{"product_id":"playing-before-the-lord-the-life-and-work-of-joseph-haydn-9780802868527","title":"Playing Before the Lord: The Life and Work of Joseph Haydn","description":"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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn 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 \u003ci\u003eThe Creation\u003c\/i\u003e and portions of other well-known works to help Haydn listeners more fully appreciate the brilliance behind his music.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eStapert, Calvin R.:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - Calvin R. Stapert is professor emeritus of music at Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan. His previous books include My Only Comfort: Death, Deliverance, and Discipleship in the Music of Bach; Handel's Messiah: Comfort for God's People; and A New Song for an Old World: Musical Thought in the Early Church.","brand":"William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50461155164434,"sku":"9780802868527","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_0edebfdd-db7b-4044-a92d-8b1ec5bbfa2f.jpg?v=1730058247","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/playing-before-the-lord-the-life-and-work-of-joseph-haydn-9780802868527","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}