The father of the Viennese Classic, Franz Joseph Haydn was not
born in Vienna, but in the village of Rohrau in the eastern part
of Lower Austria on 31st March 1732. It was Haydn’s voice which
first brought him to the capital to join the choir of St.
Stephen’s cathedral. When his voice broke, the young Haydn had
to leave the choir, and he began to earn a living by giving
lessons and playing in various orchestras. At the same time he
studied piano and composition. From 1761 to 1790 he was court
conductor to Prince Esterházy, first in Eisenstadt and later in
Fertod. Haydn enjoyed tremendous success in London, which he
visited twice on concert tours. Nevertheless, he turned down a
position offered to him by King George III. Haydn composed over
one hundred symphonies, of which the "Drum Roll" is probably the
most famous, in addition to seventy string quartets and several
operas. The oratorio "The Creation", the libretto for which he
brought with him from London, is one of the supreme examples of
his powers of arti