Autobiographical sketch (Haydn)

Haydn portrait by Ludwig Guttenbrunn

The Autobiographical sketch (1776) of Joseph Haydn is the only autobiographical document that was ever prepared by this composer. Haydn wrote the sketch, which is about two pages long, when he was 44 at the request, relayed to him by a chain of two mutual acquaintances, of Ignaz de Luca, who was preparing a volume of brief biographies of Austrian luminaries, Das gelehrte Oesterreich ("Learned Austria"). The sketch was published in 1778, in Volume 1, Part 3 of that work.[1]

Content

The sketch begins with a brief account of the first 29 years of Haydn's life. He mentions his early home life in Rohrau, his early education in Hainburg, his subsequent career as a choirboy in Vienna, his struggles during eight years of freelance work and his appointments as Kapellmeister, first with Count Morzin and then with the hugely wealthy Esterházy family.

Having related his rise to career success, Haydn says nothing at all of the years 1761 to 1776 that spent working in the Esterházy court, but he concludes his narrative with a declaration of loyalty to his employer:

I was engaged as... Capellmeister of His Highness the Prince Esterházy, in whose service I wish to live and die[2]

Haydn held to his word: despite considerable tedium and loneliness when his employer required him to live in isolated Esterháza,[3] he remained in official service to Prince Esterházy and his heirs until his death, in 1809.[4]

The sketch goes on to list what Haydn regarded as his most important works up to that time: the operas Le pescatrici, L'incontro improvviso, and L'infedelta delusa; his oratorio Il Ritorno di Tobia (1775) and his Stabat Mater (1767). All of them are vocal music; Haydn omits the pre-1776 instrumental works that arguably have received greater critical acclaim in modern times, such as the "Farewell" Symphony[5] or the string quartets, Opus 20. Musicologist David Schroeder notes that "in the eighteenth century vocal music was considered pre-eminent. With opinion such as this as the common currency, it should not surprise us that Haydn... listed only vocal works among those he considered his finest."[6]

Haydn also offers an assessment of his then-current reputation as a composer, expressing appreciation for the praise and support of Johann Adolph Hasse, Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf and Gottfried van Swieten as well as considerable resentment directed at various (unnamed) critics in Berlin:

I have been fortunate enough to please almost all nations except the Berliners; this is shown by the public newspapers and letters addressed to me. I only wonder that the Berlin gentlemen, who are otherwise so reasonable, preserve no medium in their criticism of my music, for in one weekly paper they praise me to the skies, whilst in another they dash me sixty fathoms deep into the earth, and this without explaining why; I know very well why: because they are incapable of performing some of my works, and are too conceited to take the trouble to understand them properly.

The sketch concludes thus:

My highest ambition is only that all the world regard me as the honest man I am.
I offer all my praises to Almighty God, for I owe them to Him alone: my sole wish is to offend neither my neighbour, nor my gracious Prince, nor above all our merciful God.

As rhetoric

The musicologist Elaine Sisman has offered a novel interpretation of the sketch as having been written, whether consciously or not, according to principles of rhetoric laid down in the Middle Ages. She notes that Haydn studied Latin as a schoolboy and that traditional Latin instruction would likely have included the principles of rhetoric. Sisman annotates the sections of Haydn's original letter as follows:

The sketch is a classic rhetorically organized composition, drawing particularly on the medieval ars dictaminis, the art of letter-writing: first an introduction (exordium), incorporating the so-called "securing of good-will" (benevolentiae captatio, in this case by self-deprecation);[7] then the narration of facts (narratio, his biography); the supporting evidence (corraboratio, the list of pieces); the refutation of his enemies' arguments (confutatio, the Berlin critics); and the conclusion, revealing again his good qualities as well as those whom he admires and respects (peroratio).[8]

Notes

  1. ^ Robbins Landon (1959, 21)
  2. ^ English translations of all extracts are by H. C. Robbins Landon, from web source listed below.
  3. ^ See discussion in Maria Anna von Genzinger.
  4. ^ After the failure of Haydn's health in around 1803, the service was only nominal, but he maintained his official position. Haydn's visits to London (1791-1792, 1794-1795) were made with the Esterházys' permission, but he returned from them somewhat late.
  5. ^ See, e.g., Webster (1991).
  6. ^ Schroeder (2005, 95)
  7. ^ The letter begins with an apology for its roughness, pleading lack of time. In 1776 Haydn was working on the implementation of a full-scale opera season at Esterháza and was indeed extremely busy.
  8. ^ Sisman (1993, 24)

References

  • Robbins Landon, H.C. (1959) The Collected Correspondence and London Notebooks of Joseph Haydn. London: Barrie and Rockliff. The Autobiographical sketch in English translation, with commentary.
  • Sisman, Elaine (1993) Haydn and the Classical Variation. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-38315-X, 9780674383159.
  • Schroeder, David (2005) "Orchestral music: symphonies and concertos," in Caryl Leslie Clark, ed., The Cambridge Companion to Haydn, pp. 95–111. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-83347-7, ISBN 978-0-521-83347-9.
  • Webster, James (1991) Haydn's "Farewell" Symphony and the Idea of Classical Style: Through-Composition and Cyclic Integration in His Instrumental Music. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press.
  • Portions of David Wyn Jones's (2009) The Life of Haydn (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) are posted on line at Google Books' these include Jones's translation of the Autobiographical Sketch: [1]

Read other articles:

Le Bon Marché Aristide Boucicaut (1810–1877) Au Bon Marché Interior Le Bon Marché (lit. pasar yang bagus, dalam bahas Prancis; pengucapan bahasa Prancis: [lə bɔ̃ maʁʃe]) adalah sebuah toserba yang ada di Paris. Didirikan pada tahun 1838 dan diubah hampir seluruhnya oleh Aristide Boucicaut pada tahun 1852, merupakan salah satu department store modern pertama. Itu telah menjadi anggota Asosiasi Internasional Department Store dari 1986 hingga 2011.[1] Sekarang milik LVMH, ...

 

 

Medical conditionHypochloremiaChlorineSpecialtyEndocrinology  Hypochloremia (or Hypochloraemia) is an electrolyte disturbance in which there is an abnormally low level of the chloride ion in the blood. The normal serum range for chloride is 97 to 107 mEq/L. It rarely occurs in the absence of other abnormalities. It is sometimes associated with hypoventilation.[1] It can be associated with chronic respiratory acidosis.[2] If it occurs together with metabolic alkalosis...

 

 

Region of Massachusetts, United States 42°20′N 72°50′W / 42.333°N 72.833°W / 42.333; -72.833 This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages) This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions. (May 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Th...

Affluent suburb of Dublin, Ireland Suburb in Leinster, IrelandChurchtown Baile an TeampaillSuburbShops in ChurchtownChurchtownLocation in DublinShow map of DublinChurchtownChurchtown (Ireland)Show map of IrelandCoordinates: 53°17′44″N 6°15′30″W / 53.29556°N 6.25833°W / 53.29556; -6.25833CountryIrelandProvinceLeinsterCountyDún Laoghaire–RathdownTime zoneUTC±0 (WET) • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (IST)Eircode routing keyD14Telephone area code+353(0)1 Chu...

 

 

County in Texas, United States County in TexasKendall CountyCountyThe Kendall County Courthouse in Boerne SealLocation within the U.S. state of TexasTexas's location within the U.S.Coordinates: 29°57′N 98°42′W / 29.95°N 98.7°W / 29.95; -98.7Country United StatesState TexasFounded1862Named forGeorge Wilkins KendallSeatBoerneLargest cityBoerneArea • Total663 sq mi (1,720 km2) • Land662 sq mi (1,710 k...

 

 

Синелобый амазон Научная классификация Домен:ЭукариотыЦарство:ЖивотныеПодцарство:ЭуметазоиБез ранга:Двусторонне-симметричныеБез ранга:ВторичноротыеТип:ХордовыеПодтип:ПозвоночныеИнфратип:ЧелюстноротыеНадкласс:ЧетвероногиеКлада:АмниотыКлада:ЗавропсидыКласс:Пт�...

Синелобый амазон Научная классификация Домен:ЭукариотыЦарство:ЖивотныеПодцарство:ЭуметазоиБез ранга:Двусторонне-симметричныеБез ранга:ВторичноротыеТип:ХордовыеПодтип:ПозвоночныеИнфратип:ЧелюстноротыеНадкласс:ЧетвероногиеКлада:АмниотыКлада:ЗавропсидыКласс:Пт�...

 

 

GAZE International LGBT Film Festival Dublin2017 logoLocationDublin, IrelandFounded1992Festival dateJuly/AugustLanguageEnglish and othersWebsitegaze.ie The GAZE International LGBT Film Festival Dublin (typeset as GAZE and formerly known as the Dublin Lesbian and Gay Film Festival[1]) is an annual film festival which takes place in Dublin, Ireland each Bank Holiday weekend in late July and early August. Founded in 1992, it has become Ireland's largest LGBT film event, and the country'...

 

 

Neural network library KerasOriginal author(s)François CholletDeveloper(s)ONEIROSInitial release27 March 2015; 9 years ago (2015-03-27)Stable release3.3.2[1] / 22 April 2024; 1 day ago (22 April 2024) Repositorygithub.com/keras-team/keras Written inPythonPlatformCross-platformTypeFrontend for TensorFlowLicenseApache 2.0Websitekeras.io  Keras is an open-source library that provides a Python interface for artificial neural networks. Keras acts as an ...

American lawyer & politician (born 1973) Raja KrishnamoorthiOfficial portrait, 2016Ranking Member of the House Committee on the Chinese Communist PartyIncumbentAssumed office February 1, 2023Preceded byPosition establishedMember of the U.S. House of Representativesfrom Illinois's 8th districtIncumbentAssumed office January 3, 2017Preceded byTammy Duckworth Personal detailsBorn (1973-07-19) July 19, 1973 (age 50)New Delhi, IndiaPolitical partyDemocraticSpousePriya ...

 

 

Pour les articles homonymes, voir Traité de Windsor. Les principaux royaumes en Irlande gaëlique Le traité de Windsor fut signé le 6 octobre 1175 à Windsor dans le Berkshire entre le roi Henri II et le haut-roi Ruaidri O'Connor. Il s'agissait d'un accord territorial conclu pendant l'expansion normande en Irlande. Globalement, ce traité laissait à Ruaidri un royaume composé de régions d'Irlande extérieures au Leinster, au comtés de Meath et de Waterford, qui avaient été accordés...

 

 

Television channel in Macau Television channel Lotus TV MacauCountryMacauBroadcast areaInternationalHeadquartersMacauProgrammingLanguage(s)Cantonese, Mandarin, English (during movies)Picture format4:3 576i (SDTV) (2002-2018)16:9 1080i (HDTV) (2018-present)OwnershipOwnerGeorge LuHistoryLaunched28 October 2002LinksWebsitehttp://www.macaulotustv.cc/AvailabilityStreaming mediaLotus TV Livehttp://www.lotusbtv.com/live.asp/ Chinese nameTraditional Chinese澳門蓮花衛視傳媒有限公司Sim...

NurngudionoLahirNurngudiono(1961-11-11)11 November 1961Kota Tegal, Jawa TengahPekerjaanMusikus TegalanTahun aktif1977 - sekarangSuami/istriSunarti Nurngudiono (11 November 1961 – 7 Februari 2016) adalah musisi dan pelopor musik Tegalan. Ia adalah pendiri sekaligus ketua Kelompok Musik Sastra Warung Tegal (KMSWT). Pernah menjabat sebagai Ketua Dewan Kesenian Kota Tegal selama dua periode (2006-2009 dan 2009-2012). Sebelum tutup usia, Nurngudiono mengasuh kegiatan-kegiatan...

 

 

Disambiguazione – Spluga rimanda qui. Se stai cercando altri significati, vedi Spluga (disambigua). Passo dello SplugaIl versante settentrionale (svizzero) del passo dello SplugaStati Italia  Svizzera Località collegateChiavenna con Splügen Altitudine2 117 m s.l.m. Coordinate46°30′19.08″N 9°19′49.08″E46°30′19.08″N, 9°19′49.08″E Altri nomi e significatiPass del Speluca[senza fonte] (lombardo) Splügenpass (tedesco)Pass dal ...

 

 

Azerbaijani singer (born 1980) Samir Javadzadeh with a female dancer at Eurovision Song Contest 2008 in Belgrade. Samir Javadzadeh (Azerbaijani: Samir Cavadzadə pron. [sɑˈmiɾ dʒɑvɑdzɑˈdæ]; born 16 April 1980, Baku, Azerbaijan) is an Azerbaijani pop singer. He was selected as the Azerbaijani representative, along with Elnur Hüseynov, to perform at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008. They performed Day After Day finishing 8th overall. Career Samir Javadzadeh graduated from the ...

حرة البقوم الموقع  السعودية - تربة المساحة 0 النوع حرة (جغرافيا) تعديل مصدري - تعديل   حرة البقوم لا يوجد مكان اسمه حرة البقوم . الآثار صورة توضع توزيع الحرات في المملكة العربية السعوديةتحوي حرة البقوم على الكثير من المعالم الأثرية القديمة، مثل الطرق المرصوفة بالحجارة ا...

 

 

Область Российской империиСемиреченская область Герб 43°15′ с. ш. 76°54′ в. д.HGЯO Страна  Российская империя Адм. центр Верный История и география Дата образования 11 (23) июля 1867 Дата упразднения 27 октября 1924 Площадь 347 910 вёрст² / 402 200 км² Население Населен�...

 

 

De Franse Kamer van Afgevaardigden in 1843 De Kamer van Afgevaardigden (Frans: Chambre des députés) was het lagerhuis van het Franse parlement ten tijde van de Restauratie (1814-1830), de Julimonarchie (1830-1848) en de Derde Republiek (1870-1940). Tijdens het Tweede Franse Keizerrijk (1852-1870) stond het lagerhuis bekend onder de naam Wetgevend Lichaam. Geschiedenis Onder de Derde Republiek vergaderden de leden van de Kamer van Afgevaardigden en de Senaat voor sommige aangelegenheden same...

Questa voce o sezione tratta di una competizione calcistica in corso. Le informazioni possono pertanto cambiare rapidamente con il progredire degli eventi. Se vuoi scrivere un articolo giornalistico sull'argomento, puoi farlo su Wikinotizie. Non aggiungere speculazioni alla voce. Voce principale: Associazione Sportiva Cittadella. AS CittadellaStagione 2024-2025Sport calcio Squadra Cittadella Allenatore Edoardo Gorini Presidente Andrea Gabrielli Serie Bin corso Coppa ItaliaTrentaduesimi ...

 

 

Личная информация ru-N Русский — родной язык этого участника. en-3 This user has advanced knowledge of English. es-2 Esta persona tiene un conocimiento intermedio del español. Участник из России Этот участник — русский украинского происхождения Данному участнику интересна Латинская Америка — её история и культура