Haydn Haus

The first Sunday of each month Vienna City museums are free. These museums include many of the Composer's Homes Museum, like Beethoven (there are three of those), Mozart (the most popular one, by far), Schubert (birth house and death house), and this, the Haydn Haus. 

Haydn lived his final 10 years in my district, Gumpendorfer. After his employer of almost 30 years, Prince Esterahazy, died in 1790, Haydn was out of a job. His employers son, the new Prince, wasn't such a music lover, and needed to cut costs, so Haydn was unemployed. 

While Mozart is the example of how cruelly the patronage system treated a composer (a composer having to rely of the interest and generosity of the royalty and upper class for their income), Haydn is the ideal example of how the system could work. He lived a comfortable life, able to write without undo disruption, and had access to the court orchestra that performed all of his works. It was a dream job for a composer. He was happy.

After his release, Haydn was able to cash in on his renown with 2 trips to London, where 12 of his final symphonies were written and performed, to even greater success and increasing fame.

In 1797 Haydn returned to Vienna to live. He bought this property and had a house built. He lived here until his death in 1809. During these final years, Haydn composed two major oratorios, "The Seasons" and "The Creation", both of which rank among the greatest of their kind. 

In his final year, the Napoleonic wars spread across Europe and eventually to Vienna. The frail Haydn was tormented by the artillery bombardment of the French. He died as cannonballs fell in his courtyard. 

Haydn was probably the only "great" composer" who was a genuinely kind and considerate person to those around him. One of his last acts was to console his servants during the French bombardment, saying, "my children, have no fear, for where Haydn is, no harm can fall." Two weeks later he died, peacefully, in his sleep. His Will left bequests for each servant. Among his effects, auctioned off after his death, was an African Grey Parrot, which he had purchased in London, 19 years earlier. Haydn had taught it to whistle the "Kaiser Hymn" (the melody which is now the German National Anthem). It was purchased at 10 times its appraised value.

 The Museum.

 The boys, appropriately solemn.

 A French cannonball, found in the courtyard of the Haydn Haus.

 Haydn's death mask.

 The museum also features a Brahms room, since their is no museum (his house no longer exisits).

 A painting of Brahms' piano room.

 The score to the opening of  "The Creation", called, "The Representation of Chaos". To Haydn, chaos was chords that don't go where there are "supposed to go". Listen to the opening, it is very effective. Also (very famous) is Haydn's treatment of the phrase, "and there was light", it went, "und es ward LICHT!!!!" Huge C major chord.... cool.

Thank for stopping by!