Haydn

Father of the symphony and string quartet

The inventor of the classical style. Over a career of extraordinary productivity — 104 symphonies, 68 string quartets, oratorios, operas — he developed sonata form, the string quartet, and the symphony into the vehicles that would carry Beethoven and all who followed.

Key works

• Symphony No. 104 "London"1795— The last and finest of 104
• The Creation1798— Oratorio rivaling Handel's Messiah
• String Quartet Op. 76 No. 31797— The Emperor Quartet

Connections

External