Franz Joseph Haydn, (March 31, 1732 – May 31, 1809) was a leading composer of the Classical period, called the 'Father of the Symphony' and 'Father of the String Quartet'. He used his second name, spelled in German 'Josef'. He was the brother of Michael Haydn, himself a highly regarded composer, and Johann Evangelist Haydn, a tenor singer.
A life-long resident of Austria, Haydn spent most of his career as a court musician for the wealthy Eszterházy family, though very often the non-Hungarian spelling Esterhazy is used, on their remote estate. Being isolated from other composers and trends in music, he was, as he put it, 'forced to become original'.
