March 31, 2014.Haydn and Rachmaninov.The great Austrian composer Franz Joseph Haydn was born on this day in 1732.All musicians of the time needed patrons, and the main ones in Haydn’s life, princes Paul Anton and Nikolaus Esterházy, were exceptional. The Esterházys were an old Hungarian noble family who, through their loyal service to the Habsburg emperors and opportune marriages, acquired land and wealth comparable to that of their sovereigns. They had several residences; the main was Schloss Esterházy in Eisenstadt, Austria, and that’s were Haydn spent the first years of his employ.One of the palace’s rooms served as a concert hall.Today it’s called Haydnsaal and is considered acoustically one of the finest concert halls in the world.The second residence, the magnificent Esterháza, was founded by Prince Nikolaus in 1762 and not completed till 1784.It cost 13 million gulden to construct (to compare, Haydn’s initial annual salary was 400 gulden).The palace had 124 rooms and two theaters, one for the opera (it was inaugurated with the performance of Haydn’s opera Lo Speciale) and one used as a marionettes theater.The Esterházys usually stayed there during the summers and from 1766 to 1790 Haydn had a separate four-room apartment in the servant’s quarters of the palace.
Haydn was hired by Prince Paul Anton in 1761 as a Vice-Kapellmeister: formally the title of Kapellmeister belonged to Gregor Werner, a minor composer, but from the start Haydn took over most of his duties.The prince was an amateur musician (as well as a Field Marshal); after appointing Haydn he went on to hire a number of virtuoso musicians.That greatly improved the quality of his private orchestra, which Haydn much appreciated.Paul Anton died one year later, just 51 years old, and his younger brother Nikolaus, who inherited the title of the prince, became the head of the family.Like Paul Anton, Nikolaus was very musical: he played cello, viola da gamba, and baryton, a large string instrument somewhat resembling bass viola, which could be played with a bow or plucked.It practically disappeared since the end of the 18th century, but Haydn wrote a large number of pieces for baryton to entertain Nikolaus, especially after a reprimand from the prince who commanded him to write more music for this instrument (many baryton trios survive but are rarely played today).Nikolaus valued Haydn very highly: after Werner’s death in 1766 he promoted him to full Kapellmeister, paid him well, and kept Luigia Polzelli, a second-rate soprano, on the payroll after learning that she is Haydn’s mistress.
From 1762 to 1790, the year of Nikolaus’s death, Haydn wrote a large number of string quartet and more than 60 symphonies.His orchestra was small, but the musicians were good (the prince paid well).Importantly, it was fully at Haydn’s disposal, so he could rehears and experiment at will.One of the symphonies, no. 45, became known as "Farewell."It was composed during the long summer residence at the Esterháza in 1772.Musician’s families stayed back in Eisenstadt, so musicians were getting lonely and wanted to go home.Haydn was famous for his sense of humor which he could express in musical terms, and in his new symphony he made a veiled suggestion that it’s time for them to go.Here's how it was done: in the last part of the final movement, Adagio, musicians in different sections are given a little solo to play.When it’s over, they snuff out the candle illuminating the music stand, and leave the stage.Other musicians follow them.In the end, only two violin players remain on the dark stage (in the original performance one of them was Haydn himself).Apparently, Nikolaus got the hint: the very next day the court moved back to Schloss Esterházy.You can hear the Farewell symphony in the performance by the Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood conducting.
Sergei Rachmaninov was born on 20th of March old style, or April 1st, new style, of 1873.We’ll commemorate his birthday next week.
Haydn and Rachmaninov, 2014
March 31, 2014. Haydn and Rachmaninov. The great Austrian composer Franz Joseph Haydn was born on this day in 1732. All musicians of the time needed patrons, and the main ones in Haydn’s life, princes Paul Anton and Nikolaus Esterházy, were exceptional. The Esterházys were an old Hungarian noble family who, through their
loyal service to the Habsburg emperors and opportune marriages, acquired land and wealth comparable to that of their sovereigns. They had several residences; the main was Schloss Esterházy in Eisenstadt, Austria, and that’s were Haydn spent the first years of his employ. One of the palace’s rooms served as a concert hall. Today it’s called Haydnsaal and is considered acoustically one of the finest concert halls in the world. The second residence, the magnificent Esterháza, was founded by Prince Nikolaus in 1762 and not completed till 1784. It cost 13 million gulden to construct (to compare, Haydn’s initial annual salary was 400 gulden). The palace had 124 rooms and two theaters, one for the opera (it was inaugurated with the performance of Haydn’s opera Lo Speciale) and one used as a marionettes theater. The Esterházys usually stayed there during the summers and from 1766 to 1790 Haydn had a separate four-room apartment in the servant’s quarters of the palace.
Haydn was hired by Prince Paul Anton in 1761 as a Vice-Kapellmeister: formally the title of Kapellmeister belonged to Gregor Werner, a minor composer, but from the start Haydn took over most of his duties. The prince was an amateur musician (as well as a Field Marshal); after appointing Haydn he went on to hire a number of virtuoso musicians. That greatly improved the quality of his private orchestra, which Haydn much appreciated. Paul Anton died one year later, just 51 years old, and his younger brother Nikolaus, who inherited the title of the prince, became the head of the family. Like Paul Anton, Nikolaus was very musical: he played cello, viola da gamba, and baryton, a large string instrument somewhat resembling bass viola, which could be played with a bow or plucked. It practically disappeared since the end of the 18th century, but Haydn wrote a large number of pieces for baryton to entertain Nikolaus, especially after a reprimand from the prince who commanded him to write more music for this instrument (many baryton trios survive but are rarely played today). Nikolaus valued Haydn very highly: after Werner’s death in 1766 he promoted him to full Kapellmeister, paid him well, and kept Luigia Polzelli, a second-rate soprano, on the payroll after learning that she is Haydn’s mistress.
From 1762 to 1790, the year of Nikolaus’s death, Haydn wrote a large number of string quartet and more than 60 symphonies. His orchestra was small, but the musicians were good (the prince paid well). Importantly, it was fully at Haydn’s disposal, so he could rehears and experiment at will. One of the symphonies, no. 45, became known as "Farewell." It was composed during the long summer residence at the Esterháza in 1772. Musician’s families stayed back in Eisenstadt, so musicians were getting lonely and wanted to go home. Haydn was famous for his sense of humor which he could express in musical terms, and in his new symphony he made a veiled suggestion that it’s time for them to go. Here's how it was done: in the last part of the final movement, Adagio, musicians in different sections are given a little solo to play. When it’s over, they snuff out the candle illuminating the music stand, and leave the stage. Other musicians follow them. In the end, only two violin players remain on the dark stage (in the original performance one of them was Haydn himself). Apparently, Nikolaus got the hint: the very next day the court moved back to Schloss Esterházy. You can hear the Farewell symphony in the performance by the Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood conducting.
Sergei Rachmaninov was born on 20th of March old style, or April 1st, new style, of 1873. We’ll commemorate his birthday next week.