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Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)Symphony No.85 in B Flat Major "LaReine" Symphony No.92 in G Major"Oxford" Symphony No.103 in E Flat Major "DrumRoll"Joseph Haydn was as prolific as anyeighteenth century composer, his fecundity a matter, in good part, of thenature of his employment and the length of his life. Born in 1732 in thevillage of Rohrau, near the modern Slovak capital of Bratislava, the son of awheelwright, he was recruited to the choir of St. Stephen's Cathedral in Viennaat the age of eight, later making a living as best he could as a musician inthe capital and winning useful acquaintances through his association with theCourt Poet Metastasio and the composer Nicola Porpora.In 1759, after some eight years ofteaching and free-lance performance, whether as violinist or keyboard-player,Haydn found greater security in a position in the household of Count Morzin asdirector of music, wintering in Vienna and spending the summer on the Count'sestate in Bohemia, where a small instrumental ensemble was available. In 1760Haydn married1he eldest daughter of a wig-maker, a match that was to bring himno children and no great solace, and by the following year he had entered theservice of Prince Paul Anton Esterhazy, as deputy to the old KapellmeisterGregor Werner, who had much fault to find with his young colleague. In 1762Prince Paul Anton died and was succeeded by his brother Prince Nikolaus, whoconcerned himself with the building of the great palace of Esterhaza. In 1766Wernerdied and Haydn assumed the full duties of Kapellmeister, spending thelarger part of the year at Esterhaza, relatively isolated on the Hungarianplains, and part of the winter at Eisenstadt, where his first years in theservice of the family had passed.Haydn's responsibilities at Esterhaza weremanifold. As Kapellmeister he was in full charge of the musicians employed bythe Prince, writing music of all kinds, and directing performances, bothinstrumental and operatic. This busy if isolated career came to an end with thedeath of Prince Nikolaus in 1790. From then onwards Haydn had greater freedom,while continuing to enjoy the title and emoluments of his position asKapellmeister to the Prince's successors.Release from his immediateresponsibilities allowed Haydn in 1791 to accept an invitation to visit London,where he provided music for concerts organised by Johann Peter Salomon. Hisvery considerable success led to a second visit in 1794. The following year, atthe request of the new Prince Esterhazy, who had succeeded his elder brother in1794, he resumed some of his earlier duties as Kapellmeister, now in Eisenstadtand in Vienna, where he took up his own residence until his death in 1809. Haydn may have been isolated for much ofhis life from the major musical centres of Europe, although there were alwaysoccasional visits to Vienna. His reputation, however, was international and bythe time of the commissioned symphonies for Paris, Nos. 82 to 87, he wasalready very well known there. The six new