THE CLASSICAL ERA

The Classical period - INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC

The Classical Period - SONATA FORM

Sonata form is one of the most influential ideas in the history of Western classical music. Since
the establishment of the practice by composers like C.P.E. Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven,
and Schubert and the codification of this practice into teaching and theory, the practice of
writing works in sonata form has changed considerably.

Sonata Allegro Form - The simplest sonata form pattern and its relation to binary form.
Early examples of sonata form resemble two-reprise continuous ternary form.

FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN 1732-1809

The Classical Period Composer Franz Joseph Haydn (31 March 1732 – 31 May 1809) was an
Austrian composer of the Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber
music such as the piano trio. His contributions to musical form have earned him the epithets
"Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet".

Haydn spent much of his career as a court musician for the wealthy Esterházy family at their
remote estate. Until the later part of his life, this isolated him from other composers and trends
in music so that he was, as he put it, "forced to become original". Yet his music circulated
widely, and for much of his career, he was the most celebrated composer in Europe. He was a
friend and mentor of Mozart, a tutor of Beethoven, and the older brother of composer Michael
Haydn.

The young Haydn sang in the church choir, learned to play various instruments, and obtained a
good basic knowledge of music. But his life changed decisively when he was eight years old. The
musical director of St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna had observed the boy on a visit to
Hainburg and invited him to serve as a chorister at the Austrian capital’s most important
church.

Haydn’s parents accepted the offer, and thus in 1740, Haydn moved to Vienna. He stayed at the
choir school for nine years, acquiring an enormous practical knowledge of music by constant
performances but, to his disappointment, receiving little instruction in music theory. He had to
work hard to fulfill his obligations as a chorister, and when his voice changed, he was expelled
from both the cathedral choir and the choir school.
 With no money and few possessions, Haydn at 17 was left to his own devices. He found refuge
for a while in the garret of a fellow musician and supported himself “miserably” with odd
musical jobs. A fortunate chance brought him to the attention of the Italian composer and
singing teacher Nicola Porpora, who accepted him as accompanist for voice lessons and
corrected Haydn’s compositions.

With persistence and energy, Haydn made progress. He was eventually introduced to the
music-loving Austrian nobleman Karl Joseph von Fürnberg, in whose home he played chamber
music. For the instrumentalists there he wrote his first string quartets.

Through the recommendation of Fürnberg, in 1758 Haydn was engaged as musical director and
chamber composer for the Bohemian count Ferdinand Maximilian von Morzin. Haydn was put
in charge of an orchestra of about 16 musicians, and for this ensemble, he wrote his first
symphony as well as numerous divertimenti for wind band or for wind instruments and strings.
These early musical compositions were still conventional in character, yet a certain freshness of
melodic invention and sparkle marked them as the work of a future master.

Haydn stayed only briefly with von Morzin, as financial difficulties forced his patron to dismiss
the orchestra. Soon Haydn was invited to enter the service of Prince Pál Antal Esterházy.

The Esterházys were one of the wealthiest and most influential families of the Austrian empire
and boasted a distinguished record of supporting music. Prince Pál Antal had a well-appointed
orchestra performing regularly in his castle at Eisenstadt, a small town some 30 miles (48 km)
from Vienna.

Because his aged music director was ailing, the prince appointed the relatively unknown Haydn
to be an assistant conductor in 1761. While the music director oversaw church music, Haydn
conducted the orchestra and coached the singers in almost daily rehearsals, composed most of
the music required, and served as chief of the musical personnel.

Haydn carried out his duties extremely well and revealed tact, good nature, and skill in dealing
with people. From his first symphonies written for the Esterházys, Haydn amply displayed his
characteristic good humor and wit, as well as the dependable freshness of his musical ideas,
although full maturity would come much later. His employment by the Esterházy family proved
decisive for his career, and he remained in their service until his death.

In 1766 Haydn became musical director at the Esterházy court. He raised the quality and
increased the size of the prince’s musical ensembles by appointing many choice
instrumentalists and singers. His ambitious plans were supported by Prince Miklós, who, on the
death of his brother in 1762, had become head of the Esterházy family.
Haydn served Prince Miklós for nearly 30 years. He frequently visited Vienna in the prince’s
retinue, and on these visits, a close friendship developed between himself and Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart. The two composers felt inspired by each other’s work.

Mozart declared that he had learned from Haydn how to write quartets and dedicated a superb
set of six such works to his “beloved friend.” Haydn’s music, too, shows the impact of his young
friend. The mature composer was by no means set in his ways; he was flexible and receptive to
new ideas.

During the 1760s Haydn’s fame began to spread throughout Europe. The Austrian and Czech
monasteries did much to disseminate his church music as well as his symphonies, divertimenti,
sonatas, and concertos. Aristocratic patrons in south Germany, Italy, and the Austrian empire
assiduously collected his music, and their libraries would eventually become important sources
for copies of his work.

The following decade and a half did even more to enhance Haydn’s fame. His operatic output
continued strong until 1785, notwithstanding the destruction of the Esterházy opera house by
fire in 1779. Increasingly, however, his audience lay outside his employer’s court. In 1775 he
composed his first large-scale oratorio, Il ritorno di Tobia, for the Musicians’ Society in Vienna;
for unknown reasons, relations between Haydn and the Viennese musicians cooled
considerably a few years later.

By the early 1780s, though, things seemed much improved, and the Viennese firm Artaria
published his six Opus 33 quartets. These important works quickly set a new standard for the
genre, putting many of his competitors in this increasingly lucrative market out of business.
(Mozart was a notable exception, but even he took several years to complete his own set of six
quartets.)

In 1784 Haydn revised Tobia for another Viennese performance, adding choral numbers and
cutting back on some of the extended da capo structures, a clear sign that he was well aware of
changing sensibilities. In mid-decade as well came a commission from Paris to compose a set of
symphonies, and Haydn’s resulting “Paris” symphonies are a landmark of the genre. It was also
about this time that he received the commission to compose the Seven Last Words of Our
Saviour on the Cross; for the incorrigibly cheerful Haydn, writing seven successive dour
movements was a particularly difficult undertaking, but the effort resulted in one of his most
admired works.

Haydn was an extremely prolific composer. His total output includes 108 symphonies, one of
which (number 106) is lost and one of which (number 105) is actually a symphonie concertante;
68 string quartets; 32 divertimenti for small orchestra; 126 trios for baryton, viola, and cello; 29
trios for piano, violin, and cello; 21 trios for two violins and cello; 47 piano sonatas; about 20
operas; 14 masses; 6 oratorios; and 2 cello concerti.
Haydn’s achievement was long confused by the fact that an enormous number of works were
wrongly attributed to him, and it was not until the 1950s that musicological research was able
to pare this staggering amount of spurious attributions from Haydn’s recognized output. Work
on a definitive catalog of his compositions continued into the late 20th century.
Haydn’s professional success was not matched in his personal life. His marriage to Maria Anna
Keller in 1760 produced neither a pleasant, peaceful home nor any children. Haydn’s wife did
not understand music and showed no interest in her husband’s work.

Her disdain went to the extremes of using his manuscripts for pastry pan linings or curl papers.
Haydn was not insensitive to the attractions of other women, and for years he carried on a love
affair with Luigia Polzelli, a young Italian mezzo-soprano in the prince’s service.