Introduction
Joseph Haydn is a famous composer who was born in Austria in the eighteenth century (Summerer 6). He wrote numerous amount of symphonies and was often referred to as “the Father of the Symphony” (Summerer 5). He had a significant impact on music development (Summerer 5). This paper presents a comparative study of Chakwin’s and Teachout’s readings about this historical composer. His era, musical compositions, popularity, and how his works relate to those of another composer were chosen as the main aspects of comparison.
Era of living
Chatwin’s opinion and description
Both of the authors share similar opinions about the era when Haydn was living. According to Chakwin, Joseph Haydn was living in the era of famous composers such as Mozart (48). Nonetheless, Haydn’s input into musical development is immense, even though he was living at the same time with talented composers who might be discovered as a potential rivalry (Chakwin 48). The meaning of these ideas can be understood as Chakwin points out the ingenuity of Haydn compared to the other composers (48). It seems that the author is inspired by Haydn and tries to pay attention to the exceptional characteristics of the composer.
Teachout’s opinion and description
Speaking about Teachout’s opinion about the era of the most famous nineteenth-century composers, he points out that Haydn became very popular while he was still alive (64). A majority of the European population in the eighteen hundreds adored Haydn’s music (Teachout 65). It is rather surprising since other popular composers became famous only after their deaths (Teachout 64). Meanwhile, such composers as Mozart and Beethoven were preferred by “contemporary groups” of society (Teachout 65). It can be said that the main goal of Teachout’s comparison of Haydn’s popularity with other famous composers can be understood, as Haydn was able to stand out of talented composers, and stay famous and popular while living in the rapidly emerging music era.
Music style, attitude, and amount
Teachout’s opinion and description
While analyzing the quantity of music and its style, Teachout claims that the first notable fact of Haydn’s music is its amount (64). Moreover, the quality to inspiration ratio is remarkable (Teachout 64). It is hard not to notice from Teachout’s detailed description of amusement of Haydn’s works, that Haydn was an important figure in music history and his works inspired the author to write the article and share his feelings with his readers (Teachout 64). Chatwin is also amused by the quantity of Haydn’s (Chakwin 48). Moreover, both authors of the readings share a similar opinion on this matter; they are inspired by Haydn’s amount of works produced.
Speaking specifically about the music style and expression of feelings and emotions, both of the authors have similar word expressions to describe Haydn’s music creations. Teachout uses a significant amount of different adjectives to describe the music: “Some are wittier, some more emotionally penetrating, some more obviously “serious” in tone” (65). Additionally, the author points out Haydn’s sense of humor that he expressed through his music (Teachout 65). Haydn showed some incredible techniques of music composing which make listeners to “laugh out loud” (Teachout 65). The author of the reading is undoubtedly inspired by Haydn’s wittiness and his ability to express feelings with the help of musical compositions.
Chatwin’s opinion and description
As it was mentioned earlier, Chakwin expresses a similar opinion about an enormous amount of Haydn’s music (48). Moreover, the author describes Haydn’s musical compositions as “catchy tunes, some corny jokes, some spectacular instrumental effects” (Chakwin 49). From these words, it is clear that Chakwin also admires Haydn’s humor and his thoughtful tunes, which express a plethora of different feelings (49).
How his works related to those of the other composer
Chatwin’s opinion and description
In terms of the relation of Haydn’s work to the works of other composers, Chakwin claims that Haydn was the inventor of classical music, and musical compositions, which appeared later, are modifications or followers of his creations (48). It can be concluded that Chakwin refers to Haydn as a creator of classical music (48). However, the author points out that Bach and Telemann are the only competitors of Haydn in terms of music composition, but their contribution to the music development is nothing compared to Haydn’s devotion (Chakwin 48).
Teachout’s opinion and description about Mozart
It seems that Teachout uses a quotation from Arturo Toscanini where he explains that he finds Mozart “boring” compared to Haydn, to emphasize his attitude towards Mozart (63). Moreover, Teachout compares the amount of work done by Mozart and Haydn (63). It seems that the author tries to point out the high level of productivity of Haydn. The authors understand the effort done by Mozart. However, the authors of both readings point to the dominance and excellence of Haydn compared with the other composers of the same time.
Teachout’s opinion and description about similarities with Mozart
Nevertheless, at some point in the article Teachout, expresses that Mozart and Haydn had some similarities in their musical attitude (63). According to Teachout, the music was “not only essentially dramatic, but mainly comedic, and in their art-forms greatness is always expressed in terms of symmetry” (63). It is clear that the author tries to show matching characteristics of two completely different composers, this fact brings comparison to the completely new level, since previously, Mozart and Haydn were compared by work amounts, but not my style. In turn, Chakwin does not provide any comparison with Mozart, since the author’s work is mainly focused on the execution of Haydn’s compositions (49).
Teachout’s opinion and description about Beethoven
Another important aspect regarding the relation of Haydn’s work to other composers is the fact that Haydn was misunderstood and undervalued by the romantics” (Teachout 65). Haydn’s work and his personality were modest, clear, and with a sense of humor, but some people did not share his beliefs and preferred Beethoven (Teachout 65). However, it does not make Beethoven Haydn’s rivalry, since his work was only preferred by a limited amount of people, meanwhile, Haydn was known globally.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it can be said that Chakwin and Teachout have similar opinions about Haydn’s impact on classical music. Both authors believe that Haydn was a key figure in the development of music compositions and could compose a countless number of various symphonies and other musical compositions. He was able to reflect his feelings, ideas, and attitude with the help of music. Chatwin and Teachout point out his sense of humor, which he expressed in his tunes, and refer to his music as highly emotional and interesting to listen to. However, it has to be mentioned that Teachout claims that Mozart and Haydn had similarities in attitude. Nevertheless, it does not bring Mozart to the same level of contribution to the music development as Haydn. Both of the authors were motivated and inspired by his effort and contribution to classical music and shared their feelings and opinions regarding his actions in their articles.
Works Cited
Chakwin, Stephen. “Overview: Haydn. American Record Guide.” American Record Guide 65.2 (2002): 48-59. Print.
Summerer, Eric Michael. Franz Joseph Haydn. New York: PowerKids Press, 2006. Print.
Teachout, Terri. “Haydn!” Commentary 119.1 (2005): 63-66. Print.