Our students studied the life of composer Franz Joseph Haydn recently. We used the "Stories of the Great Composers, Book 1" from Alfred Publishing. This is a short summary of the text the students read.

Haydn was born in Austria in 1732. He died at age 77 in 1809. His parents were poor and could not afford music lessons. At age 6, Haydn went to live with his cousin who helped begin his music training. He joined the famous boys choir at St. Stephen Cathedral in Vienna.

Haydn, a classical composer, was conducting the orchestra for Prince Esterhazy. He wrote the Farewell Symphony because his orchestra members were tired and needed a vacation. They wanted to go home and visit their families. The symphony was written so that when it was performed, the musicians left one at a time until none were left on the stage. Haydn had a great sense of humor. The prince let the orchestra members have a vacation.

A few of Haydn's other famous compositions were the 'Piano Sonata in D Major', 'The Creation', and 'Symphony No. 94 in G Major (The Surprise Symphony)'. Haydn was a good friend of Mozart, another great composer.

Our students created the questions and we made a multiple choice quiz based on their reading.