Joseph Haydn- The Father of the Symphony

Our composer of the month is Joseph Haydn! His full name Franz Joseph Haydn is what most people in the United States call him, but his given name and what he should be called is just Joseph Haydn. If that is too confusing, many people know him by his nickname, Papa Haydn!

His good friend, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart used to call him that. He was also a teacher to Beethoven! He was respected by the many musicians he supervised and maintained a cordial work environment. Joseph had a robust sense of humor and was know for practical jokes that were sometimes apparent in his music. At the time of his death he was one of the most celebrated composers in Europe.

He lived during the Classical Period and was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the piano trio. He spent most of his career as a court musician for a wealthy family and was quite isolated from other composers and trends in music so that he was “forced to become an original”.

Piano Academy Students – make sure and pick up your “Composer of the Month” sheet. See how many questions you can answer to earn extra Music Bucks! You can read more about Haydn on Wikipedia and then see if can you can your teachers something about him when you come to your lesson.

Listen to some of his amazing music!