How did Joseph Haydn support himself after leaving the choir school?

After being expelled from the choir school at St. Stephen’s Cathedral due to his changing voice, Joseph Haydn faced significant financial hardship. At age 17, with no money or possessions, he supported himself "miserably" by taking on various odd musical jobs while living in the garret of a fellow musician.1

During this period of struggle, he pursued an intense program of self-instruction in music theory and composition. His situation improved when he became an accompanist for the Italian composer and singing teacher Nicola Porpora, who provided him with guidance on his compositions. Eventually, his talent led to an introduction to the nobleman Karl Joseph von Fürnberg, for whom he performed chamber music and composed his first string quartets. These connections eventually secured his professional career, leading to his engagement as a musical director for Count Ferdinand Maximilian von Morzin in 1758.1