Franz Joseph Haydn was born in Rohrau, Austria, on April 1, 1732, to Mathias and Anna Maria Koller Haydn. Joseph Haydn's parents had twelve children, but, sadly, six of them died during infancy. His surviving siblings included two brothers, Johann Evangelist and Johann Michael, and three sisters, Anna Maria Franziska, Anna Maria, and Anna Katharina. Many references give March 31 as Haydn's birthday, but official records disprove this. It is rumored that his brother, Michael, was the source of this inaccuracy. Supposedly, Michael didn't want it said that his big brother came into this world as an April Fool.

At age seven, young Joseph entered the choir school at St. Steven's Cathedral in Vi

Shortly thereafter, Haydn composed one of his most important works, symphony No. 94 in G, which the English nicknamed 'The Surprise'. Many regard symphony Nos. 93-104, collectively called 'The London', as the pinnacle of Haydn's symphonic achievements. The six 'Apponyi Quartets', which he wrote during this time, are also among his greatest works. Haydn returned to Vienna in mid-1792, where, much to his disappointment, his arrival went largely unnoticed.

In 1790, Prince Nicholas Esterhazy died, and his successor, Anton, cared nothing for music, and disbanded the orchestra and choir. He did keep Haydn on as Kapellmeister, though he required nothing of him. After the death of Prince Nicholas, Haydn moved to Vienna, where he would be free to follow his own pursuits. By this time, Haydn's fame had spread across the whole of Europe, and his works were even being performed in America.

Then, in 1758, Haydn got his first regular musical job as musical director to Count Ferdinand Maximillian von Morzin in Lukavec, Bohemia, where he wrote his first orchestral compositions. The Morzin orchestra performed Haydn's first symphony, which he conducted from the harpsichord.

In 1761, Count Morzin was forced to disband his orchestra due to financial problems. It wasn't long, however, before Haydn was offered another job, this time in Eisenstadt, Austria, as assistant Kapellmeister for Prince Paul Anton Esterhazy, who was greatly impressed by the music that Haydn performed while he was with the Morzin orchestra.

Haydn returned to London in early 1794, and again he received the warmest of welcomes. He composed several more symphonies for the London concert season. His many friends and admirers asked him to stay permanently in England, but this was not to be. Upon the death of Prince Anton, Nicholas II (grandson of Nicholas I), asked Haydn to return to Vienna, which he did late in the summer of 1795. Nicholas II wanted to reform the orchestra that his father had disbanded; however, the relationship between Haydn and his new employer was not very good.

In 1768, Haydn and the Esterhazy orchestra moved to Eszterhaza, a beautiful new palace built by Prince Nicholas. During this time, Haydn did not maintain his usual volume of symphony production, as he composed less than ten between 1766 and 1770. However, Haydn experienced a renewed interest in writing string quartets. He composed three groups of six quartets between 1771 and 1772, which he published with the opus Nos. 9, 17, and 20.

Early in 1791, Haydn traveled to London, where he was to stay for eighteen months. He knew no English and had never seen the sea, but the aging composer was received most cordially. He performed for the royal family and nobility, and all of his concerts were huge successes. In July of 1791, Oxford University awarded Haydn an honorary docto

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