Sigma Alpha Iota

P A N P I P E S Fall 2020 13 A World of Music concertmaster and later organist. He became expert in composing sacred music, though he wrote many secular pieces as well. Michael is buried in a communal vault with Anna Maria (Nannerl) Mozart in Grave LIV in the cemetery of St. Peter's Abbey. At the Dom Quartier is the small Michael Haydn collection, which includes the composer's portrait by Franz Xaver Hornöck, his eyeglasses and case, facsimiles of autographs (original manuscripts) with personal corrections, visiting cards, and a large table- like timeline. Unfortunately, Michael's domicile in Salzburg no longer exists. Nonetheless, it is possible to visit residences of his brother besides the Viennese one — in Fertőd, Hungary and in Eisenstadt, Austria. In both locations Franz Joseph worked as a court musician for the Esterházy princes who had close ties to the Hapsburgs. In a remote area of the Hungarian Kingdom (about a day's journey from the noble family's main castle at Eisenstadt) was their summer residence, the baroque Esterháza Palace. e majestic three-part wrought iron entrance gates frame the panoramic view of this "Hungarian Versailles" that suffered devastation during World War II and Communist times thereaer. Unfortunately, only a few pieces of the original furniture remain because most of it — along with decorative parquet floors—was thrown into the fire to heat water when the palace was used as a Soviet military hospital. My guide, Attila, said that little by little—with funding as available both from the Hungarian Cultural Ministry and for projects of the European Union — renovation of this palatial gem is progressing, yet there is no fixed date for its completion. Haydn worked as the Hoapellmeister (or musical director of the court orchestra) for over four decades. When at Esterháza, he did not live inside one of the 126 rooms of the palace. In addition to writing special house music for this aristocratic family, the "Father of the String Quartet" composed masses, operas, symphonies, and chamber music. ere were two performance venues on the estate: the opera house and the marionette theater. Premiered at the first in 1772 was Haydn's "Farewell" Symphony (in which only two musicians remain onstage at the end). At the inaugural performance of the second, Maria eresa enjoyed the opera Philemon and Baucis. Both original venues have been destroyed, and only this latter building has been reconstructed. Nearby it is a statue of Haydn who appears to be walking to work, le hand carrying his violin, right hand his manuscripts. Aer Nikolaus Esterházy I died, his son Paul Anton II (who inherited his father's debts and had no particular interest in music) dismissed almost all his father's musicians but gave Haydn a pension plus a regular income aer firing him. Haydn was able to further his career and make a lot of money. He became the rock star of his time. At Esterházy, also about an hour from Vienna—without traffic—the royal family members spent most of their time during the year. I looked first at the Haydn Ticket exhibits about the composer, his music, and court lifestyle before joining the 1:30 English tour of the castle. I was particularly interested in rooms with a Haydn connection. e first room is the spectacularly beautiful concert hall with magnificent acoustics. Glittering in gold, the venue (renamed Haydn Hall in the last century) boasts colorful ceiling and wall frescoes as well as luxurious red velvet chairs. e second room is the chapel with the organ Haydn played. Five minutes away by foot is the Haydn House, formerly Haydn's residence for a dozen years (1766-1778). ough twice destroyed by fire, the dwelling was rebuilt with the help of Esterházy financing. Franz Joseph and his wife, Maria Anna eresia, lived in five rooms on the top level. ey had no children, and apparently their marriage was not a happy one. A small model of this house shows the exact layout of rooms. As in the time of Haydn, the furniture in the museum rooms is sparse, and the kitchen has typical utensils but not original ones. e 1780 fortepiano on view today may have been used by Haydn. Signage is in German and English. Colorful state-of-the-art exhibits and an audioguide provide a wealth of information about the life of the composer. In particular, I was entranced by the rooms devoted to his travel by stagecoach (sometimes private)—markedly different in time and mode from trips today. Haydn traveled to London two times. Listening and reading, I felt I was along on the 18-day journey from Austria's capital to Calais and then by ship to Dover and on to London. Making an impact in one "travel" room is a large wooden cutout stagecoach painted cheery lime green. News didn't travel fast in those days either, so Franz Joseph didn't know that C. P. E. Bach (who had been a huge influence on him and whom he planned to visit in Hamburg on his return home) had died two years before Haydn arrived there. On my return to Vienna, I stopped in town at the Haydn Mausoleum in Bergkirche. Since 1954, the coffin has contained the composer's remains — albeit with two skulls entombed, an intriguing fact for another story. Tracing these footsteps of the Haydn brothers makes it clear that humbly beginning in a market town did not in any way limit them, their genius, or their musical careers. Jayne I. Hanlin is an initiate of Alpha Omicron and current member of the St. Louis Alumnae chapter. Mrs. Hanlin, the sister of famed pianist Malcolm Frager, is the co-author of Learning Latin Through Mythology (Cambridge University Press, 1991).

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