Background

Composers of the Year (Radio 3) and The Birth of British Music (BBC Two) is a celebration of the lives of four magnificent composers throughout 2009. The year marks the 350th anniversary of Henry Purcell's birth, the 250th anniversary of G F Handel's death, the 200th anniversary of Joseph Haydn's death and the 200th anniversary of Felix Mendelssohn's birth.

Most people know Joseph Haydn as Austria’s great master of Classical style, and the man who taught Mozart and Beethoven. As the composer of some of the world’s best-loved symphonies, oratorios, concertos and chamber music, his fame was truly international. Haydn arrived in England on New Year’s Day, 1791 – it was the first time ever that he’d been allowed to leave his noble masters at Esterhazy, near the Hungarian border, and it was Britain that he chose to make his destination. Right from the start, he enjoyed a level of fame and adulation here that was unprecedented for a composer of ‘classical music’ – his presence here marked a turning point not only in musical culture, but also in his music.
 

For more information on BBC Radio 3 Composers of the Year visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/composers/

Need the Music

You will find links on the right hand side of this page to Sheet Music for Haydn's Choral works works. To purchase them click on the links.