Discover the Symphony of Surprises: Top 12 Fascinating and Fun Facts About Haydn You Never Knew

1. Royal Music Lessons Cash Flow

Playing the royal tunes with a cha-ching encore: Haydn, the ingenious composer and cunning entrepreneur, once filled his pockets by giving music lessons to King George III's daughters in 18th-century London, charging a staggering 100 guineas per session!
Source => en.wikipedia.org

2. Period Instruments Makeover

Like a scene from a Hollywood makeover movie, Haydn's music went from overlooked to show-stopper with just one simple change, a musical Cinderella story: By using period-specific instruments with less vibrato and heft, Haydn's melodies and harmonies shone like never before, thrilling musicians and audiences alike with their newfound expressiveness.
Source => riversidesymphony.org

Did you know Beethoven's father altered his son's birth year to market him as a child prodigy? Discover the truth behind this musical deception! 🎵🤥

=> Fun Facts about Beethoven

3. Cultural Melodies Collector

Born with a folk music-loving spirit or perhaps just a nostalgic Scottish kilt-chaser, Joseph Haydn couldn’t stop himself from dipping his quill into a whole melting pot of culture, with a side of haggis: Haydn diligently collected and transcribed traditional songs from various cultures, like Scottish, Welsh, and Croatian, creating collections that are still studied and performed today, leaving an indelible mark on the preservation and promotion of these musical delights.
Source => pbs.org

4. Rebellious Freelancer to "Father of the Symphony"

Once accused of being tightly bound by a "golden musical leash", Haydn was more of a rebellious freelancer before settling down with the ritzy Esterházy family: the composer honed his craft with symphonies and string quartets, earning him the distinguished titles "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet", while navigating the treacherous waters of aristocratic patronage and later securing a contract that enabled him to work for others and sell his compositions, all the while battling loneliness in a far-off Hungarian palace.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

5. London-inspired Salomon Symphonies

While eccentric old Haydn might've not had much luck with Google Maps or using a compass, he had a scintillating way of making music that surely made others want to be his road trip buddy: during his second visit to the bustling streets of London, he composed the Salomon symphonies between 1793 and 1795, which included Symphony No. 99-104 and featured peculiar characteristics like slow introductions and clever titles such as "The Clock" and "Drumroll."
Source => en.wikipedia.org

6. The Adventures of Haydn's Stolen Skull

In a twisted tale of grave robbing that would put Indiana Jones to shame, composer Joseph Haydn's skull embarked on an odyssey of its own after his death: thanks to two phrenology enthusiasts who, motivated by Franz Joseph Gall's theories, stole it in hopes of discovering the secrets behind Haydn's genius. Later, after a series of misadventures and mishandling, the head was finally reunited with its eternal resting place in Haydn's tomb.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

7. Musical Time Lord: "The Clock Symphony"

Legend has it that Haydn was the original "Time Lord," and his symphony was an ode to time travel – or at least that's what it might feel like when hearing his clock-inspired masterpiece: In actuality, Haydn's Symphony No. 101, known as "The Clock Symphony," got its nickname not from a ticking rhythm, but from a musical clock he crafted for his boss, Prince Esterházy, which played a melody from the symphony's third movement.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

8. Haydn's "The Hen" Symphony

Why did the hen cross the symphony? To inspire the charming melody in Haydn's masterpiece, of course! This musical pecking party laid the perfect egg-straordinary nickname: Haydn's Symphony No. 83, also known as "The Hen", was named for the whimsical second theme of the first movement, mirroring the light-hearted antics of a hen scratching about.
Source => hollywoodbowl.com

9. Handel-Inspired Oratorio: "The Creation"

In the wise words of Queen Bey, "Who runs the world? Oratorios!" Well, at least they ran Haydn's world, all the way from Handel's England to Vienna: Joseph Haydn, fueled by George Frideric Handel's powerful oratorios, was struck with inspiration and got to work on his renowned oratorio, "The Creation," which he completed in 1798 in Vienna.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

10. Comedic Sensei: Haydn & Beethoven

Who knew Haydn was Beethoven's comedic sensei?: This playful mix of classical geniuses came to life in Haydn's Symphony 102 and Beethoven's Symphony 4, which both showcase a delightfully witty temperament, slowly evolving into an exuberant finale—proving Beethoven saw Haydn as his "great teacher" in crafting a good musical punchline.
Source => reddit.com

11. Prankster Composer: "Farewell Symphony" and "Joke Quartet"

When Haydn didn't play it by ear, he played it by disappear: This witty composer had a knack for incorporating humor in his works – take his "Farewell Symphony," where each musician gradually left the stage to symbolize their desire for family time, or his enigmatic "Joke Quartet" that befuddled audiences with unpredictable tempos and melodies, though falsely rumored to have a fake ending.
Source => interlude.hk

12. O.G. Papa Haydn: Symphony and Chill

Did you know that Haydn is the O.G. Papa from the classical music world, getting all "Symphony and Chill" with his fancy compositions? No wonder Mozart and Beethoven slid into his musical DMs: Franz Joseph Haydn, affectionately known as "Papa Haydn", was an influential composer with a repertoire of over 100 symphonies, chamber music, and oratorios, whose beauty and inventiveness can be appreciated through period-specific recordings and diverse performance approaches.
Source => riversidesymphony.org