Background info on Haydn w/ thesis statement intorduced
Franz Joseph Haydn born March 31st, 1732 in Rohrau, Austria was one of the most prolific and most celebrated composer’s of the classical music period. Productive in every standard medium, he composed 104 symphonies, 20 concertos, 68 string quartets, 29 keyboard trios, 126 baryton trios written in the Esterhazy court as requested by prince Nikolaus, 15 operas, 12 masses and many other works. It was these works that established his standards of quality, style, content, form, and expressivity that other composers emulated (burkholder). Haydn spent most of his compositional years serving as both a Vice-Kapellmeister and eventually a Kapellmeister for the Esterházy court from 1761-1790. Under…show more content… His symphonic writing was a beacon of success in the classic period and his time spent in Esterhazy court lent him the possibility of building a larger 25 player orchestra to experiment with musically. Taking a further look into the “father of the symphony” his works set the pattern for later composers through their high quality, dissemination and lasting appeal. This directly correlates to the relatedness that a standard flexible form such as Sonata form has on the historical audience. During Haydn’s late period of composition from early 1770’s through 1790’s, with his expanded orchestra, he was consistently writing for an orchestra of flute, two oboes, two bassoons, two horns, and strings, sometimes augmented by trumpets and timpani (burkholder). He was also, during this period of time, maintaining a vast collection of chamber works consistently performed at court and by amateur musicians that were able to buy his published works. It is because of this time of writing that there is speculation as to why such similar forms are employed within different