Parallel Paths to Genius: the Lives and Legacies of Haydn and Mozart

Franz Joseph Haydn was born in Rohrau, Austria in 1732. Haydn grew up with a family that wasn’t educated in music but was extremely musical and sang together. His father and mother realized that Haydn was musically talented and around the age of six would send him off to live with a relative Johann Matthias Frankh, who was a choirmaster. Haydn would apprentice as a musician under Frankh for the next two years.

At the age of eight Haydn was sent to St.

Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna where he would be choirboy and continue his education on singing, harpsichord, and violin. At seventeen he was no longer able to reach high choral parts and was dismissed and sent to live on the streets. During his time as the chorister, he received no training in music theory or composition. Haydn took it upon himself to increase his skills and study the counterpoint exercise and to also study the works of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach.

While studying Haydn had taken numerous jobs which left him with a good reputation. By the age of twenty-five, Haydn took his first real job as music director working for Count Morzin. During this time Haydn would marry Maria Anna Keller. The two were unhappy in this marriage and would have no children. Maria was not Haydn first love or choice for marriage it was only after Maria sister became a nun.

After being dismissed by Count Morzin, Haydn was offered a job by the Esterhazys establishment, owned by a royal family, first as vice music director then full director. He would work for the royal family for some 30 years. While working for the establishment of Haydn trained musicians and singers, conducted orchestras, and wrote several pieces of music. In 1772 he wrote and conducted the very popular Farewell symphony. It would be several years later around the early 1780s he would meet Wolfgang Mozart. The both of them became friends and both inspired by sonata-allegro form.

After the death of Prince Nikolaus, 1790 his son Anton dismissed most of the court musicians in an effort to economize. Haydn then traveled to London where he went to work composing twelve symphonies later called the London Symphonies or Salomon Symphonies. Haydn returns back to Vienna in 1795 where is welcomed by Esterhazy musical establishment that Prince Nikolaus II wants to be reopened. Prior to his death in 1809 at the age of 77, he composed two great oratorios The Creation (1798) and The Seasons (1801).

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria, 1756. Mozart grew up with a very talented musical family his father Johann Georg Leopold Mozart was a composer and teacher to Wolfgang. His father gave up much of his career in order to promote him and his sister, Nannerl. By the age of six, he was already composing and performing before royalty. His father took him all over Europe were they toured as a family playing in places like Munich, London, and Paris.

During these trips, Mozart would meet with other musicians and composers study them and then produce his own works. An important influence of Mozart was Johann Christian Bach, a German composer whom he met while in London. At the age of thirteen, he and his father set out to tour Italy together. It was here in Italy that Mozart he heard Gregorio Allegri’s Miserere and was able to reproduce the whole mass after only hearing it.

His effective voyage through Italy brought a few commissions by affluent benefactors, and he kept taking a shot at musical shows, ensembles, and oratorios and additionally playing out his own console creations. Wrote an opera while in Milan, Italy called Mitridate, re di Ponto that would bring him more operas jobs. Returning to Salzburg in 1771 Mozart was hired as a court musician by the ruler of Salzburg, Prince-Archbishop Hieronymus Colloredo. After working for eight years for the archbishop of Salzburg Mozart unhappy looked elsewhere for employment.

He was commissioned to compose an opera Idomeneo. After the death of his mother in 1778 Mozart would move back to Vienna. Mozart moved back to Vienna in 1781 and would live here until his death in 1791 at the age of 35. He was commissioned to do an opera Mozart’s Singspiel Die Entfhrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Harem, 1782) which turned out to be a great success. Soon after this opera, he would marry Constanze Weber. The marriage had lots of money issues. In order to make an income, he took piano and composition students and continued composing for commission and for publication. In 1787, he was appointed chamber-music composer to the emperor.

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