Haydn, Franz Joseph

Austrian, 1732–1809, born in Rohrau. He was one of the great masters of the classical period, the composer of works of lively melody and immense appeal. After struggling for years as a music teacher and accompanist, he attracted the attention of the Esterhazy princes, the patrons who were to support him financially in most of his prodigious output: over one hundred symphonies, eighty string quartets, fifty piano sonatas, numerous songs, operas, and chamber works. He was a friend of Mozart and a teacher of Beethoven, and his compositions influenced the course of western musical history.

Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken, 46 (Music)