Haydn for kids: his life, his music, and what to play first

Joseph Haydn was an Austrian composer who lived from 1732 to 1809. He wrote more than 100 symphonies, and people call him the father of the symphony. He had a warm sense of humor, and it shows in his music. The best first piece for a child is the second movement of the Surprise Symphony, where a quiet tune ends with one sudden, loud chord.

This guide gives you the story, the sound, and five pieces to try.

Quick facts

• Born: 1732, in Rohrau, Austria
• Died: 1809, in Vienna, Austria
• Era: Classical
• Played: violin and keyboard
• Known for: 104 numbered symphonies and 68 string quartets

The life in short

Haydn was born in a small village. His father built and fixed wagon wheels. Nobody in the family read music, but they sang together in the evenings, and little Joseph sang in tune.

At about eight he was chosen to sing in the choir of the great cathedral in Vienna. He lived at the choir school and learned music by doing it every day. When his voice changed in his teens, the choir let him go. He spent the next years poor, teaching and playing wherever he could, and studying on his own.

In 1761 his luck turned. The Esterházy family, one of the richest in the region, hired him. He stayed with them for about 30 years. He led their orchestra, and he wrote the music for their concerts, church services, and opera house. The palace was far from the city. Haydn said later that being cut off from the world forced him to become original.

He was kind to his players, and they called him Papa Haydn. He was a friend of Mozart and, for a time, a teacher of the young Beethoven.

Late in life he traveled to London twice. The crowds loved him. He wrote his last twelve symphonies for those trips, including the Surprise. He died in Vienna in 1809.

What the music sounds like

Haydn’s music is cheerful and clear. The tunes are simple enough to whistle, and the beat is easy to feel.

He liked to play games with his listeners. He sets up a pattern and then breaks it. A piece seems to end, and then starts again. A soft tune gets a loud bang. These jokes are a gift for children, because a child who is waiting for the trick is listening closely.

A symphony is a long piece for orchestra, usually in four parts called movements. Haydn did not invent the symphony. He wrote so many, and shaped them so well, that later composers followed his lead.

Five pieces to play first

Symphony No. 94, “Surprise,” second movement. The strings play a tiptoe tune, soft and then softer. Then the whole orchestra hits one loud chord. Do not tell your child. Watch their face. Then play it again and let them shout “now!” at the right moment.

Symphony No. 45, “Farewell,” last movement. Haydn’s players had been kept at the summer palace for too long and missed their families. So he wrote an ending where the players stop one by one and leave the stage, until two violins are left. The prince took the hint. Watch a video of this one.

Symphony No. 101, “The Clock,” second movement. Bassoons and plucked strings go tick-tock, tick-tock, while the violins play a neat tune on top. Ask your child to swing an arm like a pendulum.

Trumpet Concerto, third movement. A bright, bouncing tune for solo trumpet. Haydn wrote it for a new kind of trumpet with keys, which could play more notes than the old ones. It is easy to hum after one hearing.

String Quartet, “The Joke,” last movement. Four string players race through a quick tune. Near the end, Haydn adds long pauses. The piece seems to finish several times. Ask your child to clap when they think it is over.

Things to do together

Freeze and jump. Play the Surprise movement. Tiptoe around the room during the quiet tune and jump on the loud chord.

Stage a Farewell. Give each person in the family a pot, a shaker, or a toy instrument. Play together, then have one person at a time stop and leave the room. See how it feels to be the last one left.

Guess the nickname. Many Haydn symphonies have nicknames: the Surprise, the Clock, the Bear, the Hen, the Drumroll. Play the start of one and ask your child what they would call it.

Place him in time. Haydn was born when Bach was still at work, and he outlived Mozart by 18 years. Find all three on the composer timeline.

Words to know

Symphony. A long piece for orchestra, usually with four movements.

Movement. One complete part of a longer piece. There is a short silence between movements, and the audience waits to clap until the end.

String quartet. A group of four players: two violins, a viola, and a cello. The same words name a piece written for that group.

Print and play

Print the Haydn fact sheet. It has the story, three pieces, and room to write and draw. To hear the families of the orchestra that Haydn wrote for, read instruments of the orchestra for kids.

Next, meet his friend Mozart and his student Beethoven. For all 24 composers by era, see classical composers for kids.