Franz Joseph Haydn was born in 1732 in Austria. After having worked at several churches as choirmaster, Haydn met Mozart and immediately recognized Mozart`s genius. In 1785, Mozart composed a series of six quartets which he dedicated to Haydn. In 1791, Haydn began directing orchestral concerts featuring his new works and his success was widely acclaimed and honored. Before returning to Vienna, he met Beethoven for the first time who showed him a cantata he had recently composed. This work was praised by Haydn, which encouraged the young composer to continue working on them. Later, in Vienna, Beethoven became a pupil of Haydn’s. Upon his return to Vienna from London, Haydn found himself now recognized as the greatest Austrian composer of his time. Josef Haydn died in Vienna on 31 May 1809. He established the modern form of the symphony and was the father of the string quartet. At one point Haydn observed that during the slower parts of his symphonies, the audience sometimes fell asleep and so he planned a surprise for them. This came about in his Symphony No.94 in E Major, thus the “Surprise” Symphony was born. Among its four parts, the second one most resembles a gentle child's song; at the most unexpected moment, a strong tympany drum comes in; just incase you were sleeping!
Ludwig van Beethoven was born in 1770 in Bonn. He lived in Vienna from 1792 until his death in 1827. In 1792, Beethoven started receiving composition lessons from Haydn. Beethoven’s dynamic musical style is imbued in his compositions with his confidence in human action. Fate is conquered by music. Problems in his personal life, including the tragedy of becoming incurably deaf at 29, severely tested his optimism. He overcame his difficulties through his compositions. In his later career, his music was even more free and imaginative. Beethoven was planning a tenth symphony while on his deathbed. Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.3, Op. 37 was composed in 1800 in A minor for piano and orchestra. It is lyrical and dramatical in form and is composed of three parts. The main theme varies throughout the symphony and the second part shows the influence of Chopin.
Alexander Borodin was born in 1833 in St. Petersburg. He was among the principal nationalist composers in later 19th century Russia, following the example of Glinka, their forerunner. Borodin, like some of his musical colleagues, followed another profession besides music, also winning distinction as a professor of chemistry. His output was limited by the amount of attention he was able to give to his compositions and he died on 27 February 1887 in St. Petersburg. Upon his death, he left a number of works unfinished, to be completed by his friend Rimsky-Korsakov and others. The second of his three symphonies, the last unfinished, occupied him intermittently for seven years, and is an attractive and very Russian work, the three forming an important addition to Russian’s nationalist symphonic repertoire.