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Joseph Haydn: London Notebooks
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Haydn was short in stature, perhaps as a result of having been underfed throughout most of his youth. Like many in his day, he was a survivor of smallpox, and his face was pitted with the scars of this disease. He was not handsome, and was quite surprised when women flocked to him during his London visits. The various portraitists who drew or painted Haydn during his lifetime each took a different path in attempting to portray the attractive personality instead of the ugly face; hence no two surviving portraits of Haydn are alike.
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Called "Papa" Haydn by his many admirers, including Mozart, Haydn was finally freed in 1790 of his duties at Esterhaza and traveled to London, where he was received with great fanfare. After writing numerous pieces in London, he finally returned to Vienna, dying there at the age of 77, a composer with a long and successful career.
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Shortly after Nicholas's death, Johann Peter Salomon, a violinist and impresario, invited Haydn to London for a series of concerts. The visit was a great success; many of his works were performed, and he gained some important friends, including the Prince of Wales. It was during this visit that he witnessed a performance of Handel's Messiah, which possibly spurred Haydn to write his own oratorios. He ... gained an honorary doctorate from Oxford, and dedicated his Symphony No. 92 to the occasion. His visit was so successful that he returned two years later.
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For the first time in the work Haydn sets out to emulate the mighty Handel choruses which had so inspired him in London. This vigorous chorus has long been one of the oratorio’s most popular numbers.
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This tone ... 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. 104, the string quartet Op. 50 No. 1, and the piano trio Hob XV: 27. 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. 76 Nos.
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Haydn’s beauty was not a superficial one: during a stay in London, women flocked to him despite his pockmarked face – which he found quite surprising. A few portraits from his time are preserved, but not one looks like any other.
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