Thomas Hardy's Portrait of Joseph Haydn

Abstract

It comes as no surprise that Haydn's first trip to England in 1791 heightened the literary efforts of both his supporters and his detractors. Charles Burney celebrated with his effusive Verses on the Arrival of Haydn in England,while in the same year William Jackson published his diatribe against modern music and the unnamed Haydn in his 'Observations on the Present State of Music in London'. These are just two examples of an ongoing debate conducted since the previous decade that encompassed a wide range of issues, including musical taste, modern versus ancient music, the nature of the symphony, the responsibility of the listener and indeed the nature of Haydn's genius.