Joseph Haydn, the composer, was born in 1732 in the village of Rohrau, the son of a wheelwright.
Performer Biography
Nicholas Ward, the conductor, was born in Manchester in 1952 to parents who met as members of the Halle Orchestra, leading to music playing an important part in his life from childhood.
Composer Biography
Haydn spent many years earning a living by teaching and playing the violin or keyboard, and was an assistant to the old musician Porpora.
Composer Biography
Haydn was employed as Vice-Kapellmeister to Prince Paul Anton Esterhazy, one of the richest men in the Empire, and later succeeded to Kapellmeister under Prince Nikolaus.
Composer Biography
Haydn's first appointment was in 1759 as Kapellmeister to a Bohemian nobleman, Count von Morzin.
Historical Context
Haydn's career spanned the period during which the classical symphony developed as the principal orchestral form.
Instruments
Prince Esterhazy's peculiar instrument was the baryton, a bowed string instrument with sympathetic strings that could also be plucked, which Dr. Burney remarked was only useful to a solitary castaway.
