1732-1749 Childhood 1750-1760 The apprenticeship years 1761-1780 The beginning of the Esterházy period 1781-1790 Mid Esterházy period 1791-1795 London Journey 1796-1809 Late Esterházy periode 1732-1749 Childhood Close to St. Stephan's Cathedral, sandwiched between a four storey apartment house and the Chapel of St. Magdalene, was the house of "Kapellmeister" Reutter, where Joseph Haydn and another five choir boys lived. For generations Vienna, the capital of the large Hapsburg Empire was the centre of musical excellence: at the Court of Emperor Karl VI., music experienced a peak due to the influence of two of the most important representatives of the late baroque period, Johann Joseph Fux (1660-1741) and Antonio Caldara (1670-1736). In 1749/50 Haydn's choir boy period came to an end as his voice broke - but he was actually dismissed for misbehaviour. 1742: George Friedrich Handel's "Messiah" was premiered at Dublin. 1745: Franz Stephan von Lothringen, Empress Maria Theresia's Consort was crowned Roman Emperor. Franz Joseph Haydn was born on 31 March 1732 in Lower Austria in the small hamlet of Rohrau near the Hungarian border to the wheelwright Mathias and his wife, Anna Maria. Joseph was the second of their twelve children and Michael (1737-1806), who also became a composer, was the sixth. The young Haydn received his introduction to music from his father who had a great natural love of music and often played folk music at home. When he was five years old, Haydn was sent to Johann Mathias Franck, a distant relative at Hainburg (Lower Austria). It was he who gave the boy his first musical lessons. 1732: First edition of a German music dictionary by Johann Gottfried Walther became available. In 1738 Georg Reutter the Younger (1708-1772), succeeded his father as Kapellmeister (musical director) at St. Stephan's Cathedral in Vienna. In 1739 he was seeking choir boys and stayed as guest of the town priest at Hainburg. During that occasion the young Haydn auditioned and his musical talent was recognised. At the age of eight Haydn was accepted into the Kapellhouse near St. Stephan's as a choir boy. Apart from a very rudimentary and basic education in general subjects, Haydn received tutoring in singing as well as piano and violin lessons. 1740: Emperor Karl VI. died; Maria Theresia succeeds him. 1741: Johann Joseph Fux (Austrian composer and music theoretician) died. Antonio Vivaldi (Italian violinist and composer) died in Vienna.