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Of the large family born to the Rohrau wheelwright, two, besides
the great composer, devoted themselves to music.
The first, JOHANN EVANGELIST HAYDN, made some little reputation
as a vocalist, and was engaged in that capacity in the Esterhazy
Chapel. His health had, however, been delicate from the first,
and his professional career was far from prosperous.
JOHANN MICHAEL HAYDN was much more distinguished. Born in 1737,
he became, as we have seen, a chorister and solo-vocalist at St
Stephen's, Vienna. He was a good violinist, and played the organ
so well that he was soon able to act as deputy-organist at the
cathedral. In 1757 he was appointed Capellmeister to the Bishop
of Grosswardein, and in 1762 became conductor, and subsequently
leader and organist to Archbishop Sigismund of Salzburg. There he
naturally came in contact with Mozart, in whose biography his
name is often mentioned. Mozart on one occasion wrote two
compositions for him which the archbishop received as Michael
Haydn's. The Concertmeister was incapacitated by illness at the
time, and Mozart came to his rescue to save his salary, which the
archbishop had characteristically threatened to stop. Mozart also
scored several of his sacred works for practice.
Michael Haydn remained at Salzburg till his death in 1806. He had
the very modest salary of 24 pounds, with board and lodging, which
was afterwards doubled; but although he was more than once offered
preferment elsewhere, he declined to leave his beloved Salzburg.
He was happily married--in 1768--to a daughter of Lipp, the
cathedral organist; and with his church work, his pupils--among
whom were Reicha and Weber--and his compositions, he sought
nothing more. When the French entered Salzburg and pillaged the
city in 1801 he was among the victims, losing some property and
a month's salary, but his brother and friends repaired the loss
with interest. This misfortune led the Empress Maria Theresa to
commission him to compose a mass, for which she rewarded him
munificently. Another of his masses was written for Prince
Esterhazy, who twice offered him the vice-Capellmeistership
of the chapel at Eisenstadt. Joseph thought Michael too
straightforward for this post. "Ours is a court life," he said,
"but a very different one from yours at Salzburg. It is
uncommonly hard to do what you want." If any appointment could
have drawn him away from Salzburg it was this; and it is said
that he refused it only because he hoped that the chapel at
Salzburg would be reorganized and his salary raised.
Michael Haydn is buried in a side chapel of St Peter's Church,
Salzburg. A monument was erected in 1821, and over it is an
urn containing his skull. He is described by Pohl as "upright,
good-tempered and modest; a little rough in manners, and in later
life given to drink." His correspondence shows him to have been
a warm-hearted friend; and he had the same devout practice of
initialing his manuscripts as his brother. The latter thought
highly of him as a composer, declaring that his Church
compositions were superior to his own in earnestness, severity of
style and sustained power. When he asked leave to copy the canons
which hung in Joseph's bedroom at Vienna, Joseph replied: "Get
away with your copies; you can compose much better for yourself."
Michael's statement has often been quoted: "Give me good
librettos and the same patronage as my brother, and I should not
be behind him." This could scarcely have been the case, since,
as Pohl points out, Michael Haydn failed in the very qualities
which ensured his brother's success. As it was, he wrote a very
large number of works, most of which remained in manuscript.
A Mass in D is his best-known composition, though mention should
be made of the popular common-metre tune "Salzburg," adapted
from a mass composed for the use of country choirs. Michael
Haydn was nominated the great composer's sole heir, but his
death frustrated the generous intention.
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