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Joseph Haydn: Symphonies
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Joseph Haydn is primarily remembered as a composer of symphonies but in the 1770's and 1780's, he managed an opera group on behalf of his employer, Prince Nikolaus Esterházy, which performed many operas per year. Armida was the last opera Haydn composed and ... regarded as his best.
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Attempts to get Haydn to England began with the Earl of Abingdon's invitation in 1782; throughout the decade the popular papers kept a running account of these efforts. During the 1780s Haydn composed operas, symphonies, and quartets that further expanded the horizons of those genres. When in Vienna he met and kept in touch with Mozart, whose music impressed him profoundly. In September 1790 Prince Nikolaus died. His son and successor, Anton, immediately disbanded the orchestra and opera at Esterháza. Haydn was given a stipend and permission to leave.
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Haydn's sense of humor often came into play during his thirty-year tenure with Prince Esterhazy. The prince had become complacent when listening to Haydn's symphonies, even falling asleep at the performances. This was something that seared the feelings of the diligent composer, especially when the prince emitted a loud snore during a part of the symphony over which Haydn had especially labored. Haydn decided to create a new symphony for the prince, a symphony that he hoped would "get Prince Esterhazy's attention." This particular symphony was written with a long slow movement, designed to be so soothing that the prince would surely fall asleep. On the evening of the performance, the prince did indeed drift off.
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Haydn's contact with other composers or their works frequently resulted in further inspiration, often mutual. As previously noted, he discovered the works of Handel while visiting London. Haydn too influenced many of his contemporaries as well as later composers. He was full of praise for the talents of Mozart, but Mozart himself was clearly inspired by the works of Haydn although he was to explore new directions himself. Beethoven was ... greatly influenced by Haydn and studied with him for a time. Although in comparison with these great composers Haydn became comparatively forgotten, he nevertheless has much to offer especially his Symphonies, String Quartets and Keyboard Sonatas.
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In 1790, on the death of Prince Nikolaus of the Esterhazy family, Haydn was free to accept invitation from the London impresario J.P. Salomon to go to England. His first visit to London (1791-1792), for which he composed six symphonies and an opera (not produced), was a huge success. This was followed by six more symphonies. These works confirmed his reputation as the most original composer of the genre during his time. Inspired by Handel's oratorios he had heard in London, he composed two of his own: The Creation and The Seasons.
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The collecting and cataloguing of Haydn's works has been the object of considerable research. It was begun in 1766 by Haydn himself (sparked by a complaint of inattentiveness to his job), aided by the Esterházy court copyist Joseph Elssler, whose son Johann (1769-1843) later became Haydn's copyist and faithful servant. Haydn worked on this list until about 1805. In fact, his efforts may have proved an inspiration to Mozart, who began his own catalogue of works in 1784. No doubt not long after meeting Haydn in Vienna. Pohl prepared a manuscript catalogue, and for the Breitkopf and Härtel complete edition Mandyczewski assembled his list of 104 symphonies (but omitting 3 now acknowledged as being by Haydn). Modern scholarship, led foremost by H. C. Robbins Landon, has amended this list, and a modern thematic catalogue has been edited by Hoboken in which works are given Hob. numbers in the manner of Köchel's Mozart catalogue (though the numbering system chosen for Haydn’s works is much cleaner and less complicated!).
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