Joseph Haydn

Hello! My name is Joseph Haydn, and I want to tell you the story of my life in music. I was born on March 31st, 1732, in a small Austrian village named Rohrau. Even though we didn't have much money, my home was filled with song. My family loved to sing together, and that is where my own passion for music began. My parents saw that I had a special talent, so when I was just six years old, around 1738, they sent me away to live with a relative to get proper music lessons. It was hard to leave home, but it was an important step. By the time I was eight years old, in 1740, my voice was good enough that I was accepted into the famous choir at St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, one of the most important cities for music in the world.

My time at the cathedral choir ended around 1749, when my voice changed as I grew older. Suddenly, I was on my own in Vienna with no money and nowhere to live. Those were difficult years, and I had to work very hard just to get by, teaching music and playing wherever I could. But I never gave up on my dream. My big break finally came in 1761. I was hired by the Esterházys, one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in the land. For nearly 30 years, I served as their Kapellmeister, which is a German word for music director. My job was to write all kinds of music for them—operas, music for church, and symphonies for their orchestra to play at parties. I worked at their remote palace, far away from the big city. This quiet life gave me a wonderful gift. As I later said, being so far from other composers forced me 'to become original' and develop my very own style of music.

At the palace, I was in charge of all the musicians. I always tried to be kind and look out for them, and because of this, they gave me the nickname 'Papa Haydn'. I even used my music to help them once. The prince had kept us at his summer palace for too long, and the musicians missed their families. So, I wrote my Symphony No. 45, which is now called the 'Farewell' Symphony. At the end of the piece, one by one, each musician blew out the candle on their music stand and quietly walked off the stage until only two violinists were left. The prince understood the hint, and the next day, we were all allowed to go home! During my life, I was also lucky to have very famous friends. I became great friends with another composer named Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and we admired each other's work very much. I also had a young student for a short time who would later become one of the most famous composers of all time: Ludwig van Beethoven.

My life changed again in 1790 when my boss, Prince Nikolaus Esterházy, passed away. His son didn't care for music as much, so he let the orchestra go. I was finally free to travel. I was invited to England and made my first trip to London in 1791. The people there treated me like a celebrity! The concerts were packed, and everyone loved my music. It was so successful that I returned for a second visit in 1794. For my London concerts, I wrote twelve new symphonies. One of them, Symphony No. 94, became known as the 'Surprise' Symphony. I had noticed that some people in the audience would fall asleep during the quiet parts of the music. To wake them up, I wrote a very soft and gentle melody, and then—BAM!—I added a sudden, loud chord from the whole orchestra. It always made the audience jump, and it still makes people smile today.

After my exciting time in London, I returned to Vienna for my later years. It was there that I wrote what I believe are my greatest works, two large pieces for choir and orchestra called 'The Creation' and 'The Seasons'. These pieces told stories from the Bible and about the beauty of nature. I lived a very full and happy life, filled with music and friends. I lived to be 77 years old before I passed away on May 31st, 1809. Today, many people call me the 'Father of the Symphony' and the 'Father of the String Quartet' because I helped develop those styles of music so much. I hope that when you hear my music, you can feel the joy and wonder I felt while writing it.