Encore Live: The Peculiar Case of Haydn’s Head

Imagine for a moment that you’re in a packed church in a tiny Austrian town. The president, chancellor, and various members of the cabinet are all in attendance. They are joined by the head of the Catholic church in Austria, foreign dignitaries, and journalists, as they gather to bury one of the greatest musical geniuses of all-time, Joseph Haydn. However, there’s one thing that’s fairly unusual about the ceremony — Haydn had actually died 145 years ago. Even more peculiar, the sculptor of the mausoleum is standing in front of the audience holding Haydn’s severed head. 

In this week’s event, our own Peter Ede will trace the bizarre story of what happened to Haydn’s head after it was removed from his body and stolen by gravediggers. Using beautiful visuals of Vienna and Eisenstadt, we examine this unusual and intriguing story.

Watch Encore Live: The Peculiar Case of Haydn’s Head

We hope that you have been enjoying our Encore Live series, and we encourage all viewers to let us know if there are any other topics you would like to see covered. We also hope you will join us on Thursday, September 3rd, for Encore Live: Mack the Knife and the Wild Years of Berlin, hosted by Tour Manager Markus Stuckelberger!

If you missed our previous event, Encore Live: Flamenco and What Follows, we hope you will watch last week’s recording. We have several Encore Live events lined up in the weeks ahead, so please make sure to register to receive updates about upcoming events!

We are committed to providing musicians with resources that will make their lives easier and more enjoyable during these difficult times, so please email encoretours@acis.com with any questions or suggestions.