Zweiter Tag

Today was our 2^nd day in Wien. The jet lag was starting to get to me today. We started the day with a tour of the school where we will be attending and where class will be held. (The picture to the left is not the school--it is the imperial library). The school is some distance away, and we need to take the subway to get there. It was founded between the two world wars as a means to bridge the gap between America and Vienna on an educational level. The school has a baby grand, which we are allowed to play if there are no classes meeting at that time! After that we went to a viennese restaurant for lunch and had some authentic Austrian Weißwein (Austria is known for there white wines, apparently). Afterwards, we went on a much-needed grocery shopping spree, as our rooms had pretty much nothing in them (they were nice enough to give us one roll of toilet paper). As homework, we researched the city where Joseph Haydn was the Hofkapellmeister: Eisenstadt. Founded in the Middle Ages, it was settled by at first Germanic tribes, and then came into the possession of the Habsburgs in 1451. It takes its name from the iron mining operations that took place there. In 1648 rule of the city passed to the Esterhazy family. This group of Hungarian princes changed the face of the city with new construction projects such as the Schloss Esterhazy. These princes were and remained loyal to the Habsburg monarchy, supplying forces during the 1683 Turkish siege of Vienna and again in 1809 when Napoleon occupied Vienna. In 1761 prince Paul Anton—himself a musical prince, playing the violin, flute, and the lute-- offered Joseph Haydn a position as vice-kapellmeister. In 1766 the old Kapellmeister died and Haydn was elevated to this new position by prince Nikolaus I. On the remote Esterhazy estate, Haydn wrote compositions, performed chamber music, ran the orchestra, and put on operas. In this environment, Haydn’s popularity both on the estate and abroad increased dramatically. In 1790, Nikolaus died and was succeeded by a prince who dismissed the entire musical ensemble. Haydn journeyed to England and then to Vienna to continue his lucrative composing career. He died in 1809 a rich man, above the status of ordinary composers.

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