Playing Before the Lord

<DIV>Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) has been called the father of the symphony and the string quartet. A friend of Mozart and a teacher of Beethoven Papa Haydn composed an amazing variety of music -- symphonies string quartets concerti masses operas oratorios keyboard works -- and his prolific output celebrates both the heights and depths of life.<br><br>In this fascinating book Calvin Stapert combines his skills as a biographer and a musicologist to recount Haydn's steady rise from humble origins to true musical greatness. Unlike other biographers Stapert argues that Haydn's work was a product of his devout Catholic faith even though he worked mainly as a court musician and the bulk of his output was in popular genres. In addition to telling Haydn's life story Stapert includes accessible listening guides to <I>The Creation</I> and portions of other well-known works to help Haydn listeners more fully appreciate the brilliance behind his music.</DIV>