The Austrian composer "Papa" Haydn was universally loved and an important figure in the development of the classical symphony and string quartet.

He also contributed greatly to most other instrumental forms.

Haydn’s father was a poor wheelwright who sent him, at the age of eight, to Vienna to be trained as a chorister at St. Stephen's Cathedral where he became known for his fine voice.

In 1759 Haydn was appointed music director of the small musical establishment of Count Morzin.

In 1761 he became conductor of Prince Esterházy’s private orchestra and was appointed kapellmeister on the death of his predecessor and immediate superior Gregorius Werner in 1766.

This post, which he filled for almost thirty years, was ideal for Haydn because it gave him the opportunity to work with a group of fine musicians.

During his years at the Esterházy country estate, Haydn met many Viennese artists including Wolfgang Mozart.

The death of Prince Nicholas in 1790 left Haydn free to come and go as he pleased and he accepted a contract to appear in London where he was hailed as a genius.

Mozart is said to have begged him not to go to England because he spoke so few languages to which Haydn replied: "The language I speak is understood the world over".

The Mass settings composed for the younger Prince Nikolaus include the well known Nelson Mass, celebrating the English admiral's victory at the Battle of the Nile.

Between 1796 and 1802 Haydn wrote seven Masses, all with popular German nicknames, "Heiligmesse", "Paukenmesse", "Coronation Mass", "Theresienmesse", "Schöpfungsmesse" and "Harmoniemesse

Haydn's visits to London suggested to him the musical possibilities of oratorio, in the form perpetuated after Handel's death by commemorative festival performances.

The result was The Creation (Die Schöpfung), with a text by Baron van Swieten based on English sources, first performed in Vienna in 1798.

MIDI FILE - from "Creation": Chorus (2'19'')

The Seasons (Die Jahreszeiten), with a text by van Swieten based on James Thomson, was first performed in 1801.

Haydn's earlier oratorios include Il ritorno di Tobia (The Return of Tobias), completed in 1775.

His two dozen operas have received rather less attention than many of his other works. Most of them were written for performance at Esterházy, either in the main theatre or in the marionette theatre.

Haydn wrote a number of songs, providing nearly 400 British folk-song arrangements for the Edinburgh publisher Thomson, in addition to songs and cantatas in German and English.

The two sets of Canzonettas written in England in 1794 and 1795 include settings of verses by the wife of Haydn's London surgeon, Hunter.

Haydn's 108 symphonies, written between 1759 and 1795, range from works written for the relatively modest local court orchestra of two oboes, two horns and strings, to the greater complexity of his London Symphonies, all twelve written for performance in London under the direction of the German-born violinist and impresario Salomon during the composer's two London visits.

MIDI FILE - from the Symphony No.7 "Midi": 1th mov. (7'04'')

The London Symphonies include a number of works with nicknames, n. 94, "The Surprise", n. 96, "The Miracle", n. 100, "The Military", n. 101, "The Clock", n. 103, "The Drumroll", and n. 104, known as "The London" or "The Salomon".

Earlier named symphonies include the interesting Symphony n. 22, "The Philosopher", which includes two cor anglais or English horns, tenor oboes in place of the normal higher-pitched instrument, written in 1764, three years after "Le matin", "Le midi" and "Le soir" (Morning, Noon and Evening), ns. 6, 7 and 8.

The "Farewell" Symphony n. 45 was composed, so the story goes, to allow players at Esterháza to leave the platform one by one and return to their families at home.

MIDI FILE - from Symphony No.45: 1th mov. (3'33'')

Its immediate predecessor is the "Trauersinfonie", Mourning Symphony, while n. 49, " La Passione", reflects elements of Sturm und Drang, the Storm and Stress movement in German literature and art of the period.

Of Haydn's concertos, the work written in 1796 for the newly developed and soon to be obsolete keyed trumpet, is the best known, closely rivalled by the two surviving Cello Concertos, in D and in C.

MIDI FILE - A Movement  from a Cello Concerto (4'12'')

Three genuine Violin Concertos remain, in G, in C and in A, and one Horn Concerto.

The keyboard concertos have recently entered popular repertoire, in particular the Concerto in D major.

They were originally designed either for organ or harpsichord and were written in the earlier part of Haydn's career, before his employment with the Esterházys.

Haydn was a prolific composer of chamber music, with a considerable number of compositions for his chief patron, Prince Nikolaus Esterházy, who played the baryton, a bowed string instrument resembling a viola da gamba, with sympathetic strings that could also be plucked.

For the more conventional string quartet Haydn wrote some 83 works, described originally as divertimenti, but later given a more serious title by which they are generally known.

MIDI FILE - from String Quartet op.64 No.2: 1th mov. (5'20'')

Sets of named quartets include the Sun Quartets of 1772, Op. 20, the Russian Quartets written in 1781, Op. 33, and including "The Joke" and "The Bird", the Prussian Quartets of 1787, Op. 50, much influenced by Mozart and including "The Frog".

There are three sets of Tost Quartets, Opp. 54, 55 and 64, bearing the name of the Esterháza violinist turned business-man Johann Tost. These include "The Razor" and "The Lark".

Further sets of quartets were published in 1793 and 1797, the "Apponyi", Opp. 71 and 74, including "The Rider", and the "Erdödy", Op. 76, including the "Fifths", "Emperor" and "Sunrise", both groups bearing the names of aristocratic patrons.

The Opus 1 Quartets were seemingly written between 1757 and 1761.

The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross was arranged in string quartet form from the original work for full orchestra, amplified with the addition of choral parts. It was written for performance in Cádiz on Good Friday 1787.

In addition to a number of works for two violins and cello and for baryton trios, Haydn wrote a number of attractive piano trios between 1784 and 1797. The best known of these last is the G major Trio with its so-called Gypsy Rondo.