Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)

Born in Autria in 1732, Haydn was the son of a wheelwright. His musical education began in St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, where he was a choristor. His first compositions showed the influence of CPE Bach (son of Johann Sebastien)

In later years he became court composer to the wealthy Esterhazy family and wrote a large volume of music especially for them, including symphonies and string quartets. In all he wrote 104 symphonies, and earned the nickname 'Father of the Symphony'

Haydn helped to establish some of the most important forms in Classical music, many of which are still used by composers to this day. These include sonata form, the string quartet and the modern symphony.