Michael Haydn

Johann Michael Haydn was an Austrian composer who lived during the Classical period. He was born on September 14, 1737, and passed away on August 10, 1806. Michael Haydn is best known for his work as a musician and for being the younger brother of the famous composer Joseph Haydn. Like his brother, Michael Haydn created many beautiful pieces of music that are still enjoyed today. His contributions to music helped shape the sound of the Classical period.

Life

Michael Haydn was born in 1737 in the Austrian village of Rohrau, near the Hungarian border. His father, Mathias Haydn, was a wheelwright and also served as a local leader. Michael's mother, Maria, had worked as a cook in a noble palace. Mathias loved folk music and taught his children to sing.

Michael moved to Vienna at age eight, where his older brother Joseph helped him get a job as a boy soprano in the St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna choir. By age 12, Michael was earning extra money as a substitute organist and had even composed his own music. When his voice changed around 1753, he left the choir school. In 1760, he became a music leader in Großwardein, now called Oradea, and later worked in Salzburg for 44 years, writing over 360 pieces of music for churches and instruments. While in Salzburg, he got to know Mozart, who liked his work.

In 1768, Michael married Maria Magdalena Lipp, and they had one daughter, Aloisia Josepha, who sadly passed away before her first birthday. Despite some disagreements, Michael taught famous musicians like Carl Maria von Weber and Anton Diabelli. Michael stayed close to his brother Joseph throughout his life. He died in Salzburg at the age of 68.

Works

Musicologist Karl Geiringer thought that Michael Haydn did not get enough attention from later generations. He believed that Michael Haydn's church music, choruses for male voices, and many instrumental works were good quality and should be played again.

Michael Haydn did not create a list of his own works, and he did not help anyone make one. The first list was made in 1808 by Nikolaus Lang. In 1907, Lothar Perger made a list of Haydn's orchestral works, called the Perger-Verzeichnis, which is more reliable than Lang's list. In 1915, Anton Maria Klafsky made a list of Haydn's sacred vocal music. In 1982, Charles H. Sherman made a list of Haydn's symphonies, and in 1991, he and T. Donley Thomas made a list of all of Haydn's works.

Haydn's church music is considered his most important. Some of his famous works include the Requiem for the death of Archbishop Siegmund, the Missa Hispanica, and his last St. Francis Mass in D minor. He also wrote many secular pieces, such as 41 symphonies, wind partitas, concertos, and chamber music.

List of works

Main article: List of compositions by Michael Haydn

Michael Haydn created many different types of music. He wrote 43 symphonies, 12 concertos, and 21 pieces called serenades. He also made music for dances, marches, and ballets. In addition, he composed 19 string quartets, though some of these are debated by experts.

He also wrote many pieces for church services, including 47 masses, 130 graduals, and 65 offertories. Besides church music, he created operas, songs, and part-songs for performances.

Recordings

Here are some recordings of Michael Haydn’s music:

• Michael Haydn: Symphonies N.1–12,15,16,18,25–28 (1998, CPO) – Slovak Chamber Orchestra conducted by Bohdan Warchal
• Michael Haydn: Requiem pro defuncto Archiepiscopo Sigismundo (2005, Hyperion CDA67510) - The King’s Consort conducted by Robert King
• Michael Haydn: Die Wahrheit der Natur (2018, CPO) – Salzburger Hofmusik o.l.v. Wolfgang Brunner
• Michael Haydn: Endimione (2021, CPO) – Salzburger Hofmusik conducted by Wolfgang Brunner
• Michael Haydn: Kaiser Constantin I (2022, Accent ACC26504) – Purcell Choir & Orfeo Orchestra conducted by György Vashegyi
• Michael Haydn: Missa Sancti Aloysii (2022, Brilliant Classics) – Genova Vocal Ensemble & Accademia Vocaledi Genova conducted by Roberta Paraninfo