Joseph Haydn (1732–1809) was a leading composer of the classical period, called the “Father of the symphony” and “Father of the string quartet”. (The name “Franz” was not used in the composer’s lifetime; scholars (and most music publishers and recording companies) use the historically more accurate form of his name, rendered in English as “Joseph Haydn”.) Haydn was born on 31st March or 12st April 1732 in Rohrau, Austria village near the Hungarian border.