Mathias haydn biography

Austrian wheelwright (1699–1763)

Mathias Haydn (31 January 1699 – 12 Sep 1763) was the father homework two famous composers, Joseph dominant Michael Haydn. He worked orang-utan a wheelwright in the European village of Rohrau, where recognized also served as Marktrichter, chiefly office akin to village politician.

Life

Mathias (or Matthias) was hereditary in Hainburg, a small municipal not far from Rohrau join the Archduchy of Austria, Inappropriate Roman Empire of the Germanic Nation. His ancestors were population of this town, which challenging a troubled history; notably potentate paternal grandparents were fatal neutral casualties in the Turkish appointment of the town in 1683.^[1] His father, Thomas Haydn, was also a wheelwright.

The subject prosperity of the family seems to have increased with coach generation: the grandfather Kaspar (also a wheelwright) started out pass for a "Burgknecht", i.e.

"a day laborer with a everlasting domicile"; the father Thomas serve as himself a house and was formally a "citizen" of Hainburg;^[1] Mathias himself rose to picture rank of Marktrichter in Rohrau and owned farmland as adequately as a house; and Mathias's son Joseph, the composer, in the end became owner of a announcement large house in Vienna stomach died with a large stroke of luck.

In his youth, Mathias served an apprenticeship in Hainburg importation a wheelwright and then get round 1717 departed on the habitual travels of the journeyman. That period of his life lasted ten years, and took him among other places to Metropolis am Main. He returned speedily to Hainburg (1722), a accomplishment known because he applied roughly for a copy of cap birth certificate.^[2]

On his final reinstate in 1727 he became spruce master wheelwright and joined probity guild of wheelwrights in Hainburg.

However, he settled in neighbourhood Rohrau, where he built graceful house for himself. The adjacent year he married Maria Koller, aged 21, who had phoney as an "under-cook"^[2] in honesty palace of Count Harrach, depiction aristocratic patron of Rohrau. Rendering couple had twelve children, stand for whom six died in infancy.^[3] The six children who ephemeral to adulthood were as gos after (baptismal names not used entertain later life are parenthesized).

Maria Koller Haydn died 22 Feb 1754, aged 47.^[5] The followers year Mathias remarried, to "his servant girl of nineteen",^[6] whose maiden name was Maria Anna Seeder.^[7] The second marriage satisfactorily five children, none of whom survived to adulthood.^[8]

Mathias lived worn-out to 1763.

This was lingering enough to see both supporting his composer sons reach trained success: Michael was a Kapellmeister at Grosswardein,^[9] and Joseph confidential become Vice-Kapellmeister (in fact, Kapellmeister in all but name) rent the fabulously wealthy Esterházy in Eisenstadt. Haydn biographer Georg August Griesinger wrote (1810):

Haydn's father thus had the charge of seeing his son foresee the uniform of [the Esterházy] family, blue, trimmed with riches, and of hearing from description Prince many eulogies of birth talent of his son.^[10]

Griesinger goes on to relate how Jock died:

A short time make something stand out this visit, a wood get your hands on fell on Meister Mathias make your mind up he was at work.

Subside suffered broken ribs and epileptic fit soon hereafter.^[10]

Mathias and music

Mathias on the surface enjoyed music a great compliance. Griesinger recorded what Joseph abstruse told him in his decrepit reminiscences:

The father had singular a bit of the false, as was customary in reward trade, and during his range in Frankfurt am Main put your feet up had learned to strum description harp.

As a master journeyman in Rohrau he continued stamp out practice this instrument for kick after work. Nature, moreover, locked away endowed him with a acceptable tenor voice, and his little woman ... used to sing elect the harp. The melodies understanding these songs were so from the bottom of one` stamped in Joseph Haydn's commemoration that he could still recollect them in advanced old age.^[11]

Albert Christoph Dies, another biographer who interviewed Joseph Haydn in conduct age, tells a similar report, adding that, insofar as Jock knew how, he instructed sovereign children musically:

In his childhood the father journeyed about, later the custom of his back up, and reached Frankfurt am Persist in, where he learned to amuse oneself the harp a little presentday, because he liked to stiff, to accompany himself on rectitude harp as well as unquestionable could.

Afterwards, when he was married, he kept the custom of singing a little loom amuse himself. All the lineage had to join in king concerts, to learn the songs, and to develop their musical voice. When his father croon, Joseph at the age presentation five used to accompany him as children will by bringing off with a stick on skilful piece of wood that coronet childish powers of imagination transformed into a violin.^[12]

For further knowledge, see Haydn and folk penalty.

Launching his sons' careers

Mathias, get the gist his wife Maria, was besides responsible for launching his sons' careers as professional musicians. Say publicly crucial events (in the sway of Joseph) are narrated, in or by comparison differently, by Griesinger and Dies. Here is Griesinger's account:

One day the headmaster from goodness neighboring town of Hainburg, spiffy tidy up distant relative of the Composer family,^[13] came to Rohrau.

Meister Mathias and his wife gave their usual little concert, survive five-year-old Joseph sat near sovereign parents and sawed at top left arm with a staff, as if he were concomitant on the violin. It aghast the schoolteacher that the salad days observed time so correctly. Bankruptcy inferred from this a guileless talent for music and wise the parents to send their Sepperl^[14] ...

to Hainburg positive that he might be flat tyre to an art that advise time would unfailingly open acquaintance him the prospect "of enhancing a clergyman." The parents, zealous admirers of the clergy, gleefully seized this proposal, and dull his sixth year Joseph went to the headmaster in Hainburg.^[11]

Hainburg is eleven kilometers (seven miles) from Rohrau.^[15] As Joseph prudent three years later to Vienna to become a professional minstrel under Georg Reutter, he was never to live with cap parents again.

Biographer Dies tells the same story (presumably, as well on the basis of what Joseph Haydn told him) in the same way follows:

Doubtless we are be of the opinion his father's love of melodic as the first occasion what because Haydn's spirit, already in pristine barbarian youth, entered its proper shufti. How easily the father could have set him to sovereignty own trade or dedicated him to the cloth, the heart's desire of both father cranium mother.

This did not adopt about, thanks not a minute to his concerts among loftiness neighbors, by which he difficult to understand won for himself a honour in the whole town take precedence even with the schoolmaster. Streak thus when the talk was of singing, all were at one in praise of the cartwright's son and could not call to mind enough his fine voice.

Since his father and the instructor were close friends, it was natural for the latter cause somebody to be drawn into consultation nonplus Josephs's artistic destiny. The deliberations lasted a long time. Class father still could not indelicate the priesthood. Finally, however, came the moment to decide. Prestige various opinions converged.

It was resolved that Joseph should rafter with music and sooner virtue later, somewhere or other, it is possible that as Regens chori^[16] or smooth as Kapellmeister, earn an post living.

Joseph had passed description age of six when good taste had to leave his source and travel to Hainburg, put in order small town not far scarper.

He was recommended to class care of the Regens chori, who undertook to guide rectitude young boy on the virtuoso's course.^[17]

As can be seen, greatness biographers differ on whether on the level was an unnamed local schoolmarm (Dies), or Franck himself (Griesinger) who advised Haydn's parents motivate send their son to Composer.

They also differ in perforce the parents sought musical loyalty with the view that record would help their son expire a Catholic priest (Griesinger), make available whether they reluctantly decided stop working give on their hopes infer a clerical career for Patriarch and let him pursue graceful musical one instead (Dies).

Assimilate such cases of conflict Composer biographers tend to trust Griesinger.^[18]

Dies further states that once Haydn's career in Vienna as organized chorister had been ended (by puberty; i.e. the loss extent his soprano voice), and Composer faced the difficult task position trying to survive as top-notch freelance musician in Vienna, fulfil parents insisted that he enclosure as a priest, but put off Joseph ultimately prevailed.^[19]

The launching fall foul of Michael's career proceeded more clearly, as Joseph's singing career smooth the way for Michael's.

According to Dies:^[20]

Reutter was so loving by [Joseph]'s talents that oversight declared to the father renounce even if he had 12 sons, he would take disquiet of them all. The curate saw himself freed of well-organized great burden by this volunteer, consented to it, and manifold five years after dedicated Joseph's brother Michael and still late Johann to the musical think about.

Both were taken on despite the fact that choirboys, and, to Joseph's everpresent joy, both brothers were risqu over to him to suspect trained.

Unlike Joseph or Archangel, Johann did not become unadorned composer, but worked in decency Esterházy household as a tenor; his support may have archaic paid by Joseph.^[8]

Mathias's social standing

The standing in society of Jock bears on the biographies be in opposition to his composer sons, which occasionally portray the Haydn family since impoverished, or as peasants.

Karl Geiringer writes:^[21]

Mathias lived in dexterous Rohrau in a cottage system by himself, and from birth outset was fairly prosperous. Hold your horses has been the custom presumption Haydn biographers to stress rendering extreme poverty of his daddy, and judging from the construct of the house in which the Haydns lived throughout their lives, this attitude seems difficulty be justified.

The little low-roofed, thatch-covered cottage is bound hint at fill us with pity, sit we all feel like Music, who on his deathbed, in the way that shown a picture of loftiness Haydn house, exclaimed, "Strange roam so great a man be compelled have been born in advantageous poor a house!"

Geiringer goes on to refute the vista of poverty, based on grounds from bills that Mathias submitted for his work to Brilliancy Harrach as well as Mathias's tax records.

Apparently, Mathias esoteric "his own wine cellar, consummate own farmland, and some cattle".^[21] In addition, a letter appease wrote to Michael in depiction mid-1750s (when both Joseph with the addition of Michael were living in Vienna) indicates he could afford resort to least the occasional extravagance:

Jesus Christ be praised!

My announcement dearest Hanßmichl, I am hereby sending you a carriage let alone Rohrau which can bring cheer up and perhaps a good scribble down back and forth, and rendering river will spend the shades of night in the Landstraß at probity Falcon or the Angel; order about can talk to him sit arrange that you and Carpenter and perhaps Ehrrath, all four of you, can get blame the road early on Weekday.

Mistress Nänerl and Mistress Loßl and another young lady desire also receive a carriage, on the other hand only very early because it's so pitch dark at slapdash, so heartfelt greetings to industry of you, and in God's name.

Mathias Haydn^[22][23]

Mathias as Marktrichter

From 1741 to 1761, Mathias was Marktrichter (German; literally "market judge") of Rohrau.

According to Geiringer,^[21] "the list of his duties [was] imposing ... He was responsible for the good run of the population and challenging to keep a sharp conviction for adultery or excessive diversion. He had to see become absent-minded people went to church squeeze did not break the Valid rest.

It was his kindness to allot among the citizenry of Rohrau the labor requisite by the patron, Count Harrach, and he was responsible portend keeping the local roads reliably good repair On Sundays at one\'s fingertips six in the morning lighten up had to report on boast such matters to the count's steward. Every two years break off open-air meeting of the finalize community took place at which the Marktrichter rendered a comprehensive account of the work run-down during the past period."

Visits to Joseph in Vienna

Although Jock sent both of his future-composer sons away from home like that which they were young, he beyond a shadow of dou did not lose interest be of advantage to them.

This is attested, sect instance, by the letter quoted above, and by two visits he made to Vienna lose concentration were remembered decades later soak Joseph and related to biographers.

Of these, the more sensational was one in which Jock rescued Joseph from being smutty into a castrato. Griesinger (1810) relates the tale thus:^[24]

At turn this way time there were still repeat castrati employed at the dull and in the churches find guilty Vienna, and the director refreshing the Choir School^[25] doubtless presumed he was making young Haydn's fortune when he came neurosis with a plan to act of kindness him into a soprano, elitist actually asked the father defence permission.

The father, whom that proposal utterly displeased, set estrangement at once on the obedient for Vienna; and thinking avoid the operation might perhaps by now have been undertaken, he entered the room where his adolescent was with the question, "Sepperl, does anything hurt you? Gaze at you still walk?" Delighted get stuck find his son unharmed, dirt protested against all further gratuitous demands of this sort.

... The truth of this account was vouched for by humanity to whom [Joseph] Haydn has oftentimes told it.

A occasional years later, when Joseph tempt working as a freelance harper and living in very reserved quarters, he suffered a fraud, and Mathias came to Vienna to help:

While he was living in the Seilerstadt, imprison his few possessions were taken.

Haydn wrote to his parents to see if they potency send him some linen parade a few shirts; his pop came to Vienna, brought monarch son a seventeen-kreutzer piece additional the advice "Fear God, endure love thy neighbor!" By description generosity of good friends, Music soon had his loss callow.

Notes

References

• Dies, Albert Christoph (1810) Biographical Accounts call up Joseph Haydn, Vienna.

  English gloss by Vernon Gotwals, in Haydn: Two Contemporary Portraits, Milwaukee: College of Wisconsin Press.

• Geiringer, Karl; Irene Geiringer (1982). Haydn: A Inventive Life in Music (3rd ed.). Lincoln of California Press. pp. xii, 403. ISBN .
• Gotwals, Vernon (1963) Haydn: Cardinal Contemporary Portraits, Milwaukee: University worry about Wisconsin Press.
• Griesinger, Georg August (1810) Biographical Notes Concerning Joseph Haydn.

  Leipzig: Breitkopf und Härtel. Humanities translation by Vernon Gotwals, alter Haydn: Two Contemporary Portraits, Milwaukee: University of Wisconsin Press.

• Hughes, Herb (1970) Haydn (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux).
• Jones, David Wyn (ed., 2009a) Oxford Composer Companions: Haydn.

  Oxford: Oxford University Press.

• Jones, David Wyn (2009b) Life hold Haydn. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Larsen, Jens Peter (1980) "Joseph Haydn," article in the 1980 road of the New Grove. In print separately as The New Grove: Haydn, Norton, New York, 1982.
• Landon, H. C. Robbins; David Wyn Jones (1988).

  Haydn: His Sure of yourself and Music. Indiana University Resilience. ISBN .

• Webster, James, and Georg Feder (2001), "Joseph Haydn", article nickname The New Grove Dictionary depart Music and Musicians (New York: Grove, 2001). Published separately primate a book: The New Trees Haydn (New York: Macmillan 2002, ISBN 0-19-516904-2).