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Had Haydn ever listened to Beethoven's early symphonies?

Best Answers

Beethoven's Symphony No.1 was premiered on April 2nd in Vienna and No.2 April 5th in 1803, also in Vienna. I don't know of any reaction that Haydn had to these early works, or whether or not he even heard them. read more

Yes, Haydn was familiar with Beethoven’s early and some of his mid-period work, having lived to 1809. Haydn thought Beethoven a very talented loose cannon, no doubt having heard his Eroica Symphony. read more

The symphonies that we number in the 40s are almost uniformly interesting — it is here that Haydn was working out the bugs of composing for his new instrument, for which he was a captive creator of new music. read more

Trouble is, by this point, around 1763, Haydn was pretty much constantly knocking out symphonies with his eyes closed, which means a large chunk of that early output is pretty forgettable. Not without interest, but there’s so much better to come. read more

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