Franz Joseph Haydn

Franz Joseph Haydn (pronounced ) (Rohrau, Holy Roman Empire, 31 March 1732 – Vienna, Austrian Empire, 31 May 1809), known as Joseph Haydn, was an Austrian composer. He is one of the leading figures of the Classical period and is also known as the "father of the symphony" and the "father of the string quartet", thanks to his important contributions to both genres. He also contributed to the instrumental development of the piano trio and to the evolution of sonata form.

He lived his entire life in Austria and spent much of his career as a court musician for the wealthy and aristocratic Esterházy family of Hungary. Isolated from other composers and musical trends until the last stretch of his life, he was, as he put it, "forced to be original". At the time of his death, he was one of the most celebrated composers in all of Europe.

He was the brother of Michael, who was also considered a good composer, and of Johann Evangelist, a tenor. He had a close friendship with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, of whom it is even believed he may have been a mentor, and he was the teacher of Ludwig van Beethoven. The complete list of the composer's works can be consulted in the Hoboken catalogue, a system of ordering created by Anthony van Hoboken.