Esterházy, Miklós
Esterházy, Eszterházy Miklós József, called Pompakedveló (lover of splendour), *18 December 1714, †28 September 1790, brother of Pál Antal, Austrian field marshal; successor of Schloss Eisenstadt from 1762. J. Haydn worked for him as Kapellmeister for about 30 years (from 1766 as first Kapellmeister). Miklós József expanded the orchestra to 35 musicians. He played baritone and Haydn wrote 175 works for his instrument. Miklós József was a patron of music, also of the theatrical, mime and plastic arts. In 1766, he built the Esterház Castle near Lake Neusiedl (“Hungarian Versailles”) with a separate opera theatre; he invited famous Italian singers, theatrical troupes, and great personalities (in 1773 the Empress Maria Theresa). Haydn composed orchestral music, chamber music, operas and cantatas (e.g., Al tuo arrive felice 1764, on the occasion of the prince’s return from his travels to Frankfurt and Paris).
Literature: C. von Horvath, E. von Hajnik Das fürstliche Haus Esterházy, “Österreichische Revue” III, Vol. 4, Vienna 1863; I. Bartalus Adalékok a magyar zene tőrténelméhez (“Additional Material to the History of Hungarian Music”), “Sztázadok” 1892 No. 21–22; M. Horányi Esterházy vigasságok, Budapest 1959, translation into German Das Esterházysche Feenreich, Budapest 1959, translation into English, Philadelphia 1962; J. Hárich Esterházy – Musikgeschichte im Spiegel der zeitgenössischen Textbücher, Eisenstadt 1959; D. Bartha, L. Somfai Haydn als Opernkapellmeister, Budapest 1960; J. Hárich Das Repertoire des Opernkapellmeisters Joseph Haydn in Esterháza 1780–90, Haydn-Jahrbuch I, 1962; D. Bartha, L. Somfai Haydn’s Italian Opera Repertory at Eszterháza Palace, published in New Looks at Italian Opera, Essays in Honor of Donald J. Grout, Ithaca (New York) 1968. J. Webster i G. Feder Joseph Haydn, published in New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, edited by S. Sadie, London 2001.