How did Joseph Haydn’s reputation change during the 19th and 20th centuries?

Joseph Haydn’s reputation underwent significant shifts during the 19th and 20th centuries, moving from a period of declining popularity to a major critical reevaluation.1

During the 19th century, the Romantic era’s preference for dark, complex moods and ambivalent emotions meant that the gaiety, naturalness, and optimism of Haydn’s music held less appeal. While many of his symphonies and quartets were performed with some frequency until the mid-1800s, his work had all but disappeared from the standard repertory by the end of the century.1

In the 20th century, however, a comprehensive reevaluation of his work took place. Audiences and scholars began to fully appreciate the artistry and craftsmanship of his orchestration, the originality of his modulations, his engaging wit, and his outstanding thematic elaborations. This revival was further supported by extensive musicological research, which, beginning in the 1950s, successfully identified and removed a vast number of spurious works that had been wrongly attributed to him, helping to clarify his true musical legacy.1