Haydn and folk music: Encyclopedia II - Haydn and folk music - Background

Haydn and folk music - Background

Haydn was of humble family, perhaps unusually so for a famous composer. His parents were working people (his mother a former cook, his father a master wheelwright) living in an obscure rural village, and they had no musical training. This is not to say they were unmusical, however. It seems likely that Haydn's father, at least, was a skilled folk musician. While a journeyman wheelwright, Mathias Haydn taught himself to play the harp, and according to the oldest biographies of Haydn (written with the help of interviews with the composer), the Haydn family frequently sang together as well as with their neighbors.

Before he reached the age of six, Haydn was sent away from his family to receive formal musical training. But since even at this tender age, the child was already showing obvious musical talent, it seems fair to say that Haydn began his musical career as a folk musician.

The connection remained with him for the rest of his life. Throughout his career, Haydn took advantage of folk tunes, deploying them in strategic locations in his music. It is also thought that many of the Haydn's original tunes were strongly influenced by the folk idiom.

In the adapted tunes, scholars have noted Haydn's ability to transcend his folk material. Sometimes, the tune is used unaltered, but subjected to a sophisticated musical development. Sometimes the tune is altered, becoming less symmetrical and musically more interesting and expressive. As William H. Hadow pointed out, Haydn typically keeps the beginning of a tune and modifies the end.

Haydn borrowed folk tunes from several ethnic groups, including Austrians, gypsies, and Croatians.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Background", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki