Joseph Haydn was born in Rohrau in Lower Austria on 31 March 1732 and died in Vienna on 31 May 1809. After years as a choirboy in Vienna and as a freelance musician he entered the service of the Esterházy princes as deputy Kapellmeister in 1761, becoming their Kapellmeister in 1766. In the comparatively secluded court music he developed an extraordinarily rich language for the symphony, the string quartet, the keyboard sonata and chamber music; the London journeys consolidated his European fame. With works such as „The Creation“ and „The Seasons“ Haydn also shaped the oratorio and became one of the decisive figures of the Viennese Classical style.
Joseph Haydn
Composer
