L'anima del filosofo, ossia Orfeo ed Euridice, Hob. 28/13, is an opera in Italian in four acts by Joseph Haydn and is one of the last two operas written during his life, the other being Armida (1783).The libretto, by Carlo Francesco Badini, is based on the myth of Orpheus and Euridice as told in Ovid's Metamorphoses. Composed in 1791 for His Majesty's Theatre during his first visit to England, the opera was never performed during Haydn's lifetime and only given its formal premiere in 1951.
Portrait of Haydn by Thomas Hardy, 1791
Franz Joseph Haydn was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions to musical form have led him to be called "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String quartet".
Portrait of Haydn by Thomas Hardy (1791)
St. Stephen's Cathedral. In the foreground is the Kapellhaus (demolished 1804) where Haydn lived as a chorister.
Morzin Palace, Dolnà Lukavice, Czech Republic
Haydn's wife. Unauthenticated miniature attributed to Ludwig Guttenbrunn