"Whose music is it?"
"Mine."
Down came Curtz, collared the astonished young man, and brought him
upstairs to a big candle-lit room, where stood a fine piano littered
with music. There, when the two had regained their breath, Curtz
explained that he wanted Haydn to compose some music for a new libretto
he had written. Now this was certainly an important moment. Haydn sat
down to the piano, banged away, tried various ideas, and at last hit
upon the right thing. Before daylight he had arranged with Curtz for the
music, for which he was promised one hundred and thirty florins.
It was his first real success, and from that moment prosperity attended
him. He wrote his first symphony when he was twenty-eight, in the year
1759. Soon after he received an appointment in the household of Prince
Esterhazy, where his duty was a curious one. He was obliged to have a
piece of music ready to lay on his patron's breakfast table every
morning. This may seem drudgery, but in reality these years were among
the happiest of Haydn's life, marred only by his marriage with the
barber's daughter, Anne Keller, whose wretched temper at last forced him
to separate from her. He cared for her tenderly, however, and she was
well content with her lot in life.
Around Haydn in England, France, and Germany gathered a band of younger
musicians, eager to watch his developments in music, and to whom he was
familiarly known as "Papa Haydn." It was Mozart, the then youthful
composer, that gave him the endearing title. Between them existed the
most touching friendship, broken only by Mozart's early death.
I can not tell you of all of Haydn's works. His greatest were his
Symphonies. In these he developed instrumental music until he made it
something far greater than it had ever been before; and for this all
generations will owe him thanks and praise.
His oratorio, _The Creation_, was composed in 1799, and with its
performance, nine years later, is associated one of the last scenes in
Haydn's life.
The public of Vienna wished to pay their honored musician a tribute, and
so the oratorio was given with every possible brilliancy of effect and
performance. Haydn was an old man, and very feeble, and he was obliged
to be carried into the theatre; but there he sat near his dear friend
Princess Esterhazy, while all eyes turned lovingly and reverently toward
him.
When the music reached that part in which the words "Let there be light"
occur, Haydn rose, and pointing heavenward, said, aloud. "It comes from
thence"; and indeed all knew that the master's work was always a subject
of prayer and humble supplication that he might be able to do the best
for the good of all.
After that evening Haydn never left his house. He grew feebler daily,
but suffered little pain. One day, when he was thought to be past
consciousness, he suddenly rose from his couch, and by a superhuman
effort reached the piano.
There, in a voice which yet held the cadences of the boy chorister of
long ago, he sang the national hymn, and so, his hands drooping on the
keys, he was carried gently to his bed and to his peaceful death. This
was in May, 1809. Francis Joseph Haydn, born in 1732, died in his
seventy-eighth year.
As I told you, his great work was to reform and partially reconstruct
instrumental music. He followed in the wake of Bach. To him we owe the
symphony as we have it to-day, and with this little sketch of the dear
master I want to tell you what a symphony is.
Properly speaking, a _symphony_ is a long and elaborate composition for
a full orchestra. It contains various movements,[1] and any number of
instruments may be employed in its execution. Voices are also
occasionally added. The movements of a symphony are the _allegro_, the
_andante_ or _adagio_, _minuet_ or _scherzo_, and the _allegro_ or
_presto_. To the first movement are two themes or subjects (we might say
ideas), and these are given in two different keys. The andante movement
is usually in some key related to the original key. When you study
thorough-bass, you will find what beautiful effects this arrangement can
produce. It would be an excellent little study to take one of the
simplest symphonies of "Papa Haydn," and read it carefully--four hands
are better than two. Study the first movement. See how the theme is
worked out, back and forth, up and down; find out when and how it all
returns to the original key, and then observe how the theme is carried
on throughout the whole work. Above all, remember that the perfection to
which the symphony has been brought we owe first to Haydn, then to
Mozart, and finally to Beethoven.
[1] A movement is one definite part of any composition.