Haydn at Esterhazy

Synopsis

On today’s date in 1773, the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa was visiting the country estate of Prince Nikolaus of Esterhazy. Among the attractions there were an opera house, a marionette theater, and the Prince’s impressive chamber orchestra led by Franz Joseph Haydn.

It’s possible that Haydn’s Symphony No. 48 was performed for the Empress — in any case, this symphony came to be nicknamed the “Maria Theresa.” We do know that Haydn and his orchestra did perform for the Empress — and that they were all dressed up in Chinese costumes for one performance during her visit! Among other “duties as assigned,” Haydn shot three wild game hens that were cooked up for the Empress’s dinner. Ah, the life of a court musician in the 18th century!

It’s also reported that Haydn told the Empress an amusing story from his childhood in Vienna. Apparently repair work was being done on St. Stephens Cathedral when Haydn was a boy soprano in the Cathedral Choir. The Empress was annoyed at the racket made by choirboys playing on the scaffolding and ordered that the next one caught playing up there would get a spanking. The following day Haydn climbed the scaffold, was caught, and received the promised punishment.

Apparently they both got a good laugh out of recalling the story.

Music Played in Today's Program

Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) Symphony No. 48 in C (Maria Theresa) Polish Chamber Orchestra; Jerzy Maksymiuk, cond EMI Classics 69767

On This Day

Births

• 1661 - German composer and organist Georg Böhm, in Hohenkirchen (near Ohrdruf), Thuringia;

• 1862 - Dutch composer Alphons Diepenbrock, in Amsterdam;

• 1917 - Brazilian composer and guitarist Laurindo Almeida, in São Paulo;

• 1953 - American composer John Zorn, in New York City;

Deaths

• 1875 - Depressed by the failure of his commercial ventures, violinist and conductor Ureli Corelli Hill, age 73, commits suicide by swallowing morphine in Patterson, New Jersey; Hill had played in the pit orchestra for the first performances of Italian opera in New York City staged by Manuel Garcia in 1825; He conducted the first American performance of Handel's "Messiah" with orchestral accompaniment in 1831; In 1842, he was one of the founding members of the New York Philharmonic, served as its first president, conducted portions of its first concert, and performed with the orchestra until 1873, when he retired due to his age;

• 1996 - American composer Otto Luening, age 96, in New York;

Premieres

• 1924 - Rudolf Friml: operetta, "Rose Marie," to rave reviews, in New York;

• 1960 - Walton: Symphony No. 2 at the Edinburgh Festival by the Royal Liverpool Orchestra conducted by John Pritchard;

• 1966 - Nino Rota: ballet, "La Strada" (The Road) (after his score for the Fellini film), at La Scala in Milan;

• 1972 - Penderecki: Cello Concerto, at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland;

• 1975 - Kokkonen: opera "The Last Temptations" in Helsinki;

• 1980 - Peter Maxwell Davies: opera "The Lighthouse," in Edinburgh;

• 1992 - Reimann: opera "Das Schloss" (The Castle), after the novel by Franz Kafka, in Berlin at the Deutsche Oper;

Others

• 1773 - The Empress Maria Therese is entertained by Haydn's chamber orchestra at the country estate of Prince Nicholas of Esterhazy. It is possible, but not certain, that Haydn's Symphony No. 48 was performed on this occasion (The symphony known today by the nickname "Maria Therese").