Papa Haydn

The composer Joseph Haydn is sometimes given the nickname "Papa" Haydn. The practice began in the composer's lifetime, and has continued to some extent to the present day.

"Papa" as authority figure

Originally, the name was a term of authority. At the Eszterházy court, Haydn was (after 1766) the Kapellmeister; that is to say, the boss, for a fairly large group of musicians. Haydn's authority was evidently rather benevolent, as he often interceded with Prince Eszterházy on behalf of musicians who had gotten in trouble in some way. [For discussion and examples, see Harvnb|Geiringer|1982|pp=46-51] The famous tale of the Farewell Symphony also attests to Haydn's willingness to act on behalf of his subordinates. The term "Papa" doubtless became more and more plausible as Haydn's 30-odd years of service in the Eszterházy court went by; gradually, he would have become increasingly older than the average musician serving under him.

"Papa" as founder

Another sense of the term "Papa Haydn" comes from his role in the history of classical music, notably in the development of the symphony and string quartet. While Haydn did not invent either genre, his work is considered important enough in establishing these genres that the labels "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet" are often attached to him. This view was prevalent in Haydn's own lifetime: in 1797, the Tonkünstler-Societät of Vienna passed the resolution making him a life member, "by virtue of his extraordinary merit as the father and reformer of the noble art of music."

"Papa" as caricature

After Haydn's death (1809), during the 19th century, the term "Papa Haydn" became something of a stereotype, designating to many a kindly, perhaps doddering old man whose music was very simple and thus suitable for children. The stereotype is a counterpart to the evolution of Mozart's reputation during the same period: Mozart died too young to become "Papa Mozart", but nevertheless was often regarded during this era as a kind of porcelain figure.

With the rise of Haydn's critical stock during the 20th century, scholars and critics became rather leery of the term, as a distortion of the composer's work. For instance, Jens Peter Larsen wrote (1980) in the New Grove encyclopedia:

:"For years the nickname 'Papa Haydn' has characterized the composer. Used by his own musicians and others as a tribute of affection and respect, the expression increasingly took on misleading connotations, and came to signify a benevolent but bewigged and old-fashioned classic. The recent revival of interest in Haydn's music has made plain that the traditional picture had become a caricature, and that it gave a false impression of richness and diversity of his development as a composer."

However, since materials of music education still tend to reflect 19th century sources, the term is well known to the musical public.

This little rhyme goes with the first bars of the Surprise Symphony:

:"Papa Haydn's dead and gone::"but his memory lingers on.:"When his heart was filled with bliss::"he wrote merry tunes like this."

Notes

ources

*The quotation from the Tonkünstler-Societät above is taken from the online edition of the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.
*The quotation from Jens Peter Larsen is from the 1980 edition of the New Grove. Larsen's article was published separately as "The New Grove: Haydn", Norton, New York, 1982.
*The New Grove's current article on Haydn (by Webster and Feder, not by Larsen) includes other material on the term "Papa Haydn".
*cite book|last= Geiringer |first= Karl |authorlink= |coauthors= Irene Geiringer |title= Haydn: A Creative Life in Music |publisher= University of California Press |edition= 3rd ed. |year= 1982 |location= |pages= xii, 403 |url= |doi= |id= |isbn= 0520043162 |ref= CITEREFGeiringer1982