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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

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The Great Composers ... Read more

Book Description
Franz Joseph Haydn's importance in the history of music is so great, that it would be difficult to summarize his achievements in a few paragraphs. He inherited the sonata form from Bach and made it into a great form of musical expression. He established the symphony, preparing the way for Mozart and Beethoven. He is often called the father of the string quartet. In fact, Mozart commented that it was from Haydn that he learned how to compose for four stringed instruments.

Haydn possessed a sunny disposition and a lovable nature. He was extremely generous and had a warm heart. He is quoted as saying, "Anybody can see by the look of me that I am a good-natured sort of fellow." Much of his good nature can be heard in his music which lives on nearly 200 years after is death in 1809.

This is the story of Franz Joseph Haydn, who was born in Rohrau, Austria to peasant folk. Though the feudalistic times in which he lived would not have allowed him to rise to the aristocracy, he is what brought much acclaim to the Esterházy royal family of Hungary. In this book written especially for young adults, readers will be taken back in time for a delightful musical journey. ... Read more

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The Op. 50 string quartets contain some of the purest writing Haydn ever accomplished. In this first full account of the six quartets, Dean Sutcliffe evaluates the Op. 50 in relation to Haydn's more frequently performed quartets and considers their relevance to Haydn's wider output. Each quartet is discussed in detail. The background to these works includes a brief history of the string quartet and an assessment of Haydn's earlier works in this genre and of his role at Esterhaza. The description of the composition and publication of the Op. 50 quartets is based on the evidence of Haydn's surviving letters and the recently discovered autograph copies of nos. 3 to 6--a discovery that is vividly documented here for the first time. ... Read more

Book Description
Haydn Studies deals with many new aspects of a composer who is perennially fresh. It concentrates principally on matters of reception, style and aesthetics and presents many radical new readings of the composer's work. Contributions by both established Haydn scholars and others who are new to the field combine to give a stronger sense than is generally understood of the composer's immense significance. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Nice Coffee Table Book
While not as in-depth as most serious biographies, this book combines a solid overview of Haydn's life with a wonderful selection of photos, paintings, and illustrations of the people and places he knew.In addition, the text features plenty of excerpts from letters and articles written by, to, and about Haydn that really bring his story alive.

There is no musical detail about his works (in other words, don't expect any discussions of theory or examples in notation); it's purely the story of the man.Look elsewhere if your goal is to study the music itself.However, Haydn led a long and interesting enough life to make for good reading on its own.

Note that I cannot comment on this book's scholarship -- it was written around 1980 and may have been superceded by more recent work.It's aimed more at casual readers than at those doing serious research, though, so any minor inaccuracies shouldn't be a problem for the target audience.
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Customer Reviews (1)

Haydn
This book is great for research on Haydn, or for Classical music lovers who want to know more about their favorite composer. Besides giving a lot of information on Haydn and his life (which, by the way is veryinteresting), this book also has many pieces that were composed by Haydn,soyou not only get information, but music, too. This book is also filledwith many colorful pictures, which makes learning about Haydn that muchmore fun. If you want to learn about Haydn, this is a great book to use. ... Read more