A renowned and prolific Austrian composer, famous for his many symphonies. Not only are Haydn's works vitally important in the evolution of musical form, they are delightful and inspirational. Haydn was directly responsible for establishing the form of the string quartet and he perfected the classical symphony, synthesizing a range of emotions and anticipating by many years the work of composers from Beethoven through Schumann. His keyboard sonatas are marvels of invention and surprise and the church masses are joyous and full of energy and rhythmic counterpoint. To quote his friend and admirer Mozart, "There is no one who can do it all -- to joke and to terrify, to evoke laughter and profound sentiment -- and all equally well, except Joseph Haydn."