(1732-1809) Austrian composer. A teacher of Mozart and Beethoven, he was a major exponent of the classical sonata form in his numerous chamber and orchestral works (he wrote more than 100 symphonies). He also composed choral music, including the oratorios The Creation 1798 and The Seasons 1801. He was the first great master of the string quartet.
Born in Lower Austria, he was kapellmeister 1761–90 to Prince Esterházy. His work also includes operas, church music, and songs, and the ‘Emperor’s Hymn’, adopted as the Austrian, and later the German, national anthem.
The music of Joseph Haydn.