- His birthdate is often reported as March 31, 1732, but this is a fabrication of his well-meaning brother, Johann Michael Haydn, who did not want his famous sibling to be remembered as an "April's Fool".
- Was the first composer to indicate dynamic markings in his music.
- Is generally credited with developing a form of music commonly known today as "sonata-allegro form", most often used in the first movement of many symphonies and concertos. This form consists of four distinct sections: the exposition, in which the themes of the movement are stated; the development where these themes are developed further (broken down, fragmented, inverted, etc.); the recapitulation in which the themes are restated; and the coda, a closing statement. An introduction may or may not be included.
- His more famous symphonies have appropriate nicknames. The "Farewell" symphony dropped a hint to Esterhazy that the musicians deserved a vacation; the "Clock" symphony suggests a ticking clock. The "Surprise" symphony (#94, in G Major) features a fortissimo chord in the second movement, the "surprise" written to make the ladies of the court jump in their seats.
- Wrote some 40 operas, very few of which are performed today.
- Though he and his wife, Maria Anna Keller, had no children, Haydn did have an illegitimate son, Alois Anton Nikolaus Polzelli, born April 22 1783, with soprano singer Luigia Polzelli.
- For many years was mistakenly believed to be the composer of Leopold Mozart's "Toy Symphony".
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