The Cambridge Companion to Haydn

As with other volumes in this series, despite being billed as “an introduction”, this is principally a book for scholars, and those requiring a biography might find other works more satisfying and less weighty to read. Nevertheless, this selection of essays investigates various aspects of Haydn's composition and the legacy of his image, in many cases giving new perspectives on traditional thinking about his musical style and personality. Thus we have one section on specific genres, including, for example, sacred music, operas and keyboard works, and others looking at Haydn's place in the context of his own times and the...