife Maria Anna. The marriage was considered unhappy and remained childless.
Haydn’s body was transferred to the Bergkirche Eisenstadt, but not his skull. This was separated from the body after death and examined in the course of the “Gall theory of the skull” in order to confirm this theory. It was not until 1954 that the skull was also transferred to Eisenstadt.
Time Travel Tip: The Haydn Sterbehaus in Esterhazygasse in Vienna’s 6th district can be visited and provides information about the life of Joseph Haydn. Or perhaps you would like to take a trip to Eisenstadt, where he was bandmaster in the Esterhazy family palace?
