Joseph Haydn was born on March 31, 1732, in Rohrau, a village in Austria. He was the second son of Mathias Haydn, a wheelwright, and Maria Haydn. Haydn showed musical talent from a young age and was sent to study music with Georg Reutter, the choirmaster at St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna. As a choirboy, Haydn received a thorough musical education, singing in the choir and studying violin, harpsichord, and music theory.
Haydn's career as a composer took off when he was appointed Kapellmeister to the Esterházy family in 1761. He served as the court musician for Prince Nikolaus Esterházy for nearly thirty years, creating a wealth of musical works for the Esterházy court. During this time, he composed symphonies, string quartets, operas, and masses, earning him the titles of "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet."
Haydn's works are characterized by their melodic inventiveness, harmonic richness, and formal clarity. Some of his most famous compositions include "The Creation," an oratorio depicting the creation of the world, and "The Seasons," a secular oratorio celebrating the beauty of nature. Haydn also composed numerous symphonies, concertos, operas, chamber music, and piano sonatas, leaving a lasting legacy on the Classical music style.
Haydn's influence extended beyond his own compositions. He mentored young composers, including Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven. Beethoven studied with Haydn in Vienna and adopted many of his techniques and approaches to composition. Haydn's emphasis on structure, form, and thematic development had a profound impact on the development of Classical music.
Haydn was married twice, first to Maria Anna Keller in 1760, who died in 1800, and then to Rebecca Schroeter in 1804. He had no children of his own but was close to his nephews and served as a father figure to them. Haydn had a close relationship with his younger brother, Michael Haydn, also a composer, and Johann Evangelist Haydn, a tenor.
Haydn's later years were marked by increasing frailty and health issues. He continued to compose until his death on May 31, 1809, in Vienna. Haydn's music remains popular and influential to this day, with his symphonies, string quartets, and oratorios performed and admired worldwide.