Joseph Haydn
Although he didn't invent the genre, the "father of the symphony", who composed
around a hundred of them, did define its classical form, as he did for the
string quartet. A prolific and influential musician, Joseph Haydn retained his
creativity right up to the end of his life, marked by sacred works such as The
Creation. Born in Rohrau, Lower Austria, on March 31, 1732, Franz Joseph Haydn
was the son of a village wheelwright and a former cook, who shared their love of
music. The second of twelve children, two of his brothers chose the same path:
composer Michael Haydn (1737-1806)...
