Haydn

A compact critical biography surveys the life and work of a seminal eighteenth-century composer, following early training, a long middle period of prolific experimentation, and later public successes abroad. It analyzes compositional practice—movement structures, the diminishing role of counterpoint, growing emphasis on melody and folk-influenced themes—and evaluates the uneven value of a vast output, praising quartets, certain clavier pieces, sacred compositions, and the late symphonies and oratorios. The author also considers the composer's influence on contemporaries and successors and provides a guide to principal works.