TH 270 - lists Haydn together with Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Schumann, and Glinka as examples of the type of 'hard-working artist' who concentrated on his music rather than seeking to draw attention to himself by championing various 'theories' or causes (as in the case of Wagner).TH 266 - Tchaikovsky calls Haydn the 'father of all contemporary music', emphasizes how he had devoted his finest energies to chamber music, and after hearing a 'delightfully naïve and cheerful' string quartet by him exhorts the Russian Musical Society to feature as many of Haydn's quartets as possible in its concert programmes.Gott Erhalte Franz den Kaiser (1874) - arrangement of Haydn's music for the Austrian National Anthem (1797).īold references indicate particularly detailed or interesting references.Taking Beethoven as his bench-mark (as Tchaikovsky frequently did), there was not so much in 'good old' Haydn's music that could stand such a comparison.

With the exception of Mozart, whom he had loved ever since his youth and to whom he remained faithful right to the very end, and quite possibly Haydn, too, who interested him in patches, he was indifferent to all music before Beethoven.'. In the obituary which Laroche published shortly after Tchaikovsky's death, he noted how, notwithstanding his love of the eighteenth century in general, ' archaic tastes did not extend to the music of that age. However, despite all the respect he felt for Haydn's vital contribution to the development of classical music and his hard-working ethos, there was not enough warmth and content in his works, as Tchaikovsky saw it (see the references listed below). Even in later years he would sometimes play through Haydn's works on the piano. Tchaikovsky was certainly familiar with a fair amount of Haydn's prolific output, as during his years at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory he had played the flute in the student orchestra, and Haydn symphonies were frequently on the repertoire. Nevertheless, Laroche added, it was characteristic of Tchaikovsky's firm conviction about the importance of German classical music that he should have recommended the board of directors of the Russian Musical Society to feature as many of Haydn's string quartets as possible in the concerts it organized. 4.1 In Tchaikovsky's Music Review ArticlesĪs Herman Laroche emphasized in the Foreword to his 1898 edition of his late friend's music review articles, Haydn was not one of Tchaikovsky's favourite composers.3.1 In Tchaikovsky's Music Review Articles.

Franz joseph haydn 1732 1809