Joseph Haydn

by Wendy Thompson

Introduces the life and works of the great composer, and sets him in the context of his times

48 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Wendy Thompson studied piano and violin at the Royal College of Music, London, and then musicology and French Baroque opera at King's College, London. She subsequently moved to publishing, working on the New Groove Dictionary of Music and the New Oxford Companion to Music, and was Editorial Director of Faber Music Limited from 1986-91. In between she spent six years working for the BBC's Music Information Department, and continued a parallel career as a freelance violinist.

In 1993 Wendy Thompson founded Classic Arts Productions Limited, an independent radio production company that provides distinguished music programmes for BBC Radio 3, including the award-winning weekly series Private Passions, the music quiz Full Score, and the series on 20th-century British music and poetry A Land Without Music?. Classic Arts has also recorded many live concerts and concert series.

Wendy Thompson has published several books, including Piano Competition: The Story of the Leeds, Mozart: A Bicentennial Tribute, titles on Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Debussy and Tchaikovsky in the Composer's World series, and biographies of Handel and Grieg. She provides programme notes on a regular basis for the BBC and the Philharmonia Orchestra, among others.

Reviews

[Stephanie Pieck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another in this excellent series of short biographies, chronicling the long and fruitful career of Haydn. The composer was fortunate to have had a very wealthy patron who employed him for many years. While this arrangement allowed him to experiment and develop his craft, Haydn chafed under the restrictions on his travel and composing music for people other than his patron. When his original patron died, Haydn's duties were decreased, and he was finally free to explore other opportunities, including lucrative and happy years in London. Generous and encouraging, he acknowledged the talents of younger composers such as Mozart and Beethoven. perhaps More than any other composer, Haydn embodied all the musical forms of the Classical era, and his symphonies, quartets, and concerti continue to delight and reward listeners and students around the world.

[David Dunlap · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-done biography for younger readers of the great Austrian composer, the Father of the Symphony AND the String Quartet. Profusely illustrated, too. I enjoyed this -- and learned more than I might have expected!