On April 29, 1798, in Vienna’s Schwarzenberg Palace, a musical event unfolded that would echo through history: the premiere of Joseph Haydn’s oratorio The Creation. It marked the pinnacle of Haydn’s illustrious career, a moment when the aging composer—then 66 years old—presented a work that blended sublime artistry with a celebration of the world’s origins. The Viennese premiere was a …
How in the name of science Haydn’s head was stolen from his grave One of the customs that makes humans special in animal kingdom is the custom of burial or ceremony to say goodbye to the deceased. In fact, burial ceremonies and the traditions of afterlife are very much telling about the age, religion and social structure of a certain …
Continuing our series on influencers in Beethoven’s life our next stop is Joseph Haydn. The two composers had turbulent relationship, young Beethoven pushed the gentle old Master to the limits, even making a fraud move behind his back. Who was Joseph Haydn? Franz Joseph Haydn (31 March 1732 – 31 May 1809) was a major Austrian composer in the …
It is well known that the relationship between Haydn and Beethoven was not an easy one. The blame falls almost entirely on Beethoven, but at the end he just made it right. Haydn and Beethoven first met in 1790 in Bonn, when the old Master was on his way to London with Johann Peter Solomon, who arranged Haydn’s visit to …