Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) Austria B50 (issued 4-24-1922)

Joseph Haydn KDFC's "Ultimate List of Top Classical Music" shows 250 favorites polled from listeners, but Joseph Haydn was left out. Called "Father of Symphonies" composing 104 of them and "Father of String Quartets" with 68 to his credit. He was a friend & teacher of Mozart and a mentor to Beethoven— influence in Vienna was immense. Symphony #82 nicknamed "The Bear" dancing in streets, Symphony #83 with clucking sounds nicknamed "The Hen". Symphony #94 "The Surprise" with sudden kettledrum stroke out of nowhere— written to wake up his audience! "The Miracle Symphony #96"— a chandelier fell from the ceiling of the concert hall, and none was hurt as they rushed to the stage. Symphony #101 "The Clock"— "tick-tock" rhythm throughout the second movement— popular with the audience to this day. While listeners ignored Haydn, he appears at #221 in this list— "Variations on a Theme by Haydn" composed by Johannes Brahms. — Peter Y. Chou     Mountain View, 4-15-2021