It is uncommon to celebrate the anniversary of a death, but in the case of such a genius as Haydn, whose works have stood the test of time over two centuries, there is reason for a commemoration, said director of the Institute of Musicology Tibor Talián.
Miklós Maróth, deputy head of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, said Haydn could be seen as a Hungarian composer, as he put Hungarian music into his own works. Whoever learns how to play an instrument, regardless of which one, will at one time or another learn pieces by Haydn, as these can be seen as the mother tongue of music, he added.
Péter Halász, a music historian who works at the Institute of Musicology, acknowledged the HUF 100 million in support from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences for the renovation of the Erdődy Palace, the home of the institute and the Museum of Music History.
"The starting point for the exhibition was making it a showcase for objects exclusively from Hungarian collections," Halász said, thanking the Esterházy Foundation for contributing several paintings and other objects.
The National Széchényi Library also provided for the exhibition a series of handwritten pieces that have been seen only by researchers until now.
The exhibition does not document a chronology of Haydn's life, but is organised thematically. The first room is dedicated to Haydn's sacred music and the second to his operas. Other rooms show Haydn's chamber music and symphonies, as well as the work of his contemporaries. The National Széchényi Library has made available for the exhibition the only handwritten Mozart piece in Hungary, Halász added.
One of the highlights of the exhibition is a restored Broadwood piano owned by Beethoven and later purchased by Franz Liszt from the collection of the Hungarian National Museum.
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
