Franz Joseph Haydn ( / ˈ h aɪ d ən / HY -dən ; German: [ˈfʁants ˈjoːzɛf ˈhaɪdn̩] ; 31 March 1732 – 31 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period . He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio . His contributions to musical form have led him to be called "Father of the Symphony " and "Father of the String quartet".
188-583: The English Chamber Choir is a choir based in England. The English Chamber Choir came into existence in 1972; its earliest engagements included Haydn 's Nelson Mass , Fauré 's Requiem and Kodály 's Laudes Organi with Hertfordshire Chamber Orchestra, and live performances at the old Rainbow Theatre in Finsbury Park , of the rock opera Tommy with London Symphony Orchestra and guest soloists. These were followed by Rick Wakeman's Journey to
376-644: A Birotron , a tape replay keyboard that used 8-track tape cartridges and contributed funds to its development. He is reported to have given the album its name by throwing a tomato at a showing of the art used for the album's cover. Wakeman's final albums for A&M were released in the late 1970s. Rick Wakeman's Criminal Record (1977) is an instrumental rock album (apart from humorous vocals from Bill Oddie ) similar to The Six Wives of Henry VIII but loosely based on criminality, and features Yes bandmates Chris Squire on bass and Alan White on drums, with Frank Ricotti on percussion. The album went to No. 25 in
564-564: A "happy and naturally cheerful temperament", but in his later life, there is evidence for periods of depression, notably in the correspondence with Mrs. Genzinger and in Dies's biography, based on visits made in Haydn's old age. Haydn was a devout Catholic who often turned to his rosary when he had trouble composing, a practice that he usually found to be effective. He normally began the manuscript of each composition with In nomine Domini [in
752-569: A "house officer" in the Esterházy establishment, Haydn wore livery and followed the family as they moved among their various palaces, most importantly the family's ancestral seat Schloss Esterházy in Eisenstadt and later on Esterháza , a grand new palace built in rural Hungary in the 1760s. Haydn had a huge range of responsibilities, including composition, running the orchestra, playing chamber music for and with his patrons, and eventually
940-467: A 1000-florin pension from Nikolaus. Since Anton had little need of Haydn's services, he was willing to let him travel, and the composer accepted a lucrative offer from Johann Peter Salomon , a German violinist and impresario , to visit England and conduct new symphonies with a large orchestra. The choice was a sensible one because Haydn was already a very popular composer there. Since the death of Johann Christian Bach in 1782, Haydn's music had dominated
1128-550: A California-based Christian organisation founded by journalist Dan Wooding, author of Wakeman's biography. The pair reconnected in 1989, and their first venture was In the Beginning , an album of atmospheric music with Biblical readings read by Wakeman's then-wife Nina. Wakeman donated the album's entire proceedings to ASSIST. In 1994, Wakeman completed the Simply Acoustic Tour, a series of solo piano concerts in
1316-465: A European tour and recorded a new rock score for a colourised re-release of The Phantom of the Opera , featuring Chrissie Hammond on vocals, put out as Phantom Power in 1991. He embarked on two UK tours supporting his two The Classical Connection albums with himself and Paton in a stripped back stage production. In the first half of the 1990s, Wakeman performed and released music in aid of ASSIST,
1504-593: A South American tour in September 2000, following a renewed interest in progressive rock there. The band featured a new line-up of Fernandez, Damian Wilson on vocals, Adam Wakeman on keyboards, Ant Glynne on guitar, and Lee Pomeroy on bass. Wakeman was particularly pleased with his playing, calling it his "best in a long time." The group returned in April 2001, followed by several European dates. Later that year, Wakeman entered discussions with Keith Emerson regarding
1692-400: A Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda . Wakeman had doubts about its esoteric concept, and felt a lot of its music was too experimental which required further rehearsal. He distanced himself from the group, and spent time in the bar at Morgan Studios and played on "Sabbra Caddabra" on Sabbath Bloody Sabbath by Black Sabbath in the adjacent studio. Yes toured the album for six months, playing
1880-716: A band, the London Symphony Orchestra , the English Chamber Choir , Patrick Stewart as the narrator, and guest performances from Trevor Rabin , Ozzy Osbourne , and Bonnie Tyler . Released in 1999, the album went to number 34 in the UK, Wakeman's first album to enter the chart in 12 years. Recording was temporarily disrupted because of Wakeman's health. In December 1998, Wakeman was featured on an episode of This Is Your Life . Wakeman accepted an invitation to revive his English Rock Ensemble for
2068-473: A cappella repertoire includes a wide spectrum from Tallis to Tavener . Britten and Poulenc feature prominently, together with Richard Strauss, Schoenberg, Arnold Bax and many other Romantic composers. For many years the choir featured on albums by Vangelis , and is probably best known for being featured on his soundtrack to the Ridley Scott film 1492: Conquest of Paradise . Other credits include
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#17327871318132256-564: A catalyst in the next stage in Haydn's career, the achievement of international popularity. By 1790 Haydn was in the paradoxical position ... of being Europe's leading composer, but someone who spent his time as a duty-bound Kapellmeister in a remote palace in the Hungarian countryside." The new publication campaign resulted in the composition of a great number of new string quartets (the six-quartet sets of Op. 33 , 50 , 54/55, and 64 ). Haydn also composed in response to commissions from abroad:
2444-502: A concert performance of Sergei Prokofiev 's Peter and the Wolf , which greatly influenced him and has since named Prokofiev as a musical hero. At seven, Wakeman began weekly piano lessons with Dorothy Symes paid for by his father, who spent almost half of his income on tuition. Lessons with Symes lasted for eleven years; she recalled Wakeman "passed everything with a distinction", was an "enjoyable pupil to teach, full of fun and with
2632-607: A conductor was a charity performance of The Seven Last Words on 26 December 1803. As debility set in, he made largely futile efforts at composition, attempting to revise a rediscovered Missa brevis from his teenage years and complete his final string quartet . The former project was abandoned for good in 1805, and the quartet was published with just two movements. Haydn was well cared for by his servants, and he received many visitors and public honors during his last years, but they could not have been very happy years for him. During his illness, Haydn often found solace by sitting at
2820-738: A different journey; it was stolen by phrenologists shortly after burial, and the skull was reunited with the other remains only in 1954, now interred in a tomb in the north tower of the Bergkirche . James Webster writes of Haydn's public character thus: "Haydn's public life exemplified the Enlightenment ideal of the honnête homme ( honest man ): the man whose good character and worldly success enable and justify each other. His modesty and probity were everywhere acknowledged. These traits were not only prerequisites to his success as Kapellmeister , entrepreneur and public figure, but also aided
3008-536: A documentary film about the 1976 Winter Olympics directed by Tony Maylam . The film premiered in February 1977 as a double bill with Genesis: In Concert . The track "After the Ball" was one that Wakeman forgot to write; he proceeded to play it as a completely improvised single take, rather than confessing to the producers. In 1977, the press named Wakeman as one of the acts on A&M Records who threatened to leave if
3196-659: A double, so we padded it out and the padding is awful". During the Topographic Oceans tour Wakeman recorded his new 40-minute work Journey to the Centre of the Earth , based on Jules Verne 's same-titled science-fiction novel . He came up with the idea in 1971, but shelved the project until The Six Wives of Henry VIII was complete. After working on the music with Lou Reizner , David Measham , Wil Malone , and Danny Beckerman, which features an orchestra, choir, and
3384-613: A familiar figure on the London concert scene. The 1794 season was dominated by Salomon's ensemble, as the Professional Concerts had abandoned their efforts. The concerts included the premieres of the 99th, 100th, and 101st symphonies. For 1795, Salomon had abandoned his own series, citing difficulty in obtaining "vocal performers of the first rank from abroad", and Haydn joined forces with the Opera Concerts, headed by
3572-564: A few months. Haydn immediately began his pursuit of a career as a freelance musician. Haydn struggled at first, working at many different jobs: as a music teacher, as a street serenader, and eventually, in 1752, as valet-accompanist for the Italian composer Nicola Porpora , from whom he later said he learned "the true fundamentals of composition". He was also briefly in Count Friedrich Wilhelm von Haugwitz 's employ, playing
3760-640: A five-album deal with A&M Records as a solo artist. The commercial success of Fragile allowed Wakeman to buy a new home in Gerrards Cross and start a car collection, which he rented out through his new business, the Fragile Carriage Company. In the 1972 Melody Maker readers' poll, Wakeman ranked second in the Top Keyboardist category behind Keith Emerson . That same year, Yes followed Fragile with Close to
3948-404: A five-piece band formed of musicians that Wakeman played with in a west London pub: vocalists Ashley Holt and Gary Pickford-Hopkins , drummer Barney James , bassist Roger Newell, and guitarist Mike Egan. A&M wanted to use better known musicians, but Wakeman wanted the album to be known for its music rather than the performers. After cutting the album A&M refused to sell it, but as Wakeman
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#17327871318134136-420: A flood of compositions, and his musical style continued to develop. Much of Haydn's activity at the time followed the musical taste of his patron Prince Nikolaus. In about 1765, the prince obtained and began to learn to play the baryton , an uncommon musical instrument similar to the bass viol , but with a set of plucked sympathetic strings . Haydn was commanded to provide music for the prince to play, and over
4324-481: A flying object one night which inspired him to read up on the origins of man and mysterious phenomena such as the Bermuda Triangle , Stonehenge , and the pyramids. Wakeman wrote the album without playing any of its music beforehand, and summarised it in the liner notes: "A futuristic, autobiographical look at music, the part it plays in our pre-earth, human and after life". Upon its release in April 1976,
4512-645: A fund raising event for a church before it was expanded into a full album. Wakeman played the album with Remedios and his band at the Royal Albert Hall in London and in the following year, in Caesarea , Israel that was broadcast internationally on television. He returned to rock with Time Machine , loosely based on the science fiction novel by H. G. Wells and features Roy Wood and Tracy Ackerman as guest vocalists. Released in 1988, Wakeman intended to record it with an orchestra and choir and put on
4700-498: A further 24 dates in the following year. In May 2009, Wakeman performed his debut album The Six Wives of Henry VIII in its entirety for the first time at Hampton Court Palace , as part of the 500th anniversary celebrations of Henry VIII 's accession to the throne. He had originally asked to perform there in 1973, but was declined until he was invited 36 years later. The shows were released on CD and DVD as The Six Wives of Henry VIII Live at Hampton Court Palace . In 2010, Wakeman
4888-459: A good sense of humour", but lacked discipline when it came to practising. Wakeman's first ever recital was "See a Monkey on a Stick", a piece of thirteen notes that he performed on stage in adult life. In 1960, Symes entered Wakeman in his first music competition and he went on to win many awards, certificates, and cups in contests around London. Wakeman's first keyboard was a reed organ from Woolworths that he said cost £4. At twelve he took up
5076-438: A great deal to Emanuel Bach, that I understood him and have studied him with diligence." According to Griesinger and Dies, in the 1750s Haydn studied an encyclopedic treatise by Johann Mattheson , a German composer. As his skills increased, Haydn began to acquire a public reputation, first as the composer of an opera, Der krumme Teufel , "The Limping Devil", written for the comic actor Joseph Felix von Kurz, whose stage name
5264-664: A guest performer, which led to the pair touring the UK together as Anderson/Wakeman. Wakeman scored the 2007 documentary film In Search of the Great Beast 666 , about the life of occultist Aleister Crowley . He toured the UK in 2007 with a new production, the Grumpy Old Picture Show. Inspired by his appearances on Grumpy Old Men , the show combined live performances and stories with visual accompaniments including old photos and pre-recorded sketches. The initial run of 14 dates were so successful, Wakeman completed
5452-773: A lack of sleep five days prior to the show, and a wrist injury from a fall, took a toll on his health, and he needed morphine injections to get through the performance. Soon after the show, he suffered a minor heart attack. During his recovery at Wexham Park Hospital , Wakeman started to write new music for his next album, The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table . Despite being advised to reduce his workload and temper his excessive lifestyle, Wakeman made plans to record and tour and continued to smoke and drink. In September and October 1974, he completed his debut North American tour, performing Journey to
5640-593: A license to permit opera performances in the theatre he directed, the King's Theatre . Haydn was well paid for the opera (£300) but much time was wasted. Thus only two new symphonies, no. 95 and no. 96 Miracle , could be premiered in the 12 concerts of Salomon's spring concert series in 1791. Another problem arose from the jealously competitive efforts of a senior, rival orchestra, the Professional Concerts , who recruited Haydn's old pupil Ignaz Pleyel as
5828-472: A matter of principle" as the record company was prepared to sign them without hearing any of the group's music. He looked back at this moment: "I basically sealed my financial fate, and things went downhill fast." His father's death in November 1980 prompted him to leave Switzerland and return to the UK, which led to a record deal with Charisma Records to avoid bankruptcy. For several months of 1980 Wakeman
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6016-496: A minor pop hit in the UK. In March 1985, Wakeman finished work on his part of the soundtrack to the comedy film Playing for Keeps , which was followed by a tour of the UK, North America, and Australia to promote Silent Nights . It was his first full-scale tour in four years, and his first shows in the US in over five. A live album from the UK leg was released as Live at Hammersmith . The tour left Wakeman "seriously in debt", and he
6204-631: A more relaxed attitude to his studies, spending much of his time drinking in pubs and hanging out with the staff at the Musical Bargain Centre, a music shop in Ealing . Wakeman's first booking as a session musician , and his first time in a recording studio, occurred when guitarist Chas Cronk entered the shop in need of an organist and brass arranger for members of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue . The shop owner suggested Wakeman, who attended
6392-637: A new world to him". Haydn returned to Vienna in 1795. Prince Anton had died, and his successor Nikolaus II proposed that the Esterházy musical establishment be revived with Haydn serving again as Kapellmeister. Haydn took up the position on a part-time basis. He spent his summers with the Esterházys in Eisenstadt, and over the course of several years wrote six masses for them including the Lord Nelson mass in 1798. By this time Haydn had become
6580-495: A piano version of " Life on Mars? " live on BBC Radio 2 as a tribute following the death of his longtime friend David Bowie . The strong reception from listeners and viewers of the YouTube video led Wakeman to release a single of the track with a piano version of " Space Oddity " and an original song, "Always Together", in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support . The reception from the single and YouTube video inspired Wakeman to produce
6768-625: A potential music project, but the idea was shelved. In 2001, Wakeman performed in his first pantomime role as Abanazar in a production of Aladdin in Truro , for the Christmas season. He made a cameo appearance in the 2002 thriller horror film Alone as a hospital patient. In 2003, Wakeman starred in the BBC television show Grumpy Old Men , and stayed on as a regular until the show ended in 2006. The show increased his national profile and made him
6956-647: A proposal from their relative Johann Matthias Frankh, the schoolmaster and choirmaster in Hainburg , that Haydn be apprenticed to Frankh in his home to train as a musician. Haydn therefore went off with Frankh to Hainburg and he never again lived with his parents. Life in the Frankh household was not easy for Haydn, who later remembered being frequently hungry and humiliated by the filthy state of his clothing. He began his musical training there, and could soon play both harpsichord and violin. He also sang treble parts in
7144-502: A public figure in Vienna. He spent most of his time in his home, a large house in the suburb of Windmühle, and wrote works for public performance. In collaboration with his librettist and mentor Gottfried van Swieten , and with funding from van Swieten's Gesellschaft der Associierten , he composed his two great oratorios, The Creation (1798) and The Seasons (1801). Both were enthusiastically received. Haydn frequently appeared before
7332-409: A re-recording of the original album with new equipment and arrangements, but the idea was rejected. It was revived in 1996 when Wakeman received offers from three record companies willing to fund and release a new "epic" album. After a deal with EMI Classics was made, a story based on three unnamed travellers and their attempt to follow the original route was finalised, and recording began in 1998 with
7520-494: A regular in the after dinner speech circuit. In April 2002, Wakeman rejoined Yes for the fifth and final time, and said it took eight months to get the necessary paperwork to make it happen. The band toured worldwide with the Full Circle Tour and 35th Anniversary Tours , which ran from 2002 to 2004. Wakeman described the band's playing during his return: "It was far and away the best the band had ever been ... there
7708-621: A request from a South American concert promoter, for which Wakeman wrote new music based on additional Arthurian legends. The re-record version runs for 88 minutes, and features actor Ian Lavender as narrator. It was Wakeman's first album produced via online direct-to-fan support, and released on 19 June 2016, the same day that Wakeman performed it live at London's O2 Arena for the Stone Free Festival. In 2013, Wakeman played on The Theory of Everything by Ayreon . In August 2013, Wakeman performed 12 solo piano shows as part of
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7896-453: A result of having been underfed throughout most of his youth. He was not handsome, and like many in his day he was a survivor of smallpox ; his face was pitted with the scars of this disease. His biographer Dies wrote: "he couldn't understand how it happened that in his life he had been loved by many a pretty woman. 'They couldn't have been led to it by my beauty. ' " Haydn had a dark complexion and black eyes. His nose, large and aquiline,
8084-548: A richness and profusion of material, and a disciplined yet varied expression." In 1760, with the security of a Kapellmeister position, Haydn married. His wife was the former Maria Anna Theresia Keller (1729–1800), the sister of Therese (b. 1733), with whom Haydn had previously been in love. Haydn and his wife had a completely unhappy marriage, from which time permitted no escape. They produced no children, and both took lovers. Count Morzin soon suffered financial reverses that forced him to dismiss his musical establishment, but Haydn
8272-462: A rival visiting composer; the two composers, refusing to play along with the concocted rivalry, dined together and put each other's symphonies on their concert programs. The end of Salomon's series in June gave Haydn a rare period of relative leisure. He spent some of the time in the country ( Hertingfordbury ), but also had time to travel, notably to Oxford, where he was awarded an honorary doctorate by
8460-407: A rock band, Wakeman chose to record the piece in concert due to the high costs of a studio. To help finance the project, he sold some of his cars and "mortgage[d himself] up to the hilt", all of which cost around £40,000. Two concerts were held at London's Royal Festival Hall on 18 January 1974 with the London Symphony Orchestra , the English Chamber Choir , actor David Hemmings as narrator, and
8648-521: A session musician on Dragonfly (1970), which was the first album released with Wakeman's name on its credits. During his stint in the Spinning Wheel, Strawbs frontman Dave Cousins invited him to join the band in March 1970. The group went to Paris to perform at a rock circus with various bands backing the circus acts. During one show, and unbeknownst to Wakeman, he pushed Salvador Dalí off
8836-412: A single bass note on the piano at the end of " Walk on Guilded Splinters " by Marsha Hunt , so he could be paid the session fee. In 1970, Wakeman performed on Seasons by Magna Carta , and records by Brotherhood of Man , Paper Bubble, Shawn Phillips , and White Plains . He took part in a one-off recording with Visconti and Marc Bolan that was released as a single under the pseudonym Dib Cochran and
9024-650: A solo career in 1973 and became an iconic and prominent figure in progressive rock. His highest-selling and most acclaimed albums are his first three: The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1973), the UK number-one Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1974), and The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (1975), all concept albums . In 1974, he formed his band the English Rock Ensemble, with which he toured worldwide and continues to perform, and went on to score his first major film, Lisztomania (1975). Wakeman had uneven success in
9212-591: A solo piano album of tracks that he had played on in his career, plus original tunes and adaptations of classical pieces. Piano Portraits was released in January 2017 and peaked at No. 7 in the UK, Wakeman's highest-charting album since 1975. It also reached gold certification from the British Phonographic Institute . In 2018, Wakeman released a follow-up, Piano Odyssey , this time with some orchestral arrangements. Like its predecessor,
9400-579: A special association with contemporary music written for the Orthodox Church and/or inspired by Eastern traditions. It has sung and recorded many works by John Tavener, Ivan Moody and Christos Hatzis, among others. It has also collaborated on several occasions with the William Tyndale Society in programmes exploring not only the words of Tyndale himself, but the use of vernacular texts in sacred music across Europe. In October 2012
9588-557: A specialist 'early music' choir, it performs many a cappella works from the 16th and 17th centuries. It has in repertoire all the major choral/orchestral works of the baroque and classical era: Bach 's Passions and the B Minor Mass , Handel's Dixit Dominus , Solomon and many other oratorios, the Masses of Mozart and Haydn together with Mozart's Requiem and Haydn's The Creation . On occasion it has expanded its forces to perform Brahms ' Requiem and Elgar 's Dream of Gerontius . Its
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#17327871318139776-519: A star-studded ice show, but the idea was cancelled due to lack of funds. In March 1988, in a move to improve their finances, Wakeman and Carter sold their Camberley home and moved to Peel on the Isle of Man . A coach house on the site of their home was converted into a recording studio that Wakeman named Bajonor Studios, named after the first letters of his family. The 24-track studio was built as Wakeman had lost several opportunities to score films due to
9964-555: A total of 27,000 people. As the arena floor was already set up as an ice rink for a different attraction, Wakeman chose to present the show as an ice pageant with fourteen ice skaters and the musicians' stage placed in the round and decorated as a castle. The shows, though well received and a contributory factor to the album's commercial success, were expensive to produce. In 2009, the concerts were listed in ranked 79th on VH1's 100 Greatest Shocking Moments in Rock and Roll program. By 2008,
10152-460: A two-hour oratorio with a 30-piece choir, in 1994. The concerts were free with donations to ASSIST. Wakeman left Yes in May 1997 before he could tour with them, due to scheduling conflicts and lack of coordination between the artists' management. In June 1997, Wakeman became the host of the stand-up comedy television show Live at Jongleurs . Later in 1997, his 20-minute choral piece "Noah", written for
10340-655: A uniform of the school shirt put on the wrong way round. In 1963, at fourteen, Wakeman joined the Atlantic Blues, a local blues group that secured a year's residency at a mental health rehabilitation club in Neasden . Two years later, Wakeman passed his O Levels in English, maths, art and music, and went on to study music, art, and British constitution at A-level . In 1966, he joined the Concordes, later known as
10528-422: A village that at that time stood on the border with Hungary. His father was Mathias Haydn , a wheelwright who also served as "Marktrichter", or marketplace supervisor. Haydn's mother Maria, née Koller, had worked as a cook in the palace of Aloys Thomas Raimund, Count von Harrach , the presiding aristocrat of Rohrau. Neither parent could read music; however, Mathias was an enthusiastic folk musician , who during
10716-400: A world tour with a four-piece group of Fernandez, guitarist and bassist Alan Thomson , and his son Adam Wakeman on additional keyboards. The tour lasted until 1994, and was organised as Wakeman wished to tour with a second keyboardist to "free [him] up to do more things" on stage. The tour marked the release of Wakeman with Wakeman , an album of keyboard compositions written and performed by
10904-452: Is This Dream of Your Youth" features an extended organ solo and "Temperament of Mind", a solo piano piece that developed from improvisations when the band would lose power, received a standing ovation. Wakeman was featured on the front page of Melody Maker for the first time, calling him "tomorrow's superstar" and "pop find of 1970". Also in July 1970, Wakeman launched a folk music night at
11092-474: Is an English keyboardist and composer best known as a member of the progressive rock band Yes across five tenures between 1971 and 2004, and for his prolific solo career. AllMusic describes Wakeman as a "classically trained keyboardist extraordinaire who plied his trade with Yes and developed his own brand of live spectacular in a solo act." Born and raised in West London , Wakeman quit his studies at
11280-440: Is known for its humor. The most famous example is the sudden loud chord in the slow movement of his "Surprise" symphony ; Haydn's many other musical jokes include numerous false endings (e.g., in the quartets Op. 33 No. 2 and Op. 50 No. 3 ), and the remarkable rhythmic illusion placed in the trio section of the third movement of Op. 50 No. 1 . Rick Wakeman Richard Christopher Wakeman CBE (born 18 May 1949)
11468-617: Is today the national anthem of Germany. (Modern Austria uses a different anthem .) During the later years of this successful period, Haydn faced incipient old age and fluctuating health, and he had to struggle to complete his final works. His last major work, from 1802, was the sixth mass for the Esterházys, the Harmoniemesse . By the end of 1803, Haydn's condition had declined to the point that he became physically unable to compose. He suffered from weakness, dizziness, inability to concentrate and painfully swollen legs. Since diagnosis
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#173278713181311656-524: The Surprise , Military , Drumroll and London symphonies; the Rider quartet; and the "Gypsy Rondo" piano trio. The great success of the overall enterprise does not mean that the journeys were free of trouble. Notably, his first project, the commissioned opera L'anima del filosofo was duly written during the early stages of the trip, but the opera's impresario John Gallini was unable to obtain
11844-691: The Edinburgh Festival Fringe . In June 2015 he announced Wakemanfest, a three-day music festival at the Gliderdrome in Boston, Lincolnshire that October, featuring performances from himself and the English Rock Ensemble, the Strawbs , The Cadbury Sisters, and Chrissie Hammond. It was postponed, in addition to a piano tour of Scandinavia following the festival, after Wakeman had an undisclosed "serious health scare" and took time off at
12032-576: The Era albums created by the French composer Eric Lévi . The choir's relationship with Rick Wakeman , begun in 1974, continues to this day. In 2009 it appeared live with Wakeman at Hampton Court in a revival of his first solo album The Six Wives of Henry VIII as part of the celebrations of the 500th anniversary of Henry's accession to the throne and a few weeks later at Cadogan Hall in his 'unplugged' piano, choir and orchestra programme: P'n'O The choir has
12220-516: The MIDEM music festival. A single from the album, "I'm So Straight I'm a Weirdo", featuring Wakeman on lead vocals, was released in 1980. Wakeman hosted the Channel 4 music show Gastank with Tony Ashton that aired in January and February 1983. He then released a second album for Charisma, Cost of Living , a mixture of instrumental and rock tracks with Rice on vocals, which failed to impact
12408-486: The Paris symphonies (1785–1786) and the original orchestral version of The Seven Last Words of Christ (1786), a commission from Cádiz , Spain. The remoteness of Eszterháza , which was farther from Vienna than Eisenstadt, led Haydn gradually to feel more isolated and lonely. He longed to visit Vienna because of his friendships there. Of these, a particularly important one was with Maria Anna von Genzinger (1754–1793),
12596-616: The Royal College of Music in 1969 to become a full-time session musician . His early sessions included " Space Oddity ", among other tracks, for David Bowie , and songs by Elton John , Marc Bolan , Cat Stevens , and Lou Reed . In 1970, Wakeman joined the folk rock group the Strawbs , during which his virtuosity gained national press coverage. He left in 1971 to join Yes, with whom he played on some of their most influential albums across two stints until 1980. During this time Wakeman began
12784-420: The Royal College of Music in London with the intention of becoming a concert pianist. To enter he needed to pass eight music exams to earn his A-level in the subject, which required him, as his mother remembered, "to do two years' work in ten months". He put in the effort following a ten shilling bet with his music teacher who believed he would not succeed, and refusing his father's offer to work with him at
12972-492: The journeyman period of his career had taught himself to play the harp. According to Haydn's later reminiscences, his family was extremely musical, and they frequently sang together and with their neighbours. Haydn's parents had noticed that their son was musically gifted and knew that in Rohrau he would have no chance to obtain serious musical training. It was for this reason that, around the time Haydn turned six, they accepted
13160-531: The BBC television film The Day After the Fair and the feature documentary Mackintosh . Also in 1987, Wakeman put out his first Christian music album titled The Gospels , a double album based on the four Gospels that features tenor vocalist Ramon Remedios, actor Robert Powell as narrator, and the Eton College Chapel Choir . The music was originally written for a 1985 concert as part of
13348-693: The Centre of the Earth with the London Symphony Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall . Over the years the choir has performed in all the major concert halls in London (South Bank, Barbican, St John's Smith Square, Cadogan Hall), in St Paul's Cathedral , Westminster Abbey , Westminster Cathedral and many other churches known for their musical traditions. It has sung abroad in Brussels, Antwerp, Basel, Zurich, Athens and Plovdiv (Bulgaria), and has visited many cities, towns and villages throughout
13536-719: The Centre of the Earth at Abbey Road Studios . The choir sings regularly with the Belmont Ensemble at St Martin-in-the-Fields, in London's Trafalgar Square, performing popular classics including Mozart 's Requiem , Fauré's Requiem , Vivaldi 's Gloria and Handel's Messiah . It has also commissioned many new works, most recently the Troparion of Kassiani from the Greek-Canadian composer Christos Hatzis and Sub tuum praesidium by Ivan Moody . The choir's repertoire spans at least five centuries. Although not
13724-562: The Centre of the Earth plus selections from Six Wives with the National Philharmonic Orchestra , the Choir of America, and his rock band named The English Rock Ensemble. Under doctors' orders, Wakeman was required to pass a heart monitor test before each performance. The tour continued to Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, finishing in March 1975. Recording for King Arthur finished in January 1975, and features
13912-678: The Concorde Quartet, playing dance and pop songs at local events with his cousin Alan Wakeman on saxophone and clarinet. Wakeman used the money earned from their gigs to buy a Hohner Pianet , his first electronic keyboard. That year he also formed a dance band called the Green Dolphin Trio, spending a year's residency at a social club in Alperton , and Curdled Milk, a joke on " Strange Brew " by Cream , to play at
14100-643: The Earwigs. After a short return stint in the Ronnie Smith group, Wakeman spotted an advertisement in the Melody Maker for an organist in the Spinning Wheel, a pub band at The Greyhound in Chadwell Heath , for seven nights a week. He got the job and moved there with his first wife. Wakeman's prominence rose during his tenure with the folk rock group the Strawbs . He had played the piano as
14288-534: The Edge , which is considered a landmark progressive rock album and features Wakeman playing a church organ and harpsichord. He is credited on the final track, " Siberian Khatru ". Wakeman picked the album as "one of the finest moments of Yes' career." The Close to the Edge Tour marked the first time Wakeman wore a cape on stage after a fan offered his own for one of the band members to wear. He then had his own made;
14476-490: The English Chamber Choir, premiered in London. Wakeman performed the piece with the choir once more in 2011. In 1998, he started work on Return to the Centre of the Earth , a sequel album to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Journey to the Centre of the Earth . The idea first came to Wakeman in 1991 during a tour of Italy, which led to discussions about the project with Atlantic Records that year about
14664-782: The English Channel on New Year's Day of 1791. It was the first time that the 58-year-old composer had seen the sea. Arriving in London, Haydn stayed with Salomon in Great Pulteney Street (London, near Piccadilly Circus ) working in a borrowed studio at the Broadwood piano firm nearby. It was the start of a very auspicious period for Haydn: both the 1791–1792 journey, along with a repeat visit in 1794–1795, were greatly successful. Audiences flocked to Haydn's concerts; he augmented his fame and made large profits, thus becoming financially secure. Charles Burney reviewed
14852-469: The English Rock Ensemble, and saw further relief when A&M agreed to pay royalties in advance. At the suggestion of Wakeman's manager, Brian Lane , Wakeman rehearsed with Bill Bruford and John Wetton for six weeks with the plan to form a new band, but the story broke in Melody Maker which effectively caused the group to split. Wakeman took up work recording the soundtrack to White Rock ,
15040-542: The Imagination , featuring tracks of varied styles including songs and instrumentals. In February 2023, Wakeman and his band performed two shows at the London Palladium featuring The Six Wives of Henry VIII , Journey to the Centre of the Earth and King Arthur performed in their entirety, plus a selection of songs he performed with Yes. The shows were released as a live album. In February 2024, he toured
15228-588: The King in London, in 1797 Haydn wrote a patriotic "Emperor's Hymn" " Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser ", ("God Save Emperor Francis"). This achieved great success and became "the enduring emblem of Austrian identity right up to the First World War" (Jones). The melody was used for von Fallersleben's Deutschlandlied (1841), which was written as part of the German unification movement and whose third stanza
15416-682: The New World Orchestra, English Chamber Choir, and the Nottingham Festival Vocal Group. Its a concept album based on King Arthur and its related characters and stories. Following its release in March 1975, the album went to No. 2 in the UK and No. 21 in the US, and earned gold certifications in Brazil, Japan, and Australia. The album was promoted with three sold-out shows at Wembley Arena with Wakeman performing with an orchestra, choir, and his rock band to
15604-510: The One (1977), in November 1976. Keyboardist Patrick Moraz had left during the early stages in part due to the "enormous psychological pressures within the group". Upon hearing the band's new material of more accessible and concise songs, Wakeman agreed to play on the album as a session musician and joined the band in Montreux. Wakeman subsequently agreed to rejoin the band full-time, but noticed
15792-575: The Sunday morning before Christmas. A selection of recordings including the choir includes: Featured on the track "Supertzar" on Black Sabbath's Sabotage album. Joseph Haydn Haydn spent much of his career as a court musician for the wealthy Esterházy family at their Eszterháza Castle. Until the later part of his life, this isolated him from other composers and trends in music so that he was, as he put it, "forced to become original". Yet his music circulated widely, and for much of his career he
15980-430: The UK and No. 128 in the US. The track "Birdman of Alcatraz" was used as the theme music to the BBC drama series My Son, My Son and subsequently released as a single. Rhapsodies (1979) was recorded in Montreux and released as a double album , with Wakeman playing shorter tracks of varied musical styles. It features Bruce Lynch , Frank Gibson Jr. , and Tony Visconti as guest musicians. It also peaked at No. 25 in
16168-460: The UK and No. 30 in the US, and Time named the record one of the best albums of the year. At the Melody Maker readers poll awards in September 1973, Wakeman came out first in the top keyboardist category. Yes's double concept album Tales from Topographic Oceans was released in November 1973, containing four side long pieces based on ideas from Hindu scriptures in Autobiography of
16356-507: The UK charts at No. 1, a first for the label. Journey also reached No. 3 in the US, and earned Wakeman a Grammy and Ivor Novello Award nomination. The album has sold an estimated 14 million copies worldwide. On 27 July 1974, Wakeman headlined the Crystal Palace Garden Party concert , performing selections from Six Wives and Journey in its entirety. By this time, his excessive smoking and alcohol consumption,
16544-562: The UK new age chart. Wakeman followed this with a tour of the Far East, and soundtrack work for Hero , the film to the 1986 World Cup . In 1987, Wakeman joined the rock band Sky as a guest musician for an Australian tour. His association with new age music continued as the host of a weekly new age radio show on Capital Radio , and the release of The Family Album , with a track dedicated to each of his family members and pets. The original pressing included music Wakeman had composed for
16732-471: The UK with the Journey to the Centre of the Earth and Yes sets, followed by the start of his Final One Man Solo Tour of North America. The tour featured the debut of his 30-minute piano composition "Yessonata", featuring various themes and melodies from Yes songs that he had originally played on. In November 2024 a 20-minute recorded version of Yessonata was released as an album of the same name, paired with
16920-468: The UK. After touring with Yes in 1979, and failed attempts at making a new album with the band in Paris and London, Wakeman and Anderson left the group in early 1980. In 1980, after a four-year hiatus, Wakeman reformed the English Rock Ensemble for a European tour. Later that year he came close to forming a band with drummer Carl Palmer , bassist John Wetton , and guitarist Trevor Rabin , but opted out "on
17108-946: The UK. It has appeared at the Chelsea Festival, the Byzantine Festival in London and as part of the Encounters exhibition at the Barber Institute in Birmingham. In May 2012 it made its debut at the Brighton Festival - England's biggest arts festival. It has sung by invitation for the Lord Mayor of London at the Mansion House and HM The Queen at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. In 2012 it re-recorded Wakeman 's Journey to
17296-577: The US in aid of ASSIST. Recordings from shows in Virginia and the Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, California was released on The Piano Album in 1995. The latter show was attended by 8,000 people. Wakeman formed Hope Records to release this new Christian music, and decided to use the royalty payments to fund the production of more albums for the label. In October 1992, Wakeman embarked on
17484-463: The Union Tour tour of 1991–1992 as his favourite with Yes, where he formed a strong friendship with their 1980s guitarist and singer-songwriter Trevor Rabin . Wakeman confirmed his exit from the group in 1993 following managerial disputes with the band's and his own. Wakeman continued with his solo career in parallel; in 1990 he revived his English Rock Ensemble with Holt, Fernandez, and Paton for
17672-707: The White Hart pub in Acton called the Booze Droop. It failed to make an impact and Wakeman owed the landlord money, so Bowie agreed to perform an acoustic set for £5 to help raise funds. The gig had around 12 attendees, as people thought the advertisements for the gig were a joke. The income that Wakeman earned in sessions and the Strawbs allowed him to buy a home in West Harrow . Despite being paid well, Wakeman soon became disillusioned with session work because he
17860-517: The album had sold an estimated 12 million copies worldwide. From 1979 to 2005 (excluding 2001), and from 2019 onwards, the BBC configured "Arthur" to be the opening theme of its electoral Broadcast in the United Kingdom . Wakeman toured King Arthur with an augmented formation of the English Rock Ensemble for three months from October 1975, across North and South America. The stage production
18048-482: The album in its entirety which Wakeman also disagreed with. He openly criticised the album to the press, and his growing frustrations culminated in an incident whereby he ate a curry on stage during a show in Manchester . In 2006, Wakeman clarified that his total dislike of the album is "not entirely true" and recognises some "very, very nice musical moments", but "we had too much for a single album but not enough for
18236-478: The album reached No. 7 in the UK. He concluded the series of piano albums with Christmas Portraits , a Christmas-themed piano album, in 2019. In September and October 2019, Wakeman embarked on his first solo tour of the US in 13 years, playing piano shows. In June 2020, Wakeman returned to his progressive rock roots with The Red Planet , an instrumental album inspired by Mars and featuring his English Rock Ensemble. In March 2023, Wakeman released A Gallery of
18424-459: The album went to No. 9 in the UK and No. 67 in the US. Wakeman toured the album worldwide, which featured a scaled down stage production compared to his previous tours. By the summer of 1976, Wakeman fell into financial trouble after touring had met its minimal expectations and its expenses had exceeded its profits, and had to come up with £350,000 "in a matter of weeks". He sold his Rolls-Royces, ended his Fragile car service company, and disbanded
18612-610: The annual school dance. The band were unpaid after Wakeman lost control of his car and drove across the headmaster's rose garden at the front of the school, thereby forfeiting their performance fee to pay for the damage. In 1967, Wakeman began a tenure with the Ronnie Smith Band, a dance group based at the Top Rank ballroom in Watford . He was sacked in the following year for not taking the dance music seriously enough, but
18800-715: The band in August 1971 made the front page news in Melody Maker , his second cover feature in a year. With Yes his earnings rose from £18 to £50 to a week. Fragile was recorded in five weeks so the band could resume touring and help finance a new set of keyboards for Wakeman. The album features a solo track written by each member; Wakeman's track, "Cans and Brahms", is an adaptation of the third movement of Symphony No. 4 by Johannes Brahms played on electronic keyboards. He called it "dreadful" as contractual disputes between Atlantic Records , who had signed Yes, and A&M prevented him from writing his own composition. Wakeman said he
18988-604: The band. In the same year, Wakeman recorded the soundtrack to the slasher horror film The Burning in New York City. Wakeman's next album was Rock 'n' Roll Prophet , a humorous spoof on the pop duo the Buggles released in 1982 on his own label, Moon Records. Initially titled Maybe '80 , it was recorded in Switzerland in 1979 but remained unreleased until he secured the rights for it following an appearance at
19176-443: The building suppliers. Wakeman entered the college on a performer's course with the piano as his first study, clarinet his second, and orchestration and modern music his third, but quickly found out that "everyone else there was at least as good as me; and a lot of them much better", and switched to a teacher's course. His orchestration professor, Philip Cannon , had a long-lasting influence on his compositional skills. He adopted
19364-545: The chance to join the band, after Tony Kaye had been asked to leave following his resistance to learn instruments other than the piano and organ. Wakeman agreed to meet Yes as they rehearsed for their fourth album, Fragile (1971), and during his first session with the band, " Heart of the Sunrise " and " Roundabout ", two of the band's iconic songs, were put together. Wakeman decided that Yes presented more favourable opportunities and declined Bowie's offer; his arrival into
19552-440: The chart and "did nothing" to improve his finances. By this time, Wakeman was "managerless, penniless and homeless". In February 1983, he and Carter moved to Camberley , Surrey after the birth of their daughter Jemma. Wakeman took up work by recording the soundtrack to the official 1982 FIFA World Cup documentary film G'olé! , which was released around the same time as Cost of Living which hampered potential sales. He wrote
19740-662: The choir celebrated its 40th anniversary with a concert in St John's Smith Square. This included works by Bach, Bax, Tallis (the 40-part motet Spem in alium), Christos Hatzis and Ivan Moody. Paddy O'Connell and Rick Wakeman were guests. Film credits include 1492: Conquest of Paradise and Band of Brothers . The choir has appeared on Gordon Ramsey's Christmas Cookalong (when his guest was Gok Wan), on Chris Moyles' Quiz Night singing hymn-tunes to Stephen Fry , and from 2008 to 2011 has written and sung satirical versions of popular Christmas Carols on Radio 4's Broadcasting House on
19928-544: The church choir . There is reason to think that Haydn's singing impressed those who heard him, because in 1739 he was brought to the attention of Georg Reutter the Younger , the director of music in St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, who happened to be visiting Hainburg and was looking for new choirboys. Haydn passed his audition with Reutter, and after several months of further training moved to Vienna (1740), where he worked for
20116-459: The clarinet. In his teenage years, he learned to play the church organ , became a Sunday school teacher, and chose to be baptised at eighteen. Wakeman described himself at school as "a horror ... I worked hard in the first year, then eased up". In 1961, during his time at Drayton Manor school, Wakeman played in his first band, the trad jazz outfit Brother Wakeman and the Clergymen, with
20304-495: The composer wrote his first string quartets. Of them, Philip G. Downs said "they abound in novel effects and instrumental combinations that can only be the result of humorous intent". Their enthusiastic reception encouraged Haydn to write more. It was a turning point in his career. As a result of the performances, he became in great demand both as a performer and a teacher. Fürnberg later recommended Haydn to Count Morzin , who, in 1757, became his first full-time employer. His salary
20492-643: The concert scene in London; "hardly a concert did not feature a work by him". Haydn's work was widely distributed by publishers in London, including Forster (who had their own contract with Haydn) and Longman & Broderip (who served as agent in England for Haydn's Vienna publisher Artaria ). Efforts to bring Haydn to London had been made since 1782, though Haydn's loyalty to Prince Nikolaus had prevented him from accepting. After fond farewells from Mozart and other friends, Haydn departed from Vienna with Salomon on 15 December 1790, arriving in Calais in time to cross
20680-422: The esteem in his "Haydn" quartets . In 1785 Haydn was admitted to the same Masonic lodge as Mozart, the " Zur wahren Eintracht " in Vienna. In 1790, Prince Nikolaus died and was succeeded as prince by his son Anton . Following a trend of the time, Anton sought to economize by dismissing most of the court musicians. Haydn retained a nominal appointment with Anton, at a reduced salary of 400 florins, as well as
20868-477: The experience and had to depart at intermission. Haydn lived on for 14 more months. His final days were hardly serene, as in May 1809 the French army under Napoleon launched an attack on Vienna and on 10 May bombarded his neighborhood. According to Griesinger, "Four case shots fell, rattling the windows and doors of his house. He called out in a loud voice to his alarmed and frightened people, 'Don't be afraid, children, where Haydn is, no harm can reach you!'. But
21056-474: The false accusations on his website, clarifying that the visit was not staged for political reasons. Wakeman later revealed that Castro gave him some earth surrounding Che Guevara 's grave. In June 2006, Wakeman toured the US with a solo piano tour. This was followed by a performance of Return to the Centre of the Earth with his band, orchestra, and choir in Quebec, Canada. The show featured Jon Anderson as
21244-475: The favorable reception of his music." Haydn was especially respected by the Esterházy court musicians whom he supervised, as he maintained a cordial working atmosphere and effectively represented the musicians' interests with their employer; see Papa Haydn and the tale of the "Farewell" Symphony . Haydn had a robust sense of humor, evident in his love of practical jokes and often apparent in his music, and he had many friends. For much of his life he benefited from
21432-473: The film as Thor , the god of thunder. A few years later, he recalled the album in a more negative light as "there was hardly anything of mine on it in the end", and criticised its mixing and production. No Earthly Connection (1976) was recorded in France and features Wakeman and his English Rock Ensemble. Initially it was to be about mythological gods, but its lyrical subject matter changed after he witnessed
21620-619: The financial precariousness of musical life made him astute and even sharp in his business dealings. Some contemporaries (usually, it has to be said, wealthy ones) were surprised and even shocked at this. Webster writes: "As regards money, Haydn…always attempted to maximize his income, whether by negotiating the right to sell his music outside the Esterházy court, driving hard bargains with publishers or selling his works three and four times over [to publishers in different countries]; he regularly engaged in 'sharp practice'" which nowadays might be regarded as plain fraud. But those were days when copyright
21808-454: The first concert thus: "Haydn himself presided at the piano-forte; and the sight of that renowned composer so electrified the audience, as to excite an attention and a pleasure superior to any that had ever been caused by instrumental music in England." Haydn made many new friends and, for a time, was involved in a romantic relationship with Rebecca Schroeter . Musically, Haydn's visits to England generated some of his best-known work, including
21996-535: The first was made of sequins and cost US$ 300. The concert film Yessongs , filmed in 1972 at the Rainbow Theatre , featured his solo spot in the show. Also that month at the venue, Wakeman was a guest musician at the Who 's orchestral performances of Tommy . He also developed music for the 1972 film, Zee and Co. In January 1973, Wakeman released his debut solo album, The Six Wives of Henry VIII . It
22184-407: The group until 1992. Wakeman's most significant album of the 1990s was Return to the Centre of the Earth (1999), his first UK top 40 album in 18 years, and his piano album Piano Portraits (2017) produced his first UK top 10 album since 1975. Starting in 2009, Wakeman revisited his three hit albums of the 1970s by performing them live with new and expanded arrangements. From 2016 to 2020, Wakeman
22372-458: The high cost of renting large, professional studios, so he built his own as a compromise. Wakeman recorded there from 1990 until 2001. The new age-themed Aspirant Sunset , released in 1990, was the first, and marks the first album with his longtime recording engineer Stuart Sawney. Wakeman donated 50p from every sale of his Aspirant album trilogy to CPRE, The Countryside Charity . Wakeman befriended fellow Isle of Man resident Norman Wisdom , and
22560-604: The imperial children during carnival season, and as supplementary singers in the imperial chapel (the Hofkapelle ) in Lent and Holy Week. With the increase in his reputation, Haydn eventually obtained aristocratic patronage, crucial for the career of a composer in his day. Countess Thun, having seen one of Haydn's compositions, summoned him and engaged him as her singing and keyboard teacher. In 1756, Baron Carl Josef Fürnberg employed Haydn at his country estate, Weinzierl , where
22748-610: The label signed the controversial punk band the Sex Pistols . He denied any involvement and said it was a publicity stunt derived by A&M to drop the band. Wakeman was a key figure in getting American punk band The Tubes their first record deal, having suggested to George Daly that he contact A&M executive Kip Cohen , who signed the group. Wakeman's fortunes changed when he was invited to join Yes in Montreux , Switzerland, as they were working on new songs for Going for
22936-587: The lyrics. 1984 was released in June 1981 and reached number 24 in the UK. Plans to have the album adapted into a musical were cancelled after lawyers from Orwell's estate blocked its development. In July 1981, Wakeman performed Journey to the Centre of the Earth for two shows in Durban , South Africa. This was followed by a world tour until the end of 1981, with a line-up of Holt, Fernandez, Tim Stone on guitar, Steve Barnacle on bass, and Cori Josiah on vocals. The tour became problematic due to growing friction within
23124-400: The mounting of operatic productions. Despite this backbreaking workload, the job was in artistic terms a superb opportunity for Haydn. The Esterházy princes (Paul Anton, then from 1762 to 1790 Nikolaus I ) were musical connoisseurs who appreciated his work and gave him daily access to his own small orchestra. During the nearly thirty years that Haydn worked at the Esterházy court, he produced
23312-469: The name of the Lord] and ended with Laus Deo [praise be to God]. He retained this practice even in his secular works; he frequently only uses the initials "L. D.", "S. D. G." [ soli Deo gloria ], or Laus Deo et B. V. M. [... and to Beatae Virgini Mariae ] and sometimes adds, "et om si " ( et omnibus sanctis – and all saints) Haydn's early years of poverty and awareness of
23500-415: The new edition of Melody Maker had printed the headline "Wakeman rejoins Yes" hours after he agreed. He then learned that Lane had informed the press of his return without consulting him. Wakeman described Going for the One as "the album Yes should have made instead of Topographic Oceans ", and considered the 15-minute track "Awaken" as one of the group's best. Tormato (1978) features Wakeman playing
23688-608: The next nine years as a chorister. Haydn lived in the Kapellhaus next to the cathedral, along with Reutter, Reutter's family, and the other four choirboys, which after 1745 included his younger brother Michael . The choirboys were instructed in Latin and other school subjects as well as voice, violin, and keyboard. Reutter was of little help to Haydn in the areas of music theory and composition, giving him only two lessons in his entire time as chorister. However, since St. Stephen's
23876-504: The next ten years produced about 200 works for this instrument in various ensembles, the most notable of which are the 126 baryton trios . Around 1775, the prince abandoned the baryton and took up a new hobby: opera productions, previously a sporadic event for special occasions, became the focus of musical life at court, and the opera theater the prince had built at Esterháza came to host a major season, with multiple productions each year. Haydn served as company director, recruiting and training
24064-645: The next two decades following a change in musical fashion and financial issues from two divorces. His most popular album was the conceptual rocker 1984 (1981), which was followed by the minor pop hit single "Glory Boys" from Silent Nights (1985). He expanded into other areas such as hosting the television show GasTank , composing for television and film, forming record labels, and producing his first new-age , ambient , and Christian music with Country Airs (1986) and The Gospels (1987), respectively. In 1989, he reunited with former Yes bandmates for Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe , which led to his third period in
24252-496: The order of themes compared to the exposition and uses extensive thematic development . Haydn's formal inventiveness also led him to integrate the fugue into the classical style and to enrich the rondo form with more cohesive tonal logic (see sonata rondo form ). Haydn was also the principal exponent of the double variation form—variations on two alternating themes, which are often major- and minor-mode versions of each other. Perhaps more than any other composer's, Haydn's music
24440-705: The organ in the Bohemian Chancellery chapel at the Judenplatz . While a chorister, Haydn had not received any systematic training in music theory and composition. As a remedy, he worked his way through the counterpoint exercises in the text Gradus ad Parnassum by Johann Joseph Fux and carefully studied the work of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach , whom he later acknowledged as an important influence. He said of CPE Bach's first six keyboard sonatas, "I did not leave my clavier till I played them through, and whoever knows me thoroughly must discover that I owe
24628-667: The pair. They released No Expense Spared in 1993, Romance of the Victorian Age in 1994, and Vignettes in 1996. In 1993, Wakeman's financial situation took an unexpected turn when he was demanded to pay almost £70,000 to the Inland Revenue for interest charges and unpaid penalties related to tax he had paid for the preceding six years. He later wrote: "With help from Brian Lane 's office and Yes's accountants, in my signing away all publishing income from everything I had ever written ... Twenty-two years' work had vanished in
24816-412: The piano and playing his " Emperor's Hymn ". A final triumph occurred on 27 March 1808 when a performance of The Creation was organized in his honour. The very frail composer was brought into the hall on an armchair to the sound of trumpets and drums and was greeted by Beethoven, Salieri (who led the performance) and by other musicians and members of the aristocracy. Haydn was both moved and exhausted by
25004-434: The piano on his 1986 single " Absolute Beginners ". The latter half of the 1980s saw Wakeman venture into new musical genres. In 1986, he released his first album of new age music titled Country Airs , formed of solo piano tracks inspired by walks in the countryside. It was a record he never had wanted to make, but was in need of money and accepted a £5,000 advance from Coda Records to record it. It reached number one on
25192-407: The point of torture, I cannot escape them, they stand like walls before me. If it's an allegro that pursues me, my pulse keeps beating faster, I can get no sleep. If it's an adagio , then I notice my pulse beating slowly. My imagination plays on me as if I were a clavier." Haydn smiled, the blood rushed to his face, and he said "I am really just a living clavier." The winding down of Haydn's career
25380-488: The point that he was no longer able to sing high choral parts. Empress Maria Theresa herself complained to Reutter about his singing, calling it "crowing". One day, Haydn carried out a prank, snipping off the pigtail of a fellow chorister. This was enough for Reutter: Haydn was first caned , then summarily dismissed and sent into the streets. He had the good fortune to be taken in by a friend, Johann Michael Spangler, who shared his family's crowded garret room with Haydn for
25568-513: The project being shelved, along with a potential double album of its music. In early 1984, Wakeman contributed three songs to the soundtrack of B.C. Rock . In 1984, Wakeman signed with the independent label President Records in an association that would last until 2007, for which he would produce almost 40 albums. The first was Silent Nights , Wakeman's first solo album in over two years, featuring Fernandez, Cronk, and Rick Fenn on guitar and released in 1985. The single "Glory Boys" became
25756-455: The public, often leading performances of The Creation and The Seasons for charity benefits, including Tonkünstler-Societät programs with massed musical forces. He also composed instrumental music: the popular Trumpet Concerto , and the last nine in his long series of string quartets, including the Fifths , Emperor , and Sunrise . Directly inspired by hearing audiences sing God Save
25944-560: The record company pay Wakeman for the error, which was donated to one of Stevens' schools. Wakeman played the Hammond organ on Madman Across the Water by Elton John , and was a feature artist on Orange by Al Stewart . Bowie invited Wakeman to his home and played the outline of some songs for him on a guitar to learn, which Wakeman later called "the finest selection of songs I have ever heard in one sitting in my entire life". The result
26132-454: The rest of the band as he prioritised session work and contributed little to the music. He struggled to cover his mortgage and bills with money earned from the group, and started to consider other career options. In July 1971, Bowie invited Wakeman to join his new backing band, the Spiders from Mars , on the same day that bassist Chris Squire of the progressive rock group Yes offered him
26320-477: The same evening he collapsed and was taken to what proved to be to his deathbed. He died peacefully in his own home at 12:40 a.m. on 31 May 1809, aged 77. On 15 June, a memorial service was held in the Schottenkirche at which Mozart's Requiem was performed. Haydn's remains were interred in the local Hundsturm cemetery until 1820, when they were moved to Eisenstadt by Prince Nikolaus. His head took
26508-559: The session as he was desperate to pay his rent for the week. In late 1971, an album of covers with Wakeman on the piano, the John Schroeder orchestra , and an unknown female vocalist was released as Piano Vibrations . His name is omitted from the cover and liner notes, and was paid £36 for the four sessions it took to record it. The Strawbs' album From the Witchwood (1971) marked the growing differences between Wakeman and
26696-426: The session at Olympic Studios where he met producers Denny Cordell , Gus Dudgeon , and Tony Visconti , and engineer Keith Grant . Cordell was impressed with Wakeman's skills and offered him more session work for artists at Regal Zonophone Records . Wakeman accepted the additional income to compensate the small grant he had received to study, and began skipping classes in favour of the more lucrative sessions which
26884-750: The show's various characters. The show was initially held at the Brighton Festival , and Wakeman went out to perform it live with his band at other venues, including the Cheltenham Festival . Around the same time, Wakeman scored the soundtrack to Bullet to Beijing , a made-for-television film starring Michael Caine and Jason Connery . He also scored its sequel, Midnight in Saint Petersburg . Also in 1995, Wakeman played Mellotron on two songs of Ozzy Osbourne 's album Ozzmosis , "Perry Mason" and "I Just Want You". In
27072-626: The singers and preparing and leading the performances. He wrote several of the operas performed and wrote substitution arias to insert into the operas of other composers. 1779 was a watershed year for Haydn, as his contract was renegotiated: whereas previously all his compositions were the property of the Esterházy family, he now was permitted to write for others and sell his work to publishers. Haydn soon shifted his emphasis in composition to reflect this (fewer operas, and more quartets and symphonies) and he negotiated with multiple publishers, both Austrian and foreign. His new employment contract "acted as
27260-498: The soundtrack for the film She with assistance from Justin Hayward and Maggie Bell , and his second Russell feature, Crimes of Passion , with Bell on vocals, Fernandez on drums, and past Strawbs bandmate Chas Cronk on bass. Wakeman based the music around the themes of Symphony No. 9 by Antonín Dvořák . Wakeman also spent early 1983 writing the score to the ballet Killing Games , but problems during its development led to
27448-453: The spirit was stronger than the flesh, for he had hardly uttered the brave words when his whole body began to tremble." More bombardments followed until the city fell to the French on 13 May. Haydn, was, however, deeply moved and appreciative when on 17 May a French cavalry officer named Sulémy came to pay his respects and sang, skillfully, an aria from The Creation . On 26 May Haydn played his "Emperor's Hymn" with unusual gusto three times;
27636-406: The stage as he made a special guest appearance during his piano solo: "I didn't know who he was. I thought, 'Silly old sod, coming on the stage waving his stick'." The Strawbs' first major concert, on 11 July 1970 at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall , was recorded and released as Just a Collection of Antiques and Curios , both of which brought Wakeman's virtuosity into the national spotlight. "Where
27824-447: The string quartet; no other composer approaches his combination of productivity, quality and historical importance in these genres. A central characteristic of Haydn's music is the development of larger structures out of very short, simple musical motifs , often derived from standard accompanying figures. The music is often quite formally concentrated, and the important musical events of a movement can unfold rather quickly. Haydn's work
28012-469: The suggestion of his management and family. In January 2016, Wakeman reunited with former Yes bandmates Jon Anderson and Trevor Rabin and the three announced the formation of their new band, Anderson Rabin Wakeman , later renamed Yes Featuring Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin, Rick Wakeman. The three toured from 2016 to 2018, performing Yes music across the band's history. In January 2016, Wakeman performed
28200-487: The summer of 1995, Wakeman agreed to return to Yes which marked his fourth time in the group and the return of the "classic" line-up. They worked on new studio material and performed live shows in 1996 which was released on Keys to Ascension (1996) and Keys to Ascension 2 (1997). In March 1997, Wakeman staged the North American premiere of The New Gospels for five dates after it was reworked and extended into
28388-425: The television audience that night planned to watch Blue Movie , a controversial film by Andy Warhol , but it was temporarily banned from being broadcast. Wakeman explained: "It seems most of them, rather than watch repeats, switched over to Whistle Test and saw my preview of Henry ... and suddenly it seemed as if the whole country had discovered my music ... it was a tremendous break." The album reached No. 7 in
28576-504: The three seconds it had taken to sign my name." Wakeman credits his 1993 appearance on the evening talk show Danny Baker After All as a turning point in his television career, after he told a story about being arrested in Moscow for smuggling a KGB uniform out of the country. In mid-1995, Wakeman became involved with Phillip Gandey's family circus entertainment project Cirque Surreal , writing and recording "timeless" pieces to enhance
28764-506: The tour marked Wakeman's first major US tour in ten years. Tracks originally put down for a second album were added to an in-progress Yes album and released as Union in 1991, which transformed Yes into an eight-piece formation with Wakeman sharing keyboards with original Yes member Tony Kaye . Wakeman has openly stated his dislike for Union , partly due to the fact that session musicians were brought in to re-write and perform parts that he and Howe had already put down. However, he later chose
28952-423: The two made an album together. In late 1988, Wakeman got together with former Yes bandmates Jon Anderson , Bill Bruford , and Steve Howe to form a new group, Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe . The band originated when Anderson had become increasingly frustrated with Yes's commercial direction, and left the band to make music that reflected the band's 1970s sound. Their self-titled album was released in 1989, and
29140-492: The university. The symphony performed for the occasion, no. 92 has since come to be known as the Oxford Symphony , although it had been written two years before, in 1789. Four further new symphonies (Nos. 93 , 94 , 97 and 98 ) were performed in early 1792. While traveling to London in 1790, Haydn had met the young Ludwig van Beethoven in his native city of Bonn . On Haydn's return, Beethoven came to Vienna and
29328-427: The violinist Giovanni Battista Viotti . These were the venue of the last three symphonies, 102, 103, and 104. The final benefit concert for Haydn ("Dr. Haydn's night") at the end of the 1795 season was a great success and was perhaps the peak of his English career. Haydn's biographer Griesinger wrote that Haydn "considered the days spent in England the happiest of his life. He was everywhere appreciated there; it opened
29516-519: The wife of Prince Nikolaus's personal physician in Vienna, who began a close, platonic relationship with the composer in 1789. Haydn wrote to Mrs. Genzinger often, expressing his loneliness at Esterháza and his happiness for the few occasions on which he was able to visit her in Vienna. Later on, Haydn wrote to her frequently from London. Her premature death in 1793 was a blow to Haydn, and his F minor variations for piano, Hob. XVII:6, may have been written in response to her death. Another friend in Vienna
29704-490: The work to 54 minutes. It features his English Rock Ensemble, the Orion Orchestra and English Chamber Choir conducted by Guy Protheroe , and narration by actor Peter Egan . In April and May 2014, Wakeman performed the expanded album on a 14-date UK tour to commemorate the fortieth anniversary of the original. The re-recording of Journey became the catalyst for a new and expanded version of King Arthur , following
29892-416: The world of business, in his dealings, for example, with relatives, musicians and servants, and in volunteering his services for charitable concerts, Haydn was a generous man – e.g., offering to teach the two infant sons of Mozart for free after their father's death. When Haydn died he was certainly comfortably off, but by middle class rather than aristocratic standards. Haydn was short in stature, perhaps as
30080-451: Was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , whom Haydn had met sometime around 1784. According to later testimony by Michael Kelly and others, the two composers occasionally played in string quartets with Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf (second violin) and Johann Baptist Wanhal (cello) for small gatherings attended by Giovanni Paisiello and Giovanni Battista Casti . Impressed by Mozart's work, Haydn praised it unstintingly to others. Mozart returned
30268-416: Was " Changes ", " Oh! You Pretty Things ", and " Life on Mars? " for Bowie's album Hunky Dory , which feature Wakeman on piano. He later reflected: "David was incredibly influential to me. I learned more about how to work in a studio from David than anybody. He was tremendous in that respect." Wakeman played a series of piano glissandos on " Get It On " for T. Rex , after frontman Marc Bolan offered him
30456-448: Was "Bernardon". The work was premiered successfully in 1753, but was soon closed down by the censors due to "offensive remarks". Haydn also noticed, apparently without annoyance, that works he had simply given away were being published and sold in local music shops. Between 1754 and 1756 Haydn also worked freelance for the court in Vienna. He was among several musicians who were paid for services as supplementary musicians at balls given for
30644-474: Was Haydn's pupil up until the second London journey. Haydn took Beethoven with him to Eisenstadt for the summer, where Haydn had little to do, and taught Beethoven some counterpoint . While in Vienna, Haydn purchased a house for himself and his wife in the suburbs and started remodeling it. He also arranged for the performance of some of his London symphonies in local concerts. By the time he arrived on his second journey to England (1794–1795), Haydn had become
30832-598: Was a member of Yes Featuring Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin, Rick Wakeman . He continues to record albums and perform concerts worldwide in various capacities. His most recent album was Yessonata , released October 2024. Wakeman's discography includes over 100 solo albums spanning a range of musical styles. He has also gained notoriety for his appearances on the television programs Live at Jongleurs , Countdown , Grumpy Old Men , and Watchdog , and for his radio show on Planet Rock that aired from 2005 to 2010. Wakeman has written an autobiography and two memoirs. In 2017, he
31020-426: Was a pianist in Ted Heath 's big band while he was in the British Army . Mildred worked at a removals firm. Wakeman attended Drayton Manor Grammar School in Hanwell , in 1959. The family spent their summer holidays in Exmouth . As a youngster Wakeman heard his parents, uncle, and aunts play the piano and sing songs from his upstairs bedroom, which made him want to take up the instrument. His father took him to
31208-411: Was a respectable 200 florins a year, plus free board and lodging. Haydn's job title under Count Morzin was Kapellmeister , that is, music director. He led the count's small orchestra in Unterlukawitz and wrote his first symphonies for this ensemble – perhaps numbering in the double figures. Philip Downs comments of these first symphonies: "the seeds of the future are there, his works already exhibit
31396-421: Was awarded the Spirit of Prog Award at the annual Classic Rock Roll of Honour Awards . In 2012, Wakeman recorded a new and extended version of Journey to the Centre of the Earth , following the discovery of the original conductor's score three years prior which was considered lost. As the original album was shortened to fit a single LP, Wakeman re-recorded the album with the previously cut parts which expanded
31584-509: Was central to the development of what came to be called sonata form . His practice, however, differed in some ways from that of Mozart and Beethoven , his younger contemporaries who likewise excelled in this form of composition. Haydn was particularly fond of the so-called monothematic exposition , in which the music that establishes the dominant key is similar or identical to the opening theme. Haydn also differs from Mozart and Beethoven in his recapitulation sections, where he often rearranges
31772-436: Was disfigured by the polyps he suffered during much of his adult life, an agonizing and debilitating disease that at times prevented him from writing music. James Webster summarizes Haydn's role in the history of classical music as follows: He excelled in every musical genre. [...] He is familiarly known as the "father of the symphony" because he composed 107 symphonies, and could with greater justice be thus regarded for
31960-444: Was forced to remortgage his Camberley home. In September 1985, during the tour's Australian leg, Wakeman fell ill from his alcoholism and has been teetotal since. Also in 1985, a single of Wakeman's theme tunes for the television shows Lytton's Diary and Database was released. By this time he had also composed music for the BBC show Paddles Up and the Channel 4 documentary Supercat . Wakeman reunited with David Bowie to play
32148-419: Was frowned upon at the college. After a year Wakeman dropped out with the encouragement from his clarinet professor Basil Tschaikov. Wakeman became a full-time session musician, performing and arranging music for other musicians, films, and television and radio jingles as often as eighteen times in a week. He estimated to have participated in around 2,000 sessions in his career. His ability to produce what
32336-406: Was gradual. The Esterházy family kept him on as Kapellmeister to the very end (much as they had with his predecessor Werner long before), but they appointed new staff to lead their musical establishment: Johann Michael Fuchs in 1802 as Vice-Kapellmeister and Johann Nepomuk Hummel as Konzertmeister in 1804. Haydn's last summer in Eisenstadt was in 1803, and his last appearance before the public as
32524-537: Was homeless due to his financial difficulties and second divorce, and resorted to sleeping on benches in Kensington Gardens until a former roadie let him sleep at his house. Wakeman's first album for Charisma was 1984 , a concept rock album based on George Orwell 's same-titled dystopian novel , with a band including Steve Barnacle on bass, Gary Barnacle on saxophone, and Frank Ricotti on drums. The album features tracks with Chaka Khan , Jon Anderson , Kenny Lynch , and Tim Rice on lead vocals, who also wrote
32712-410: Was in its infancy, and the pirating of musical works was common. Publishers had few qualms about attaching Haydn's name to popular works by lesser composers, an arrangement that effectively robbed the lesser musician of livelihood. Webster notes that Haydn's ruthlessness in business might be viewed more sympathetically in light of his struggles with poverty during his years as a freelancer—and that outside
32900-495: Was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Yes . He was awarded a CBE for his services to music and broadcasting in 2021. Richard Christopher Wakeman was born in Perivale , Middlesex on 18 May 1949. The only child of Cyril and Mildred Wakeman (née Eastment), the three lived in Wood End Gardens in nearby Northolt . Cyril worked at a building suppliers which he joined as an office boy at age fourteen, and worked his way up to become one of its directors. He
33088-525: Was needed in a short time led to his nickname, One Take Wakeman. Among his first sessions were playing on Battersea Power Station by Junior's Eyes and, in June 1969, the Mellotron on " Space Oddity " by David Bowie for a £9 fee after Dudgeon needed a player, as neither knew much about the instrument. Wakeman went on to play on several tracks on Bowie's second album, David Bowie , and organ and piano on American singer Tucker Zimmerman 's only single, "Red Wind". In one session, Visconti had Wakeman play
33276-399: Was never credited for his contributions on Fragile , including piano sections on " Heart of the Sunrise " and " South Side of the Sky ", despite being told that management would sort the issue. He enjoyed the music too much to cause further rifts. Fragile reached the top ten in the UK and the US, and the Fragile Tour marked Wakeman's first visit to North America. During the tour he signed
33464-575: Was no staleness, there was a lot of freshness." The only new studio material worked on during this time were bonus tracks on The Ultimate Yes: 35th Anniversary Collection . After the 2004 tour Yes entered a four-year hiatus, during which Wakeman retired from large scale tours following ongoing health problems. When the band regrouped in 2008, Wakeman's son Oliver replaced him on keyboards. In April 2005, Wakeman and his band performed three shows in Havana , Cuba, including an outdoor show attended by an estimated 10,000 people. They came about after Wakeman
33652-424: Was not involved in the songwriting. He bought a Minimoog synthesiser at half price from actor Jack Wild , who thought that it was defective because it only played one note at a time . Wakeman was involved in several notable sessions in 1971. He arranged and played the piano on " Morning Has Broken " by Cat Stevens , but was omitted from the credits and for many years was not paid. Stevens later apologised and had
33840-456: Was offered to perform there to support a charitable foundation that supports a children's cancer hospital. The first two shows were filmed and released as Made in Cuba , proceeds from which were given to the hospital. Cuban leader Fidel Castro greeted Wakeman, thanking him for his humanitarian support. Wakeman received some criticism following the visit, which upset him personally and made him consider retiring from live performance. He addressed
34028-488: Was one of the leading musical centres in Europe, Haydn learned a great deal simply by serving as a professional musician there. Like Frankh before him, Reutter did not always bother to make sure Haydn was properly fed. As he later told his biographer Albert Christoph Dies , Haydn was motivated to sing well, in hopes of gaining more invitations to perform before aristocratic audiences, where the singers were usually served refreshments. By 1749, Haydn had matured physically to
34216-408: Was quickly offered a similar job (1761) by Prince Paul Anton , head of the immensely wealthy Esterházy family . Haydn's job title was only Vice-Kapellmeister, but he was immediately placed in charge of most of the Esterházy musical establishment, with the old Kapellmeister Gregor Werner retaining authority only for church music. When Werner died in 1766, Haydn was elevated to full Kapellmeister. As
34404-413: Was recorded in 1972 during gaps in touring and recording with Yes, and features members of the band, the Strawbs, and other guest musicians. The album is instrumental with its concept based on Wakeman's musical interpretations of the characteristics of the six wives of Henry VIII . The album was previewed with Wakeman performing excerpts on the BBC television show, The Old Grey Whistle Test . Much of
34592-406: Was scaled back in comparison to his previous tours, featuring only his rock band with a two-piece wind section. The line-up was Wakeman's first with new drummer Tony Fernandez , who would perform on many of his future albums and tours. In 1975, Wakeman composed the soundtrack for Lisztomania , a biography film about composer Franz Liszt written and directed by Ken Russell . Wakeman appears in
34780-402: Was soon reinstated at the ballroom in Reading . Here he met singer Ashley Holt, who later sang on many of Wakeman's future albums and tours. Around this time, Wakeman frequented the Red Lion pub in Brentford where he took part in jam sessions with several known musicians including John Entwistle , James Royal , Nick Simper , and Mitch Mitchell . In 1968, Wakeman acquired a scholarship at
34968-423: Was the most celebrated composer in Europe. The melody of his patriotic "Emperor's Hymn" " Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser ", (1797) was used for von Fallersleben's Deutschlandlied (1841), whose third stanza is today the national anthem of Germany. He was a friend and mentor of Mozart , a tutor of Beethoven , and the elder brother of composer Michael Haydn . Joseph Haydn was born in Rohrau , Austria,
35156-424: Was uncertain in Haydn's time, it is unlikely that the precise illness can ever be identified, though Jones suggests arteriosclerosis . The illness was especially hard for Haydn because the flow of fresh musical ideas continued unabated, although he could no longer work them out as compositions. His biographer Dies reported Haydn saying in 1806: I must have something to do—usually musical ideas are pursuing me, to
35344-470: Was under contract with its US division, a cassette was sent to co-founder Jerry Moss who liked it and ordered its worldwide release. After touring Topographic Oceans , Wakeman retreated to his Devonshire home. He heard early ideas for Yes's next album, felt he could no longer contribute to the style of music they were making, and confirmed his departure from the band on his twenty-fifth birthday. Later that day, A&M informed him that Journey had entered
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