HAYDN
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the second. At an early age the child evinced so decided a talent for music that one Johann Mathias Frankh, a distant relation of the family, proposed to undertake his musical and general education, and for that purpose invited him to Hainburg, a neighbouring town where Frankh kept a school. To Hainburg accordingly young Haydn went in 1738, and there he received instruction in the elementary knowledge of his art, including a practical acquaintance with most instruments, at the hands of the musical schoolmaster. Having developed an agreeable soprano voice, young Haydn was by the intercession of the dean of Hainburg promoted to a post amongst the choir boys of St Stephen’s cathedral, Vienna, where he remained from 1740–50, doing duty in the church services, and at the same time enlarging his musical knowledge and experience. His artistic education was, however, all but exclusively practical, and it is said that he received only two theoretical lessons from Reuter the chapel-master. As a composer, therefore, Haydn was in every sense self-taught. Of his zeal in acquiring information he was in the habit of talking with pride in later years, and several works of sacred music were the first fruit of his early studies. In 1749 or 1750 his beautiful boyish voice changed, and he lost his position accordingly. Being now thrown on his own resources, he had to undergo various forms of musical drudgery, such as giving lessons (at the moderate stipend of two florins per month) and even playing in the orchestra at dances and the like. His condition was somewhat improved by his acquaintance with Metastasio, the celebrated operatic poet, in fact the Scribe of the 18th century, who introduced him to Señor Martinez, a Spaniard living in Vienna, whose daughter Haydn instructed for several years. It was through Metastasio also that Haydn came into contact with Porpora the composer, best known as the singing-master of the great Farinelli. For a considerable time Haydn remained in constant intercourse with him, acting as his accompanist, and occasionally it is said as his valet. In return he obtained a perfect acquaintance with Porpora’s method, besides his knowledge of the Italian language, both invaluable to a composer in those days. The works of Emmanuel Bach, son of the great Sebastian, at the same time became his model for chamber music. Fux’s excellent work Gradus ad Parnassum was his guide in his studies of counterpoint. A mass in F, and a farce Der neue krumme Teufel, both written in or about 1752, were Haydn’s first important attempts at composition. The former is still in existence, but of the latter the libretto by Kurz only remains. It was produced early in 1752, and seems to have met with considerable success. Haydn’s acquaintance with Gluck also dates from this period. An important event in Haydn’s life was his acquaintance with Baron Fürnberg, an accomplished amateur, for whose private concerts he wrote his first string quartet, a form of composition in which he earned some of his greatest and most permanent triumphs. It is in the key of B flat, and was followed in rapid succession by seventeen other works of the same class, written during the years 1755 and 1756. To his new protector Haydn also owed his still more important acquaintance with Count Ferdinand Morzin. Count Morzin in 1759 appointed him conductor of his small but excellent band. The opportunities of hearing his own works performed by competent musicians Haydn did not neglect, and his first symphony in D belongs to the year 1759. Soon afterwards Count Morzin was compelled to dissolve his band, but Haydn’s position was by this time sufficiently established, and very soon afterwards he found employment as second chapel-master to Prince Paul Esterhazy, one of the richest Austrian nobles, whose love of art was as great as his wealth. The Esterhazy family have been amongst the foremost patrons of music in Vienna from the days of Haydn to those of Beethoven and Schubert. Prince Paul died in 1762, and left his title and fortune to his brother Nicholas, surnamed the Magnificent. He immediately enlarged his orchestra, and also increased the salaries of its members, including that of Haydn (from 400 to 600 florins), and on the death of his colleague Werner, a scholarly but dry musician, appointed him first conductor. This position, or at least its title and emoluments, Haydn retained till his death, and his attachment to the Esterhazy family remained unchanged by his subsequent fame and fortunes. The events just referred to determined Haydn’s career for the next twenty-eight years. During this period he was in the active service of his protector, residing at Esterház, the splendid country seat of the family, described as a second Versailles, or in Vienna, conducting the orchestra of the prince, and writing for his concerts and theatre a number of works, including symphonies, cassationes, quartets, sonatas, and numerous vocal compositions, including several operas, none of which, however, had any permanent success. Thus the opera La vera Constanza, written for the court theatre of Vienna in 1776, was withdrawn by the composer owing to intrigues against him, it is said; and we are not told that it met with a much better fate on its revival fourteen years later. Another dramatic work, L'isola disabitata (1779), procured for the composer the membership of the Accademia Filarmonica at Modena, and a gold snuff-box from the king of Spain. But with its companions it has not escaped oblivion. The truth is that Haydn was without the true dramatic spirit, and of this he was himself well aware. According to his own confession his operas were fitted only for the small stage at Esterház; in a large theatre, and before a miscellaneous audience, they lost their effect. The scores of most of the operas are preserved in the archives of Eisenstadt, another seat of the Esterhazy famity. Of his life during this period little need be said. It was eventless and to a certain extent monotonous, but free from care and exclusively devoted to art. His own words, quoted by Herr Pohl, sum up all that it is necessary to relate. “My prince was always satisfied with my work; I not only had the encouragement of constant approval, but as conductor of an orchestra I could make experiments, observe what produced an effect and what weakened it, and was thus in a position to improve, alter, make additions or omissions, and be as bold as I pleased. I was cut off from the world; there was no one to confuse or torment me, and I was forced to become original.” The only person that could have wished to “confuse or torment” the harmless composer was fortunately kept at distance by the strict order of the prince’s household, that none of his musicians was to be accompanied by his wife. Haydn at an early age became attached to the daughter of a hairdresser, Keller by name, and after her death was persuaded to marry her sister, three years older than himself. The marriage was an unhappy one, and the pair separated soon after their union, Haydn’s inflammable heart subsequently causing him more or less serious trouble on more than one occasion. In the meantime the composer’s fame had begun to spread from an early period of his career. As early as 1766 a journal speaks of him as the “favourite of the nation,” and foreign countries were not slow in acknowledging his merits. Thus one of his works, The Seven Words of our Saviour on the Cross, a series of orchestral interludes for the church service on Good Friday, was written by special invitation for the cathedral of Cadiz. In Paris his works were performed with immense success at the Concert Spirituel, and a single English firm bought the copyright of no less than 129 of his works, including 82 symphonies. The appreciation of Haydn’s work in England led to important results in his latter years. Several pressing invitations to visit that country had been declined by the composer on account
