In memoriam to Joseph Haydn

[Pastorali]

May 31th 1809, Joseph Haydn died in Vienna. †
He wrote 104 Symphonies, 83 String Quartets, about 50 Piano works, 24 Operas, several Masses, etc... What a lifework!

Two links about Haydn: http://www.handelandhaydn.org/ http://home.wxs.nl/~cmr/haydn/

I salute you, thanks for the endless hours of joy, your music is giving to me!

[Amalie]

A beautiful Cameo, frozen in time.

****


In the last years of his life Haydn received marks of honour from the whole of Europe. He was proud of the medals and the gifts which he proudly showed to his guests.

In 1808 a musician nicknamed J.F. Reichardt visited Haydn. Haydn showed him a black ebony snuff box which was a gift of the Princess Esterhazy. This box was damaged during the destruction of the City Museum in 1945, during the liberation of World War 11.
Reichardt also saw gold tokens from Russia and Paris, a beautiful ring from the Czar of Russia and a lot of certificates from almost every European city. Haydn saw his entire life in these little things.

In letters and conversations, Haydn often mentioned his declining strength. He had never been very ill in his life, so he could not accept this decline.
He ordered the print of visiting cards with the text:-
"Hin ist Alle meine Kraft, alt und schwach bin ich", (Gone is all my strength, old and weak am I).
In 1804 Haydn resigned his job at the Esterhazy family. His brother Michael was asked to succeed but he did not accept. Prince Esterhazy employed Johann Nepomuk Hummel as the successor of Joseph Haydn.

On March 31st 1805 Haydn was too weak to attend the party to celebrate his 73rd birthday, causing the rumour that he had died. In Paris, Cherubini composed a cantata in honour of Haydn. Mozart's requiem was rehearsed to play at Haydn's commemoration. Haydn, who was used to rumours like this, made a joke and said, " I am sorry I cannot go to Paris to conduct the performance myself".

In the last years of his life, Haydn was visited by important musicians such as Abbe Volger, the Weber family and Constanze Weber, Mozart's widow.
In 1805, Ignaz Playel came from Paris and visited Haydn. Playel was a publisher now and wanted to give Haydn the complete edition of his string quartets.
Playel described his visit:-
"We thought Haydn was very weak. He almost can't walk and if he speaks his is out of breath for a moment. He is 73 years old and look like 80. He repeats that his life is almost over, he is very old and completely useless.

The death of his brother was a shock to Haydn. Johann Evangelist died May 10th, 1805, and Michael died in August 1806.
Haydn was not able to compose anymore. After the completion of Die Jahreszeiten, Haydn suffered from headaches. He was tortured by the musical notes which haunted his mind. All the same, Haydn composed two big Masses after Die Jahreszeiten, (The Seasons), they were the Schopfungsmesse (Creation) and the Harmoniemesse. The string quartet in D minor op.103 which he started in 1803, remained unfinished. The musical inventions were infinite.
Haydn said:-
"The musical inventions chase and torture me, I cannot escape them, they stand for me like walls. If an Allegro chases me, my heart becomes very quick, I cannot sleep. If it is an Adagio, my heart becomes slow. My fantasy plays me like a piano".
Haydn could not even play the piano anymore, He said, Die Jahreszeiten was the cause of that too. He repeated he should not have composed the Oratorio.

In the summer of 1806 the doctor ordered the removal of Haydn's little piano. Every musical effort caused headaches and dizziness. Haydn's last triumph was the performance of Die Schopfung on March 27th 1808 in the 'Grosse Saal' of the Vienna University. The performance was held to celebrate his 76th birthday.
Haydn was very weak but he wanted to see and hear the performance. Prince Esterhazy sent a carriage to Haydn's home and Haydn and his doctor went to the University together.
Outside the University a crowd waited for him and shouted, 'Long live Haydn'. Haydn entered the University with the sounds of trumpets and beats of percussion. Prince Nicholas Esterhazy helped him into the concert hall.
Every important musician such as Beethoven, Hummel,and Salieri were there. The event took too much out of the old man that he had to be taken home during the interval of the performance, at his departure Beethoven kissed the hands of old Haydn.

In the beginning of 1809, Haydn was almost completely disabled.
His last days were very noisy, because the first week of May, the troops of Napoleon entered Vienna.
During the bombardment a shell fell near Haydn's house and everything was shaken.
Haydn suffered for 24hrs bombardment. At the capitulation of Vienna, Napoleon put a guard in the front of Haydn's home, so the dying man would not be disturbed.
The rumour was that he played the Austrian National Anthem everyday on his piano to show his protest against Napoleon.

In the early Morning of May 31st, 1809, Haydn lapsed into a coma and died.
Because Vienna was filled with enemy troops, it took several days before everyone heard about his death and his funeral passed almost unnoticed.
Haydn's body was buried at the Hundsthurmer cemetry in Vienna (today, Haydn Park).
During the funeral Michael Haydn's requiem was performed. and on June 15th 1809 a memorial service was held with the music of Mozart's requiem.

******


Great material here for a film! nicht wahr?




[This message has been edited by Amalie (edited 05-31-2004).]

[urtextmeister]

Thanks for that excellent account of Haydn's last years. I enjoyed reading it.

[v russo]

In many ways Haydn was the golden seed in which all later and great classical music sprang from....

In memorium to the great man!


------------------
v russo

[Peter]

Yes indeed! His symphony no.94 was the first symphonic piece I ever listened to and I was hooked on CM from then onwards, thanks papa Haydn! Haydn's house where he spent the last years of his life and died still stands in Vienna with its small garden, and visiting it last year it was possible to imagine the events Amalie describes.

------------------
'Man know thyself'

[Geratlas]

J.F.HAYDN
He seems to have been a very sympatic person
and an earnest friend
of his colleague musicians,
and the proteger of truly good art.
HONOURS TO AN HONOURABLE MAN!!!!

+(Czech this: Antonin Dvorak had his post-life centennial(!) jubilee 30 days ago: 1 May 2oo4. Anyone who didn't miss it out, I excepted?
... I'm ashamed )

[Peter]

Originally posted by Geratlas:

+(Czech this: Antonin Dvorak had his post-life centennial(!) jubilee 30 days ago: 1 May 2oo4. Anyone who didn't miss it out, I excepted?
... I'm ashamed )

Nothing to be ashamed of, the date was noted on this site, you'll just have to search back a page to find it!

------------------
'Man know thyself'

[Tony John Hearne]

Originally posted by Amalie:
A beautiful Cameo, frozen in time.

****


In the last years of his life Haydn received marks of honour from the whole of Europe. He was proud of the medals and the gifts which he proudly showed to his guests.

In 1808 a musician nicknamed J.F. Reichardt visited Haydn. Haydn showed him a black ebony snuff box which was a gift of the Princess Esterhazy. This box was damaged during the destruction of the City Museum in 1945, during the liberation of World War 11.
Reichardt also saw gold tokens from Russia and Paris, a beautiful ring from the Czar of Russia and a lot of certificates from almost every European city. Haydn saw his entire life in these little things.

In letters and conversations, Haydn often mentioned his declining strength. He had never been very ill in his life, so he could not accept this decline.
He ordered the print of visiting cards with the text:-
"Hin ist Alle meine Kraft, alt und schwach bin ich", (Gone is all my strength, old and weak am I).
In 1804 Haydn resigned his job at the Esterhazy family. His brother Michael was asked to succeed but he did not accept. Prince Esterhazy employed Johann Nepomuk Hummel as the successor of Joseph Haydn.

On March 31st 1805 Haydn was too weak to attend the party to celebrate his 73rd birthday, causing the rumour that he had died. In Paris, Cherubini composed a cantata in honour of Haydn. Mozart's requiem was rehearsed to play at Haydn's commemoration. Haydn, who was used to rumours like this, made a joke and said, " I am sorry I cannot go to Paris to conduct the performance myself".

In the last years of his life, Haydn was visited by important musicians such as Abbe Volger, the Weber family and Constanze Weber, Mozart's widow.
In 1805, Ignaz Playel came from Paris and visited Haydn. Playel was a publisher now and wanted to give Haydn the complete edition of his string quartets.
Playel described his visit:-
"We thought Haydn was very weak. He almost can't walk and if he speaks his is out of breath for a moment. He is 73 years old and look like 80. He repeats that his life is almost over, he is very old and completely useless.

The death of his brother was a shock to Haydn. Johann Evangelist died May 10th, 1805, and Michael died in August 1806.
Haydn was not able to compose anymore. After the completion of Die Jahreszeiten, Haydn suffered from headaches. He was tortured by the musical notes which haunted his mind. All the same, Haydn composed two big Masses after Die Jahreszeiten, (The Seasons), they were the Schopfungsmesse (Creation) and the Harmoniemesse. The string quartet in D minor op.103 which he started in 1803, remained unfinished. The musical inventions were infinite.
Haydn said:-
"The musical inventions chase and torture me, I cannot escape them, they stand for me like walls. If an Allegro chases me, my heart becomes very quick, I cannot sleep. If it is an Adagio, my heart becomes slow. My fantasy plays me like a piano".
Haydn could not even play the piano anymore, He said, Die Jahreszeiten was the cause of that too. He repeated he should not have composed the Oratorio.

In the summer of 1806 the doctor ordered the removal of Haydn's little piano. Every musical effort caused headaches and dizziness. Haydn's last triumph was the performance of Die Schopfung on March 27th 1808 in the 'Grosse Saal' of the Vienna University. The performance was held to celebrate his 76th birthday.
Haydn was very weak but he wanted to see and hear the performance. Prince Esterhazy sent a carriage to Haydn's home and Haydn and his doctor went to the University together.
Outside the University a crowd waited for him and shouted, 'Long live Haydn'. Haydn entered the University with the sounds of trumpets and beats of percussion. Prince Nicholas Esterhazy helped him into the concert hall.
Every important musician such as Beethoven, Hummel,and Salieri were there. The event took too much out of the old man that he had to be taken home during the interval of the performance, at his departure Beethoven kissed the hands of old Haydn.

In the beginning of 1809, Haydn was almost completely disabled.
His last days were very noisy, because the first week of May, the troops of Napoleon entered Vienna.
During the bombardment a shell fell near Haydn's house and everything was shaken.
Haydn suffered for 24hrs bombardment. At the capitulation of Vienna, Napoleon put a guard in the front of Haydn's home, so the dying man would not be disturbed.
The rumour was that he played the Austrian National Anthem everyday on his piano to show his protest against Napoleon.

In the early Morning of May 31st, 1809, Haydn lapsed into a coma and died.
Because Vienna was filled with enemy troops, it took several days before everyone heard about his death and his funeral passed almost unnoticed.
Haydn's body was buried at the Hundsthurmer cemetry in Vienna (today, Haydn Park).
During the funeral Michael Haydn's requiem was performed. and on June 15th 1809 a memorial service was held with the music of Mozart's requiem.

******


Great material here for a film! nicht wahr?




[This message has been edited by Amalie (edited 05-31-2004).]

Amalie your scholarship and eloquence are, as always, true delights

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Love from London