Artist
Joseph Haydn
Joseph Haydn appears 2 times in our Classical Period list, placing as high as No. 8. Hand-curated, with a reason for every pick.
- Ranked entries
- 2
- Appears on
- Classical Period
- Years
- 1791–1797
- Highest placing
- No. 8 in Classical Period
- Updated
- 2026-08-30
Appears on
String Quartet Op. 76 No. 3 "Emperor"
1797
Ranked No. 8 in Classical Period
Haydn effectively invented the string quartet and then, at sixty-five, wrote the best ones. The slow movement's hymn tune went on to become two national anthems.
Symphony No. 94 "Surprise"
1791
Ranked No. 9 in Classical Period
A quiet tune, then a fortissimo chord placed purely to startle a London audience. Proof that the period's reputation for politeness was mostly the nineteenth century's idea.