Haydn by J. Cuthbert Hadden (books you need to read TXT) 📖

a talent upon me, and I thank Him for it. I think I have done my duty, and been of use in my generation by my works. Let others do the same."

 

APPENDIX A: HAYDN'S LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT

 

The following draft of Haydn's will is copied from Lady Wallace's Letters of Distinguished Musicians (London, 1867), where it was published in full for the first time. The much-corrected original is in the Court Library at Vienna. Dies says: "Six weeks before his death, in April 1809, he read over his will to his servants in the presence of witnesses, and asked them whether they were satisfied with his provisions or not. The good people were quite taken by surprise at the kindness of their master's heart, seeing themselves thus provided for in time to come, and they thanked him with tears in their eyes." The extracts given by Dies vary in some particulars from the following, because Haydn's final testamentary dispositions were made at a later date. But, as Lady Wallace says, it is not the legal but the moral aspect of the affair that interests us. Here we see epitomized all the goodness and beauty of Haydn's character. The document runs as follows:

FLORINS.

For holy masses,........................................12 To the Norman School,....................................5 To the Poorhouse,........................................5 To the executor of my will.............................200 And also the small portrait of Grassi. To the pastor,..........................................10 Expenses of my funeral, first-class,...................200 To my dear brother Michael, in Salzburg,..............4000 To my brother Johann, in Eisenstadt,..................4000 To my sister in Rohrau (erased, and written underneath): "God have mercy on her soul! To the three children of my sister,".........................2000 To the workwoman in Esterhazy, Anna Maria Moser, nee Frohlichin,........................................500 To the workwoman in Rohrau, Elisabeth, nee Bohme,......500 To the two workwomen there (erased, and replaced by: "To the shoemaker, Anna Loder, in Vienna"),........200 Should she presume to make any written claims, I declare them to be null and void, having already paid for her and her profligate husband, Joseph Lungmayer, more than 6000 gulden. To the shoemaker in Garhaus, Theresa Hammer,............500 To her son, the blacksmith, Matthias Frohlich,..........500

15.&16. To the eldest child of my deceased sister, Anna Wimmer, and her husband, at Meolo, in Hungary,.....500

To her married daughter at Kaposwar,....................100 To the other three children (erased),...................300 To the married Dusse, nee Scheeger,.....................300 To her imbecile brother, Joseph (erased),...............100 To her brother, Karl Scheeger, silversmith, and his wife,...................................................900 To the son of Frau von Koller,..........................300 To his son (erased),....................................100 To the sister of my late wife (erased). To my servant, Johann Elssler,.........................2500 Also one year's wages, likewise a coat, waistcoat and a pair of trousers. (According to Griesinger, Haydn bequeathed a capital of 6000 florins to this faithful servant and copyist.) To Rosalia Weber, formerly in my service,...............300 (She has a written certificate of this from me.) To my present maid-servant, Anna Kremnitzer,...........1000 And a year's wages in addition. Also, her bed and bedding and two pairs of linen sheets; also, four chairs, a table, a chest of drawers, the watch, the clock and the picture of the Blessed Virgin in her room, a flat-iron, kitchen utensils and crockery, one water-pail, and other trifles. To my housekeeper, Theresia Meyer,......................500 And one year's wages,.................................20 To my old gardener, Michel,..............................24 To the Prince's Choir for my obsequies, to share alike (erased),......................................100 To the priest (erased),..................................12 To the pastor in Eisenstadt for a solemn mass,............5 To his clerk,.............................................2 To the beneficiary,.......................................2 To Pastor von Nollendorf,.................................2 To Pastor von St Georg,...................................2 To the sexton (erased from 33),...........................1 To the organ-bellows' blower,.............................1 To the singer, Babett,...................................50 To my cousin, the saddler's wife, in Eisenstadt,.........50 To her daughter,........................................300 To Mesdemoiselles Anna and Josepha Dillin,..............100 To the blind daughter of Herr Graus, leader of the choir in Eisenstadt (erased),.......................100 To the four sisters Sommerfeld, daughters of the wigmaker in Presburg,...............................200 To Nannerl, daughter of Herr Weissgerb, my neighbour (erased),......................................50 To Herr Art, merchant in the Kleine Steingasse,..........50 To the pastor in Rohrau,.................................12 To the schoolmaster in Rohrau,............................6 To the school children,...................................3 To Herr Wamerl, formerly with Count v. Harrach,..........50 To his present cashier,..................................50 To Count v. Harrach for the purpose of defraying the bequests Nos. 51 and 52, I bequeath an obligation of 6000 florins at 5 per cent., the interest to be disposed of as follows:

To the widow Aloysia Polzelli, formerly singer at Prince Nikolaus Esterhazy's, payable in ready money six weeks after my death,................100

And each year, from the date of my death, for her life, the interest of the above capital,............150

After her death her son, Anton Polzelli, to receive 150 florins for one year, having always been a good son to his mother and a grateful pupil to me. N.B.--I hereby revoke the obligation in Italian, signed by me, which may be produced by Mdme. Polzelli, otherwise so many of my poor relations with greater claims would receive too little. Finally, Mdme. Polzelli must be satisfied with the annuity of 150 florins. After her death the half of the above capital, viz., 3000 florins, to be divided into two shares--one-half (1500) to devolve on the Rohrau family, for the purpose of keeping in good order the monument erected to me by Count von Harrach, and also that of my deceased father at the door of the sacristy. The other half to be held in trust by the Count, and the annual interest of the sum, namely, 45 florins, to be divided between any two orphans in Rohrau.

To my niece, Anna Lungmayer, payable six weeks after my death,..........................................100 Likewise a yearly annuity to her husband and herself,....150 All these legacies and obligations, and also the proceeds of the sale of my house and legal costs, to be paid within one year of my death; all the other expenses to be deducted from the sum of ready money in the hands of the executors, who must account to the heir for the same. On their demise this annuity to go to their children until they come of age, and after that period the capital to be equally divided among them. Of the remaining 950 florins, 500 to become the property of my beloved Count v. Harrach, as the depositary of my last will and testament, and 300 I bequeath to the agent for his trouble. The residue of 150 florins to go to my stepmother, and, if she be no longer living, to her children. N.B.--Should Mdme. Lungmayer or her husband produce any document signed by me for a larger sum, I wish it to be understood, as in the case of Mdme. Polzelli, that it is to be considered null and void, as both Mdme. Lungmayer and her husband, owing to my great kindness, lavished more than 6000 florins of mine during my life, which my own brother and the citizens in Oedenberg and Eisenstadt can testify.

(From No. 51 is repeatedly and thickly scored out.)

To the widow Theresia Eder and her two daughters, lacemakers,...............................................150 To my pupil, Anton Polzelli,..............................100 To poor blind Adam in Eisenstadt,..........................24 To my gracious Prince, my gold Parisian medal and the letter that accompanied it, with a humble request to grant them a place in the museum at Forchtentein. To Mdlle. C. Czeck, waiting-woman to Princess Graschalkowitz (erased),.................................1000 To Fraulein Anna Bucholz,.................................100 Inasmuch as in my youth her grandfather lent me 150 florins when I greatly needed them, which, however, I repaid fifty years ago. To the daughter of the bookkeeper, Kandler, my piano, by the organ-builder Schanz. The small Parisian medal to Count v. Harrach, and also the bust a l'antique of Herr Grassi. To the widow Wallnerin in Schottenhof,....................100 To the Father Prior Leo in Eisenstadt, of the "Brothers of Mercy,".......................................50 To the Hospital for the Poor in Eisenstadt (erased),.......75

For the ratification of this my last will and testament, I have written it entirely in my own hand, and earnestly beg the authorities to consider it, even if not strictly or properly legal, in the light at least of a codicil, and to do all in their power to make it valid and binding.

JOSEPH HAYDN. May 5, 1801.

Should God call me away suddenly, this my last will and testament, though not written on stamped paper, to be considered valid in law, and the stamps to be repaid tenfold to my sovereign.

In the name of the Holy Trinity. The uncertainty of the period when it may please my Creator, in His infinite wisdom, to call me from time into eternity has caused me, being in sound health, to make my last will with regard to my little remaining property. I commend my soul to my all-merciful Creator; my body I wish to be interred, according to the Roman Catholic forms, in consecrated ground. A first-class funeral. For my soul I bequeath No. 1.

Joseph Haydn

Vienna, Dec. 6, 1801

 

APPENDIX B: CATALOGUE OF WORKS

 

There are unusual difficulties in the way of compiling a thoroughly satisfactory catalogue of Haydn's instrumental works. From the want of any generally-accepted consecutive numbering, and the fact that several are in the same key, this is particularly the case with the symphonies. Different editions have different numberings, and the confusion is increased by a further re-numbering of the piano symphonic scores arranged for two and four hands. In Breitkopf & Hartel's catalogue many works are included among the symphonies which are also found among the smaller compositions, and others are catalogued twice. Even the composer himself, in compiling his thematic catalogue, made mistakes. In the present list we have been content for the most part to state the numbers of the various instrumental works, without attempting to notify each individual composition. Indeed, to do otherwise would have called for an extensive use of music type. Nor have we thought it necessary to include the supposititious and doubtful works, for which Pohl's list may be consulted.

INSTRUMENTAL

125 symphonies, including overtures to operas and plays. Of these 94 are published in parts, 40 in score; 29 remain in MS. About 40 have been arranged for pianoforte 2 hands, 60 for 4 hands, 10 for 8 hands.

Pohl gives a thematic list of the 12 symphonies composed for Salomon, numbered in the order of their occurrence in the catalogue of the London Philharmonic Society. These include:

TITLE OF WORK KEY DATE

"The Surprise" G major 1791

"The Clock," referring D minor 1794 to the Andante

"The Military" G major 1794

Other symphonies known by their titles are:

TITLE OF WORK KEY DATE

"Le Matin" D major "Le Midi" C major "Le Soir" G major 1761 "The Farewell" A major 1772 "Maria Theresa" C major 1773 "The Schoolmaster" E flat 1774 "Feuer Symphonie" (probably overture to "Die Feuersbrunst") A major 1774 "La Chasse" D major 1780 "Toy" Symphony C major 1780 "La Reine de France" B major for Paris, 1786 "The Oxford" G major 1788

"The Seven Words from the Cross." Originally for orchestra. Arranged first for 2 violins, viola and bass; afterwards for soli, chorus and orchestra.

66 various compositions for wind and strings, separately and combined, including divertimenti, concerted pieces, etc.

7 notturnos or serenades for the lyre. 7 marches. 6 scherzandos. 1 sestet. Several quintets. 1 "Echo" for 4 violins and 2 'cellos. "Feld-partien" for wind instruments and arrangements from baryton pieces. 12 collections of minuets and allemands. 31 concertos: 9 violin, 6 'cello, 1 double bass, 5 lyre, 3 baryton, 2 flute, 3 horn, 1 for 2 horns, 1 clarino (1796). 175 baryton pieces. Arrangements were published of several of these in 3 parts, with violin (or flute), viola or 'cello as principal. 1 duet for 2 lutes. 2 trios for lute, violin and 'cello. 1 sonata for harp, with flute and bass. Several pieces for a musical clock. A solo for harmonica. 6 duets for violin solo, with viola accompaniments. The numerous printed duets for 2 violins are only arrangements from his other works. 30 trios: 20 for 2 violins and bass, 1 for violin solo, viola concertante and bass, 2 for flute, violin and bass, 3 for 3 flutes, 1 for corno di caccia, violin and 'cello. 77 quartets. The first 18 were published in 3 series; the next is in MS.; then 1 printed separately; 54 in 9 series of 6 Nos. each; 2 more and the last.

CLAVIER MUSIC

20 concertos and divertimenti: 1 concerto is with principal violin, 2 only (G and D) have been printed; the last alone survives. 38 trios: 35 with violin and 'cello, 3 with flute and 'cello Only 31 are printed. 53 sonatas and