Haydn's Friends

CHAPTER 1

It was a gloomy day for Franz Joseph Haydn, he was kicked out of St. Stephen's choir because his voice matured. It happened in 1749. He was devastated, children bullied him while he was walking on the dirty streets.

When he returned home, his younger brother, Michael told him not to worry because even if it means he can't sing high pitched parts of the church, at least he can sing at operas. Haydn was angry without realizing his little brother was joking.

Around that week, he pranked a chorister by snipping his pigtail while he was sitting down minding his own business. Then, Haydn sticked his tongue out saying: You deserve that you fool. George Reutter the younger, Haydn's teacher who even barely fed him kicked and caned him in the rear end. Of course Haydn was humiliated but he tried to hide it, he sang in the most annoying voice ever. "INTO THE STREETS YOU GO, YOUNG MAN!!!" Reutter yelled at him and Haydn walked away, the other boys laughing at him. "Wow. His voice is really unattractive. Its like a crowing bird." One chuckled. "Empress Maria Teresa was right after all." Another one blurted out.

Haydn prayed at his friend Johann Michael Spangler's house. He prayed to have a real friend someday. And at the year 1760, he married Maria Anna Keller. He wasn't very close to her and he told her that he only married her because she looks friendly but she is not that approachable after all. "Why don't you blame the Lord for having me as your spouse?" She asked. But Haydn was religious and he did not blame God. And every night, he cannot sleep well because his desire for friendship wasn't fulfilled.

The next year, he worked for The Esterhazy family as a Kappelmeister. He was feeling happy in there but he had no real friends. As Haydn aged, he became stressed. Luckily he composed many symphonies.

One night, he wrote a letter to his wife saying that he gives up on finding a friend. Of course she never replied to the letter which enraged him. Actually he had many friends but he didn't consider them as geniune. But it will all change two decades later.

There was a musician's benefit concert in December 1783 at Vienna. Haydn was rehearsing his musicians and he heard a laughter. It sounded like scraping glass. He turned around and he saw a short pale young man named Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Haydn first performed his music, Cello Sonata In D Major, and Mozart performed his Violin Concerto no. 3 next. But when he performed, it was more amazing than Haydn's music. The crowd went wild. Haydn asked a man beside him if that man was truly Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart because he heard many wild stories from him. His answer was yes.

That night, Haydn was feeling happy. He told his wife about Mozart. "Oh you mean that wonder boy?" She asked. "Yes. He and his elder sister performed for royals when they were little kids. That is astounding, you know?" He said. His wife wasn't interested. Haydn yelled at her and he told her that he will replace Mozart as his friend. But Maria Anna Keller smirked. And Haydn walked out.

While he was playing the piano, Haydn began to talk to The Esterhazy family about his desire to be friends with Mozart. Nikolaus I supported him and he told him that he needs to impress the young man because Mozart was already hard to impress. Haydn arranged a meeting with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. His desire to be friends with him grew stronger.

Mozart and Haydn met for the second time. They ate together and they played together. Mozart tells many crude jokes and Haydn laughs even though he didn't get the joke. Mozart called him papa which melts his heart. By 1785, Mozart dedicated his newest string quartets to Haydn. And Mozart told him to play the violin while he plays viola. Haydn was feeling nervous. "What if I make a mistake. I don't want to upset you!" He said. But Mozart insisted him to play with him. And so the two began to play and they had so much fun. And Mozart decided to invite Haydn to join his mason lodge. And Haydn liked it. After a few months, Haydn would watch Mozart's operas like Don Giovanni and Abduction from The Seraglio and Mozart would watch him compose his chamber music.

By 1790, a new Esterhazy prince, Anton I wasn't interested in music and he paid Haydn few bucks. Haydn decided to go to London after his friend Salomon suggested it to him but Mozart tried to stop him.

"Papa Haydn. You barely speak any languages. How can you survive in there?" Mozart asked him. "My language is music, my boy. And everyone can understand that language called music." Haydn replied. The two embraced each other. "I will see you next year." Haydn told him but little did he know that the exact year after this happened, Mozart would die. When Haydn was at London and he heard the news about his death, He cried. He watched The Magic Flute, Mozart's last opera performed at London. He couldn't stop crying and they had to ask him to leave during The Papageno and Papagena duet. He lost his friend and Haydn remembers a man he met on December 26, 1790. It was Ludwig van Beethoven.