I. Overview of the Life of Joseph Haydn Leading to the London
Symphonies
The purpose of this section is to
provide an overview of the developments in Haydn’s life up to the time he wrote
the Symphony No. 102. This overview will present the context in which Haydn
wrote the London Symphonies (the last symphonies he composed). Knowing such a
context can help us to better understand the experiences and events in Haydn’s
life that contributed to the emotions and character of these late symphonies.
From 1761 until 1790, Haydn worked
for the wealthy and powerful Esterházy family as Kapellmeister (first
Vice-Kapellmeister and later Full Kapellmeister) of the palaces at Eisenstadt
and then Esterháza (after the Esterházy court moved there in 1766). He was
hired by Prince Paul Anton Esterházy, who died shortly after Haydn began work.
Paul Anton was succeeded by Nikolaus (called the “Magnificent”), who was (like
his predecessor) a great lover of music. Until he died in 1790, Prince Nikolaus
was Haydn’s patron and lord. Haydn’s tenure as Kapellmeister of the Esterházy
household gave him remarkable security and regularity, in addition to providing
a first-class orchestra for which Haydn wrote many of his great symphonic
works. During his time at the Esterháza palace, Haydn’s fame had spread
throughout the world and many of his works, particularly the symphonies, became
immensely popular.
The fact always remained, however,
that Haydn was directly under Nikolaus’ control, and he began to yearn for a
life outside of the Esterházy court. Because of his duties at the court, Haydn
could not effectively capitalize on his fame. In 1779, Haydn gained the
publishing rights to his compositions (they were previously owned by Prince
Nikolaus). He wanted to expand his range of compositions to find audiences far
outside of Esterháza.[1]
Many of his compositions from the 1780s were written for publishers in Vienna, Paris
or London.[2]
This ensured a wider audience for Haydn’s music, which only increased his
international fame. Unfortunately, all of these “outside” commissions in
addition to his duties at Nikolaus’ court made it very hard for Haydn to
balance his massive amount of work (resulting in rather shady business
practices with some publishers). Furthermore, Nikolaus required that Haydn
compose, conduct, and prepare many operas at the Esterháza palace during the
early 1780s, which took a good deal of Haydn’s time and energy.[3]
Some critics consider many of the Symphonies from this era (particularly those
numbered 60-80) to be less profound and musically challenging, although they
are certainly enjoyable and wittingly composed.
