Innovators of the Past: Franz Joseph Haydn, known as the "Father of the Symphony" and whose death is commemorated on May 31, was a fundamental pillar in the creation of classical music. His innovative legacy is undeniable, but his post-mortem story is equally surprising: after his death, his head was stolen.
FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN "THE FATHER OF THE SYMPHONY"
Musical Innovator: Franz Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809) is considered one of the most important composers in the history of music. His work in developing the symphony and string quartet earned him the title "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet." His music was characterized by its balance, clarity and elegance, and laid the foundation for the later development of classical music.
Haydn's death anniversary, May 31 , is an opportunity to remember his musical legacy and his impact on the history of classical music, as his work continues to be appreciated and enjoyed by people around the world.
It is interesting how innovators of the past, like Haydn, can inspire new generations to follow in their footsteps and seek excellence in their own fields as was my case, since, at a very young age, Haydn's life and work awakened in me the passion for innovation. His legacy in classical music is undeniable, and his influence on my life is a testament to his lasting impact.
Passion and knowledge can open doors and lead to unique experiences, as happened to me at the age of 16, when I had the extraordinary opportunity to participate in the famous television program The Grand Prize of $64,000 ("El Gran Premio de los $64,000 pesos") , skillfully hosted by Pedro Ferriz Santa Cruz, where over five weekly live broadcasts, I had to answer an impressive number of complicated questions about Haydn. Without a doubt this is an anecdote that I will always remember fondly.
Joseph Haydn was born on March 31, 1732 in Rohrau, in Lower Austria, at 15 leagues from Vienna, between the borders of Austria and Hungary.
His birthplace is now a museum .
He was born and raised in a humble family. From an early age he showed musical talent and was a member of the Vienna Boys' Choir.
"How strange that such a great man should have been born in such a miserable home," exclaimed Beethoven upon seeing a lithograph of Haydn's house.
Mozart and Beethoven were students of Haydn and for this reason, when I am asked why I admire Franz Joseph Haydn Koller, the words that Beethoven expressed about his Master immediately come to mind: "Such a Genius never existed and will probably never be surpassed."
Joseph Haydn worked as a freelance musician and chapelmaster for several aristocratic families, including the Esterházy family, for whom he worked for almost 30 years. This period was crucial for his development as a composer, as he had access to an orchestra and resources to experiment and perfect his style.
After leaving the Esterházy service, Haydn achieved international fame. He toured Europe, premiering his works in important cities such as London, where he was received with great enthusiasm.
He spent his last years in Vienna, where he composed some of his most important works, such as the oratorios "The Creation" and "The Seasons."
Haydn was an extremely prolific composer, with a work that spans various genres:
Symphonies: He composed more than 100 symphonies, many of which are considered masterpieces of the classical repertoire. Some of the best known are the "Toy Symphony", "Surprise Symphony", the "Military Symphony" and the "Clock Symphony".
String Quartets: He wrote 68 string quartets, which laid the foundations for this genre and continue to be performed and studied today.
Chamber music: He composed numerous works for various combinations of instruments, such as trios, quintets and sonatas.
Concertos: He wrote concertos for various instruments, such as piano, violin and cello.
Vocal music: He composed masses, operas, songs and oratorios. His oratorios "The Creation" and "The Seasons" are considered masterpieces of the choral repertoire.
Haydn's Legacy:
Haydn's music is characterized by its balance, clarity, elegance and humor. His influence on later composers, such as Mozart and Beethoven, was enormous. His work continues to be performed and appreciated around the world, and his legacy as one of the great masters of classicism remains intact.
HOW IS CLASSICAL MUSIC DEFINED?
💡 NOT ALL "OLD" MUSIC IS CLASSICAL
Classical music corresponds to a period included in the 18th century. The history of music (depending on musicologists), includes the following periods:
Music in Prehistory (50,000 BC -5000 BC)
Ancient music (5000 BC -476 AD)
Music of the Middle Ages / Gregorian Music (476-1450)
Renaissance Music (1450-1600)
Baroque Music (1600-1750)
Classical Music (1750-1820)
Romantic Music (1820-1900)
Nationalist Music (19th and 20th centuries)
Contemporary Music of the 20th Century):
Stochastic
Concrete
So, the music made by "Cult" composers is called "Cult" because they studied the musical forms in depth; In other words, cultured music has a written tradition, where its authors are known (at least from a certain historical stage) and the musicians who currently perform it with conventional instruments are professionals.
💡 THE SYMPHONY
Musical forms (in terms of "Cult Music") cover a great variety, including: masses, oratorios, concerts, sonatas, symphonies, symphonic poems, trios, opera, cantatas, etc.
When Haydn was born (March 31, 1732), the musical formats that predominated were those proposed by the "Father of Music": Johann Sebastian Bach, who corresponds to the Baroque period. These formats were just to mention a few: cantata, concerto grosso, tobacco, fugue, minuet, etc.
Haydn was an Innovator, because he created the form of the Sonata (4 movements) that he later transferred to the Symphony and for this Innovation he is considered the "Father of the Symphony". From this point, his students Mozart and Beethoven continued composing the symphonies in 4 movements.
It is important to emphasize that Haydn was the first and last classicist (18th century) and that Beethoven (his student) is considered one of the first composers of the Romantic period (19th century).
In very summary terms, and from the "invention of Haydn" a Symphony is the translation of a Sonata to the orchestra.
A Sonata is a musical piece of several movements (4) performed by a soloist or a small instrumental group and which receives its name from the structure of the first movement known as "sonata form".
The symphony is born from the application of the sonata form; however, Haydn's first symphonies were made in three movements and later in four.
💡 THE SYMPHONY OF TOYS
Much has been written about the authorship of the "Symphony of Toys", a work in three movements; For many years it was attributed to Haydn, however, some contemporary musicologists attribute it to Leopold Mozart father Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
The confusion is due to the fact that Haydn was Mozart's teacher, the latter affectionately called him "Papa Haydn"; Haydn's influence was such that Mozart's early works resemble Haydn's style so much that sometimes it is difficult to identify who the author is.
In my opinion, and after studying Haydn's music for 50 years, I would venture to say that the Toy Symphony does belong to Haydn, whose sense of humor was one of his great characteristics.
Let us remember that Haydn in his childhood belonged to the "Singing Boys of Vienna" and was such a joker that, on one occasion, while practicing a Cantata with his companions in St. Stephen's Cathedral, he could not resist taking out a pair of scissors that he had in his pocket and cut off the ponytail of the powdered wig of his colleague opposite.
HAYDN, THE INNOVATOR WHO LOST HIS HEAD
During the first decades of the 19th century, cemeteries throughout Europe were attacked by peculiar thieves: tomb desecrators who were not looking for treasures or valuable objects buried with their owners, but only for their skulls, and especially if they belonged to geniuses of music, literature or philosophy.
The clock struck two in the afternoon when, on October 30, 1820, the gravediggers at the Hundsthurmer church cemetery in Vienna finished exhuming the mortal remains of the famous composer Franz Joseph Haydn, who had died eleven years earlier during the invasion of the city by Napoleonic troops. The reason for disturbing the master's eternal rest was noble, as they wanted to move his remains to another cemetery in the nearby city of Eisenstadt – home of his most notable patrons, the Esterhazys – and deposit them in a more sumptuous tomb, in keeping with the greatness of the genius he had been in life.
When the workers opened the coffin and took a look inside, they couldn't help but hold their breath. And not only because of the unpleasant smell of rot that emanated from the coffin, but because of a much more unexpected surprise: although the skeleton was in place, the place that should have been occupied by the composer's skull appeared empty, and in its place there was only the wig with which the teacher had been buried. Someone had stolen Haydn's skull.
The theft of the skull of the brilliant Austrian composer was not, although it may seem unusual to us today, an isolated event. As in the most sinister of the Gothic novels that would be so successful years later, hundreds of skulls – generally belonging to famous people – were stolen from their tombs taking advantage of the silence and darkness of the night, to later become part of the macabre collections of numerous individuals throughout Europe.
This singular “fever” for skulls, which invaded Europe from the end of the 18th century to the middle of the following century, was not, however, the result of any dark cult or some strange secret society, but rather the most gloomy manifestation of a practice pre-scientific science that sought to solve the enigmas of the human mind and behavior.
To understand the emergence and spread throughout the continent of this unusual hobby, we must go back to Vienna in 1781. In that year, the hectic and cosmopolitan Austrian capital had received the arrival of an unknown and irrelevant character: a young man named Franz Joseph Gall. At twenty-four years old, Gall had arrived from the small German town of Tiefenbrum with the intention of making his dream come true: becoming a prominent doctor. He had an insatiable scientific curiosity in his favor, although, unfortunately, little aptitude for study.
Joseph Haydn did not lose his mind figuratively, but literally. After his death in 1809, his skull was stolen by two scientists seeking to study the brain of a genius.
This macabre story has several versions and aspects:
The theft: It is said that the two scientists bribed the gravedigger to give them Haydn's head after his burial. Then, they studied it and preserved it as a treasure.
The Search: Years later, when Haydn's body was exhumed to be transferred to a mausoleum, it was discovered that his head was missing. This sparked a scandal and a long search to recover the skull.
The reunion: Finally, after more than a century, the skull was returned and buried alongside the rest of Haydn's remains in 1954.
This episode, although dark, is part of the fascinating story of the life and death of one of the most important composers of classical music.
It was not until 1954, with Prince Esterházy of the time detained in communist Hungary, that Haydn's real skull was reunited with his pulverized body. After a solemn ceremony in Vienna, it was moved to the Bergkirche in Eisenstadt with the rest of the remains.
SOURCES:
Landon, Robbins. Haydn to Documentary Study. New York. Rizzoli
https://www.historiadelasinfonia.es/historia-2/siglo-xviii/haydn/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1miohLVZobE&list=RD1miohLVZobE&index=1
The macabre story about Haydn's decapitated head: https://www.primicias.ec/noticias/firmas/macabra-historia-sobre- head-decapitada-haydn/
Haydn, the genius whose head was cut off and stolen: https://musicaclasica.com.ar/haydn-el-genio-al-que-le-cortaron-y-robaron-la-cambio
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