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Great Masters: Haydn - His Life and Music
Almost from the moment it was first set to paper, the music of Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) - technically superb, rich in quality, and widely imitated - has exemplified the Classical style, creating not only the Classical-era symphony but setting the standard, through his own 68 string quartets, against which that form has ever after been judged. And yet Haydn, despite the influence left by more than 1,000 works, seems to no longer get his due, often thought of as an aged figure surpassed and overshadowed by Beethoven and Mozart, who actually credited Haydn, the only contemporary he admired, and with whom he formed a lasting and artistically fruitful friendship, with teaching him how to write string quartets. Even Beethoven, whose relationship with his compositional teacher was troubled and stormy, would never have been able to write his triumphant Ninth Symphony without the influence of Haydn's crowning achievement, the towering 1798 oratorio, Creation. Now, in a series of eight vivid lectures, you can learn to understand and appreciate the music of one of the most original and influential composers of all time as you explore his origins, influence, and greatest works.
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First published January 1, 2000
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About the author
Robert Greenberg
156 books217 followersRobert M. Greenberg is an American composer, pianist and musicologist. He has composed more than 50 works for a variety of instruments and voices, and has recorded a number of lecture series on music history and music appreciation for The Teaching Company.
Greenberg earned a B.A. in music, magna cum laude, from Princeton University and received a Ph.D. in music composition from the University of California, Berkeley. He has served on the faculties of UC Berkeley, Californiz State University, East Bay, and the San Franciso Conservatory of Music, where he was chairman of the Department of Music History and Literature as well as Director of the Adult Extension Division. Dr. Greenberg is currently Music Historian-in-residence with San Francisco Performances.
Greenberg earned a B.A. in music, magna cum laude, from Princeton University and received a Ph.D. in music composition from the University of California, Berkeley. He has served on the faculties of UC Berkeley, Californiz State University, East Bay, and the San Franciso Conservatory of Music, where he was chairman of the Department of Music History and Literature as well as Director of the Adult Extension Division. Dr. Greenberg is currently Music Historian-in-residence with San Francisco Performances.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
August 31, 2025
"There was noone near to confuse me, so I was forced to become original."
Franz Joseph Haydn
While I am occasionally annoyed at the rollicking and irreverent style Robert Greenberg employs for his lectures on music and famous composers, I have to give it to him that he knows how to put on a "damn good" show and I absolutely recommend his "shows" to listen to!
It IS hard work to educate as well as entertain, and just like Joseph Haydn himself, Greenberg strives for a great balance and combine these two aspects admirably. Also in praise of him: he offers us extensively well-researched material, supported by memoirs of eye-witnesses, correspondence of family, friends, analysis from contemporary newspapers and critics; quotes from old and modern biographies, results of musical analysis and parts of well-chosen musical pieces. He always gives you a narrower and wider historical and cultural context and manages to transport you into the era of his chosen composer and presents his subject in 3D. All his lectures are accompanied by PDF material outlining and summarising the content.
Last but not least, quite a few of his lectures are available for free in The Great Courses series on Audible, for which I am truly grateful.
I learned about Haydn in school as he has had important ties to Hungary and while I also enjoy his music a lot, I have not given him too much thought altogether. But after listening to these biographic lectures by Greenberg, I stand corrected and remorseful ... and am much more appreciative of and impressed by "Papa Haydn" than I was before. Plus I added some more music to listen to for my "Vienna Classics" channel on Youtube. :)
Anyway, it IS impressive for someone born to wheelwright/cook parents in a small Austrian village
to make it as the Kapellmeister of one of the wealthiest aristocratic families in Europe (the Hungarian Eszterhazys) and to spend 29 years of his life composing and playing music here (Eisenstadt, AT)
and then here (Fertod, HU)
and becoming the most widely-known and celebrated composers of their time.
Haydn's life makes for a truly engrossing tale and Greenberg makes the most of it.
The most interesting points for me were the friendship between Haydn and Mozart (who was half Haydn's age when they met and the two men could not have been more different even had they tried), the far from ideal relationship between Haydn and the young Beethoven and the whole musical journey Haydn completed.
He had a long way to travel from starting off as a choirboy in Vienna's St Stephen Cathedral, struggling as a freelancer musician and composer, becoming a music "officer" of the Esterhazy family while slowly establishing himself as an acknowledged composer, to finally reaching celebrity status in London while being made the doctor of music in Oxford, meeting the Prince of Wales (later George IV) and George III and finally being revered by all in Vienna at the end of his life.
The body of music he created is truly staggering, the process of creating his own music among the musical impressions he received (Carl Philip Emmanuel Bach, Mozart, J.S. Bach, Handel) is fascinating.
A much recommended biography/listen.
Franz Joseph Haydn
While I am occasionally annoyed at the rollicking and irreverent style Robert Greenberg employs for his lectures on music and famous composers, I have to give it to him that he knows how to put on a "damn good" show and I absolutely recommend his "shows" to listen to!
It IS hard work to educate as well as entertain, and just like Joseph Haydn himself, Greenberg strives for a great balance and combine these two aspects admirably. Also in praise of him: he offers us extensively well-researched material, supported by memoirs of eye-witnesses, correspondence of family, friends, analysis from contemporary newspapers and critics; quotes from old and modern biographies, results of musical analysis and parts of well-chosen musical pieces. He always gives you a narrower and wider historical and cultural context and manages to transport you into the era of his chosen composer and presents his subject in 3D. All his lectures are accompanied by PDF material outlining and summarising the content.
Last but not least, quite a few of his lectures are available for free in The Great Courses series on Audible, for which I am truly grateful.
I learned about Haydn in school as he has had important ties to Hungary and while I also enjoy his music a lot, I have not given him too much thought altogether. But after listening to these biographic lectures by Greenberg, I stand corrected and remorseful ... and am much more appreciative of and impressed by "Papa Haydn" than I was before. Plus I added some more music to listen to for my "Vienna Classics" channel on Youtube. :)
Anyway, it IS impressive for someone born to wheelwright/cook parents in a small Austrian village
to make it as the Kapellmeister of one of the wealthiest aristocratic families in Europe (the Hungarian Eszterhazys) and to spend 29 years of his life composing and playing music here (Eisenstadt, AT)
and then here (Fertod, HU)
and becoming the most widely-known and celebrated composers of their time.
Haydn's life makes for a truly engrossing tale and Greenberg makes the most of it.
The most interesting points for me were the friendship between Haydn and Mozart (who was half Haydn's age when they met and the two men could not have been more different even had they tried), the far from ideal relationship between Haydn and the young Beethoven and the whole musical journey Haydn completed.
He had a long way to travel from starting off as a choirboy in Vienna's St Stephen Cathedral, struggling as a freelancer musician and composer, becoming a music "officer" of the Esterhazy family while slowly establishing himself as an acknowledged composer, to finally reaching celebrity status in London while being made the doctor of music in Oxford, meeting the Prince of Wales (later George IV) and George III and finally being revered by all in Vienna at the end of his life.
The body of music he created is truly staggering, the process of creating his own music among the musical impressions he received (Carl Philip Emmanuel Bach, Mozart, J.S. Bach, Handel) is fascinating.
A much recommended biography/listen.
July 5, 2019
Eight half-hour lectures by Greenberg give us a sense of why Franz Joseph Haydn was the father of the “classical music” period. Greenberg states, without reservation that without Haydn there would have been no Mozart or Beethoven as we know them.
His lectures are more boisterous than I have found in his other series. He blends the facts, various opinions (of his own and others) and some of Haydn’s innovation in music so well that each 30 minutes passes quickly. There is a lot to appreciate as we move from Haydn’s humble origin to his “opportunities” to his very fortunate life at Esterhaza.
He was not known as “Papa Haydn” for his role as the best early exemplar of the classical style. It came from his generous temperament and his support of other musicians, including Mozart. The lectures left me wanting to listen more closely to his music. Greenberg has the gift of bringing more insights into his listening than I could ever do on my own, which is why I keep looking for more of his lectures.
His lectures are more boisterous than I have found in his other series. He blends the facts, various opinions (of his own and others) and some of Haydn’s innovation in music so well that each 30 minutes passes quickly. There is a lot to appreciate as we move from Haydn’s humble origin to his “opportunities” to his very fortunate life at Esterhaza.
He was not known as “Papa Haydn” for his role as the best early exemplar of the classical style. It came from his generous temperament and his support of other musicians, including Mozart. The lectures left me wanting to listen more closely to his music. Greenberg has the gift of bringing more insights into his listening than I could ever do on my own, which is why I keep looking for more of his lectures.
February 1, 2024
My god, I really wished I could have sat in on any of this guy's lectures!
Robert Greenberg was completely unknown to me. In fact, I only found out these book-versions of his lectures existed thanks to a GR-friend reading them last year. Boy, am I a lucky music lover!
The reason my buddy-reader and I started with this lecture simply is that I'll play a piece by Haydn (an excerpt, actually) this upcoming Saturday during an ensemble with ym cello group.
This lecture is about Haydn, THE example for the classical era of music, who lived from 31 March 1732 until 31 May 1809. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music. In fact, his contributions to musical forms have led him to be called the "Father of the Symphony" and the "Father of the String Quartet".
He was the son of a worker family and the first artistically inclined family member. As the only bookworm in my family, I feel his pain hundreds of years in his future.
He had an insanely hard start on account of his looks but also a lack of prospects. However, he didn't let that or his really bad choice in wife stop him. He worked his butt off for decades and it paid off when he managed to secure patronage by highly influential people such as the famous Eszterházy family.
Haydn also created an insane amount of pieces - which is so fascinating when considering that writing music, then teaching it to his musicians wasn't his only duty in his 29(!)-year-long career as a court musician.
And let's not forget that he was a friend and mentor of Mozart and a tutor of Beethoven.
For me, personally, he's the guy who composed my country's national anthem (melody, he didn't write the text) and no matter what was done with it later, the melody is absolutely gorgeous and always touches me.
He did and accomplished so much that I cannot state any more without this review getting too excessive. If you want the juicy details, listen to this lecture or - at the very least - read the Wikipedia article.
As for this "book", I love how enthusiastic Greenberg is! He is a treasure-trove of musical knowledge, that much is already clear. But he also loves to make the topic approachable by giving examples (and since this is an audiobook, we get numerous examples of the different styles and techniques talked about by having the actual music / excerpts of pieces played) and comparisons.
Thus, we not only get a biography of Haydn and technical information about his style and influence, but a comprehensive outlook of the time when he was born, grew up, lived - and died. From architecture to religious influences, from personal highs and lows to (socio-)political actualities for everyone, there are so many amazing details.
Greenberg is citing a lot of historical sources as well as biographers but adds a lot of his own takes and because of his vast knowledge as well as enthusiasm, I think this is the perfect way of educating people. The sheer amount of information also never feels overwhelming, which is important.
Can't wait to listen to the other lectures on the great musical masters!
Robert Greenberg was completely unknown to me. In fact, I only found out these book-versions of his lectures existed thanks to a GR-friend reading them last year. Boy, am I a lucky music lover!
The reason my buddy-reader and I started with this lecture simply is that I'll play a piece by Haydn (an excerpt, actually) this upcoming Saturday during an ensemble with ym cello group.
This lecture is about Haydn, THE example for the classical era of music, who lived from 31 March 1732 until 31 May 1809. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music. In fact, his contributions to musical forms have led him to be called the "Father of the Symphony" and the "Father of the String Quartet".
He was the son of a worker family and the first artistically inclined family member. As the only bookworm in my family, I feel his pain hundreds of years in his future.
He had an insanely hard start on account of his looks but also a lack of prospects. However, he didn't let that or his really bad choice in wife stop him. He worked his butt off for decades and it paid off when he managed to secure patronage by highly influential people such as the famous Eszterházy family.
Haydn also created an insane amount of pieces - which is so fascinating when considering that writing music, then teaching it to his musicians wasn't his only duty in his 29(!)-year-long career as a court musician.
And let's not forget that he was a friend and mentor of Mozart and a tutor of Beethoven.
For me, personally, he's the guy who composed my country's national anthem (melody, he didn't write the text) and no matter what was done with it later, the melody is absolutely gorgeous and always touches me.
He did and accomplished so much that I cannot state any more without this review getting too excessive. If you want the juicy details, listen to this lecture or - at the very least - read the Wikipedia article.
As for this "book", I love how enthusiastic Greenberg is! He is a treasure-trove of musical knowledge, that much is already clear. But he also loves to make the topic approachable by giving examples (and since this is an audiobook, we get numerous examples of the different styles and techniques talked about by having the actual music / excerpts of pieces played) and comparisons.
Thus, we not only get a biography of Haydn and technical information about his style and influence, but a comprehensive outlook of the time when he was born, grew up, lived - and died. From architecture to religious influences, from personal highs and lows to (socio-)political actualities for everyone, there are so many amazing details.
Greenberg is citing a lot of historical sources as well as biographers but adds a lot of his own takes and because of his vast knowledge as well as enthusiasm, I think this is the perfect way of educating people. The sheer amount of information also never feels overwhelming, which is important.
Can't wait to listen to the other lectures on the great musical masters!
August 26, 2023
4 ⭐
‘Tis done! Dread Winter spreads his latest glooms,
And reigns tremendous o’er the conquer’d year.
How dead the vegetable kingdom lies!
How dumb the tuneful! Horror wide extends
His melancholy empire. Here, fond man!
Behold thy pictur’d life; pass some few years,
Thy flowering Spring, thy Summer’s ardent strength,
Thy sober Autumn fading into age,
And pale concluding Winter comes at last
And shuts the scene. Ah! whither now are fled
Those dreams of greatness? those unsolid hopes
Of happiness? those longings after fame?
Those restless cares? those busy bustling days?
Those gay-spent festive nights? those veering thoughts,
Lost between good and ill, that shared thy life?
All now are vanish’d! Virtue sole survives,
Immortal, never-failing friend of man,
His guide to happiness on high...
- James Thomson (from ‘The Seasons – Winter’)
This was the first of Robert Greenberg's 'Great Masters' lectures that I read (I just came back here to offer a quick review) and I thought for sure, after the first 10 minutes or so, that Greenberg's paradoxical mix of pompous douchebaggery and layman's larrikinism was going to rub me the wrong way and force me to stop listening but to my pleasant surprise, he actually grew on me in a weird, embarrassing dad sort of way. We've all, at one time, uttered the words, "Stop it dad, you're embarassing me" but in most cases it's with an affectionately wry smile. It's not all his fault either; at the beginning of lecture 3 you can hear a woman laugh in the background at one of Greenberg's one-liners and then again multiple times throughout the series as he releases such pearlers as "sunk like a submarine with screen doors" or "What's this dissonance? Like a stone in our shoe! Like a letter from the IRS!" (paraphrased). So there's definitely some unwarranted encouragement there!
I knew little of Haydn's biography and only slightly more of his works, so the highly informative nature of the lectures and Greenberg's enthusiastic and always entertaining (if at times cringey) style didn't lose my attention for a moment of each of the eight 45 minute lectures.
While the brick and mortar of the lectures are an excellent combination of amusing anecdotes and very light, all-too-brisk compositional analyses, I found the most compelling and beneficial areas to be those in which Greenberg explains the personal and historical circumstances that influence the works being discussed. What was going on in the life and times of the composer that spurred him on to write such a piece? This can really animate a piece that you might otherwise take for granted and, in my opinion, instrumental music is always positively augmented by a greater knowledge of its background; the only danger comes in the occasional temptation to over-analyze!
An immersive and entertaining tribute to Papa Haydn.
‘Tis done! Dread Winter spreads his latest glooms,
And reigns tremendous o’er the conquer’d year.
How dead the vegetable kingdom lies!
How dumb the tuneful! Horror wide extends
His melancholy empire. Here, fond man!
Behold thy pictur’d life; pass some few years,
Thy flowering Spring, thy Summer’s ardent strength,
Thy sober Autumn fading into age,
And pale concluding Winter comes at last
And shuts the scene. Ah! whither now are fled
Those dreams of greatness? those unsolid hopes
Of happiness? those longings after fame?
Those restless cares? those busy bustling days?
Those gay-spent festive nights? those veering thoughts,
Lost between good and ill, that shared thy life?
All now are vanish’d! Virtue sole survives,
Immortal, never-failing friend of man,
His guide to happiness on high...
- James Thomson (from ‘The Seasons – Winter’)
This was the first of Robert Greenberg's 'Great Masters' lectures that I read (I just came back here to offer a quick review) and I thought for sure, after the first 10 minutes or so, that Greenberg's paradoxical mix of pompous douchebaggery and layman's larrikinism was going to rub me the wrong way and force me to stop listening but to my pleasant surprise, he actually grew on me in a weird, embarrassing dad sort of way. We've all, at one time, uttered the words, "Stop it dad, you're embarassing me" but in most cases it's with an affectionately wry smile. It's not all his fault either; at the beginning of lecture 3 you can hear a woman laugh in the background at one of Greenberg's one-liners and then again multiple times throughout the series as he releases such pearlers as "sunk like a submarine with screen doors" or "What's this dissonance? Like a stone in our shoe! Like a letter from the IRS!" (paraphrased). So there's definitely some unwarranted encouragement there!
I knew little of Haydn's biography and only slightly more of his works, so the highly informative nature of the lectures and Greenberg's enthusiastic and always entertaining (if at times cringey) style didn't lose my attention for a moment of each of the eight 45 minute lectures.
While the brick and mortar of the lectures are an excellent combination of amusing anecdotes and very light, all-too-brisk compositional analyses, I found the most compelling and beneficial areas to be those in which Greenberg explains the personal and historical circumstances that influence the works being discussed. What was going on in the life and times of the composer that spurred him on to write such a piece? This can really animate a piece that you might otherwise take for granted and, in my opinion, instrumental music is always positively augmented by a greater knowledge of its background; the only danger comes in the occasional temptation to over-analyze!
An immersive and entertaining tribute to Papa Haydn.
December 3, 2024
Finally I found out why this prolific composer was known as "Papa Haydn." And no, it's not because he produced more offspring than J.S. Bach.
My heart really went out to this young man, half-starved, and always so hard working. Learning details about his life, I was so impressed by Haydn's character. And also by that good, solid music . . . which turned out to be far more creative that I used to assume.
FIVE STARS again for that irrepressible enlivener of music lovers like me, who have so much to learn -- and who enjoy learning so much, thanks to this magnificent teacher, the one and only Robert Greenberg.
My heart really went out to this young man, half-starved, and always so hard working. Learning details about his life, I was so impressed by Haydn's character. And also by that good, solid music . . . which turned out to be far more creative that I used to assume.
FIVE STARS again for that irrepressible enlivener of music lovers like me, who have so much to learn -- and who enjoy learning so much, thanks to this magnificent teacher, the one and only Robert Greenberg.
October 31, 2022
Another wonderful, informative and inspiring composer biography from Greenberg!
May 28, 2019
another incredible series by robert greenberg, could have gone on for another 20 hours and i wouldn’t have minded
May 21, 2024
Greenberg blends a short biography with analysis of how Haydn crafted the forms and styles of the classical age.
May 13, 2020
Man, I love Greenberg's Great Course offerings. He never fails to deliver a goldmine of information, and he does it with great energy and humor. (Bonus: This is an early GC in the series where the good professor is rocking his Freddie Mercury mustache.)
What I knew about Haydn prior to this course, you could have fit on a Post-it note. Father of classical music. The Surprise Symphony. That was about it. It's nice to discover there was a brilliant composer who managed to not be a neurotic mess or an anti-social cad. By almost all account, Haydn was a very decent, very sane, very hard-working man who had seen enough hardship to know when he had it good and managed to keep a sense of humor about things. That doesn't mean his life was boring in the least. And for those who crave drama, the postscript should have enough weirdness and drama to suit anyone. By all means, listen to the course, but if you can't wait, just look up "Haydn's head" on Wiki. I mean, WTAF, people? I hope Papa Haydn found his one mean bone and haunted them all to their dying days. Probably not, though.
What made this biography really stand out for me was the terrific storytelling of Haydn's last days, both the soldier who serenaded him and Haydn's final public appearance. Es werde Licht, indeed.
What I knew about Haydn prior to this course, you could have fit on a Post-it note. Father of classical music. The Surprise Symphony. That was about it. It's nice to discover there was a brilliant composer who managed to not be a neurotic mess or an anti-social cad. By almost all account, Haydn was a very decent, very sane, very hard-working man who had seen enough hardship to know when he had it good and managed to keep a sense of humor about things. That doesn't mean his life was boring in the least. And for those who crave drama, the postscript should have enough weirdness and drama to suit anyone. By all means, listen to the course, but if you can't wait, just look up "Haydn's head" on Wiki. I mean, WTAF, people? I hope Papa Haydn found his one mean bone and haunted them all to their dying days. Probably not, though.
What made this biography really stand out for me was the terrific storytelling of Haydn's last days, both the soldier who serenaded him and Haydn's final public appearance. Es werde Licht, indeed.
November 16, 2020
Greenberg’s Hayden was truly a great man. We sample the music from Hayden’s main phases, and we are shown how to best appreciate it, too. Plus, for me, getting some idea of how some of the great composers were connected was fascinating. Mozart and Hayden became very close, and each learned from the other. Hayden then heard and was influenced by Handel in London, and then Hayden’s “Creation” strongly influenced Beethoven.
April 8, 2018
As someone who has listened to a couple of series of lectures by this professor before [1], this lecture is full of the infectious enthusiasm he has for great composers and their wonderful music that I have heard before. As someone who has played and listened to Haydn's excellent music [2], this was a class I particularly enjoyed, not least because I had not been aware of how prolific Haydn's music was. I mean, I had heard that he wrote a lot, but I had no idea that he had composed more than 100 symphonies, which is a staggering pace for someone as a composer, especially someone who was a late bloomer as Haydn was. Likewise, Haydn's diverse talents and achievements as a composer are definitely something that is worth appreciating given the fact that his music is still an essential part of the classical repertoire and Haydn's music forms a bridge between the Baroque and Rococo periods and the Romanticism of Beethoven and those who followed him, making it easy to see why the period was so appealing that there was a neo-classical period after that.
The lectures themselves are generally in chronological order when talking about the life of Haydn. The instructor begins with a discussion about the early life of Hadyn as a poor child from a very modest background and looks at his musical education as a young tenor who avoided the terrible fate of becoming a castrati to preserve his treble voice (1). After this, the instructor talks about the lean years that Haydn faced after leaving an abusive school environment and his early compositions in a pre-classical style (2) and then talks about Haydn's disastrous marriage and his time in Esterhaza as a composer for a fantastically wealthy Hungarian noble (3), which continues on for the next lecture as well (4). After this the author talks about Haydn's mastery of the string quarter form as well as the classical symphony (5), which includes a lot of examples of Haydn's work. His first trip to London and what it meant for him is discussed next (6), after which the instructor talks about Haydn's difficult relationship with Beethoven, his second trip to London, and a breakthrough made in his professional life at a late age (7). The lectures then close with a discussion of Haydn's late oratorios "The Creation" and "The Seasons" and the end of his life, including some stories about his corpse and how it was treated (8).
While this lecture is definitely enjoyable in general, it is not a perfect one and there are at least a few comments I feel it necessary to make. The instructor appears in many points to be far too indulgent both to Hadyn's troublemaking tendencies as a young person as well as to his adulterous relationships, involving at least one likely illegitimate child, as an adult. The instructor seems to believe that if you are a talented composer than you do not need to be loyal to princes who wish to prevent you from finding out how much you are worth or to shrewish and unappreciative wives. I do not think there is an easy way out for talented people to avoid their responsibilities, but it is fairly easy to want to excuse people for less than honorable people when there are excuses that we would want to use to escape our burdensome obligations and duties ourselves. Yet despite these issues, most of the time the instructor wants to talk about Haydn's music, and that is definitely an enjoyable subject to listen to for me and likely for anyone who finds this course appealing.
[1] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
[2] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2014...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2011...
The lectures themselves are generally in chronological order when talking about the life of Haydn. The instructor begins with a discussion about the early life of Hadyn as a poor child from a very modest background and looks at his musical education as a young tenor who avoided the terrible fate of becoming a castrati to preserve his treble voice (1). After this, the instructor talks about the lean years that Haydn faced after leaving an abusive school environment and his early compositions in a pre-classical style (2) and then talks about Haydn's disastrous marriage and his time in Esterhaza as a composer for a fantastically wealthy Hungarian noble (3), which continues on for the next lecture as well (4). After this the author talks about Haydn's mastery of the string quarter form as well as the classical symphony (5), which includes a lot of examples of Haydn's work. His first trip to London and what it meant for him is discussed next (6), after which the instructor talks about Haydn's difficult relationship with Beethoven, his second trip to London, and a breakthrough made in his professional life at a late age (7). The lectures then close with a discussion of Haydn's late oratorios "The Creation" and "The Seasons" and the end of his life, including some stories about his corpse and how it was treated (8).
While this lecture is definitely enjoyable in general, it is not a perfect one and there are at least a few comments I feel it necessary to make. The instructor appears in many points to be far too indulgent both to Hadyn's troublemaking tendencies as a young person as well as to his adulterous relationships, involving at least one likely illegitimate child, as an adult. The instructor seems to believe that if you are a talented composer than you do not need to be loyal to princes who wish to prevent you from finding out how much you are worth or to shrewish and unappreciative wives. I do not think there is an easy way out for talented people to avoid their responsibilities, but it is fairly easy to want to excuse people for less than honorable people when there are excuses that we would want to use to escape our burdensome obligations and duties ourselves. Yet despite these issues, most of the time the instructor wants to talk about Haydn's music, and that is definitely an enjoyable subject to listen to for me and likely for anyone who finds this course appealing.
[1] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
[2] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2014...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2011...
November 30, 2025
First book of the year! This was really fun. Haydn seemed like a great guy. I need to explore his music further. The lecturer was entertaining and had lots of music samples for guided listening. Very happy about finding this series at my local library.
May 19, 2016
Great writing & great story-telling. Prof Greenberg could be a great voice-over actor, if he so wished!
January 6, 2022
The “Great Masters: Haydn His Life and Music” is a Teaching Company biographical course by Robert Greenberg. When it was released in 2000, Greenberg worked at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where he served in many roles to include Chair and Director of Curriculum for the Adult Division.
Greenberg’s lectures discuss how Haydn’s classical music composition style uses principles embedded in the art and architecture of Ancient Greece. His style is a balance of melody, form, and expression. It is the ideal musical style that stresses the beautiful, memorable, and vocally conceived musical melodies that have clarity of line, clear phrase, structure, and emotional constraint. In the Haydn musical composition of the 1780s we find the perfect blend of head, heart, emotion, good cheer, comedy, and tragedy. Greenberg’s presentation is done with humor and insight. His Haydn biography is engaging and wonderful. (P)
Greenberg’s lectures discuss how Haydn’s classical music composition style uses principles embedded in the art and architecture of Ancient Greece. His style is a balance of melody, form, and expression. It is the ideal musical style that stresses the beautiful, memorable, and vocally conceived musical melodies that have clarity of line, clear phrase, structure, and emotional constraint. In the Haydn musical composition of the 1780s we find the perfect blend of head, heart, emotion, good cheer, comedy, and tragedy. Greenberg’s presentation is done with humor and insight. His Haydn biography is engaging and wonderful. (P)
January 31, 2024
Robert Greenberg's lectures on Haydn was a pure pleasure to experience. His enthusiasm and exploration of Haydn's music and life kept me thoroughly entertained.
It should definitely be a must-read for anyone interested in classical music, if not for his place in the public imagination, his wonderfully good-natured or hard-working personality, then definitely for the pointers on WHAT music I should hunt down and listen to.
Honestly, I'm thoroughly impressed with his life and output. He was one of the only men that Mozart totally respected. And even though I've been a life-long listener of classical music, I never quite connected with this composer.
I guess, at long last, I have reason to. :)
It should definitely be a must-read for anyone interested in classical music, if not for his place in the public imagination, his wonderfully good-natured or hard-working personality, then definitely for the pointers on WHAT music I should hunt down and listen to.
Honestly, I'm thoroughly impressed with his life and output. He was one of the only men that Mozart totally respected. And even though I've been a life-long listener of classical music, I never quite connected with this composer.
I guess, at long last, I have reason to. :)
July 7, 2021
A good musical biography. Haydn generally doesn't get as much coverage as his "flashy" semi-contemporary Mozart, and as Greenberg points out, Haydn was a somewhat late-bloomer compared to many wunderkind composers. A good overview of Haydn's life (and difficulties with women... but not too much about that), the economic reality of his position, and plenty of musical excerpts.
Note that this is only about 6 hours of material, so it is by necessity a summary. It's pretty much chronological, with explaining Haydn's professional and personal development. It's very nice to hear of his grand reception in London, even if he may not have been fully appreciated in Vienna until the very end.
Note that this is only about 6 hours of material, so it is by necessity a summary. It's pretty much chronological, with explaining Haydn's professional and personal development. It's very nice to hear of his grand reception in London, even if he may not have been fully appreciated in Vienna until the very end.
April 6, 2020
(NOTE: I'm stingy with stars. For me 2 stars means a good book or a B. 3 stars means a very good book or a B+. 4 stars means an outstanding book or an A {only about 5% of the books I read merit 4 stars}. 5 stars means an all time favorite or an A+ {Only one of 400 or 500 books rates this!).
The great news is that I can listen to a book a day at work. The bad news is that I can’t keep up with decent reviews. So I’m going to give up for now and just rate them. I hope to come back to some of the most significant things I listen to and read them and then post a review.
The great news is that I can listen to a book a day at work. The bad news is that I can’t keep up with decent reviews. So I’m going to give up for now and just rate them. I hope to come back to some of the most significant things I listen to and read them and then post a review.
July 11, 2021
So interesting and enlightening. I think what struck me as so entirely fascinating in these lectures was learning about Haydn's and Mozart's friendship. Additionally, his persona was unpacked so articulately by Greenberg (per usual). I am now ready to listen to and appreciate more of Haydn's music. What a neat guy Haydn was, and Greenberg brought him to life in living color.
January 15, 2024
I listened to this program because I hadn't ever felt moved by Haydn's works and wanted to understand him better. I now absolutely love Haydn, particularly his string quartets which are just gorgeous and which this course introduced me to for the first time. I cried for him at the end.
February 15, 2019
Another wonderful book narrated by Greenberg. Lots of interesting facts about Haydn and some of his most famous pieces. Always love Greenberg's works!
September 19, 2021
Another fantastic course by professor Greenberg! Recommended for those interested in music history and classical music.
August 19, 2022
Good argument for why Haydn deserves more respect
October 11, 2022
The Course was very educational for me - I knew Haydn was great but not that Great.
August 1, 2023
Another fabulous Audiobook from Great Courses and, specifically, Robert Greenberg. At this point, I will listen to anything he wishes to talk about.
November 30, 2024
These lectures are so interesting and done with such enthusiasm, plus so informative. Learned so much about Haydn and about music in general. Terrific listen.
December 30, 2024
Audiobook/ lecture series with music synopses. Fascinating life. Nice short and sweet listen.
May 4, 2015
Professor Greenberg does a marvelous job of bringing Haydn's biography and music to life. The lectures were riveting and exciting delivered with passion and expression. I learned so much. The snippets of music we listened to at appropriate times were wonderful to make his point. I want to buy the full works of Haydn now! This is very worth listening to. Each lecture is about 45 minutes so if you have a commute to work or errands it is quite doable in a few weeks with only listening in the car.
December 15, 2014
Wonderful biographical lecture series about Haydn. My son (age 10) and I listened to it on drives to school and on other car trips and we both thoroughly enjoyed it.
February 22, 2015
海顿papa是一个老好人
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