Prince
Paul II Anton Esterházy de Galantha (
EisenstadtEisenstadt is a city in Austria, the state capital of Burgenland. It has a population of about 12,000 .In the Habsburg monarchy, Kismarton was the seat of the Eszterházy Hungarian noble family...
, 22 April 1711 -
ViennaVienna is the capital of the Republic of Austria and also one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.7 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre. It is the 10th largest city by...
, 18 March 1762) was a prince of the Esterházy family. He had a distinguished career as a soldier and patron of music.
He studied in Vienna and
LeidenLeiden is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands and has 118,000 inhabitants. It forms a single urban area with Oegstgeest, Leiderdorp, Voorschoten, Valkenburg, Rijnsburg and Katwijk, with 254,000 inhabitants. It is located on the Old Rhine, close to the cities...
and had a strong interest in culture. As the previous members of the Esterházy family, he supported the Habsburg Empress
Maria Theresa of Austria
in the
War of the Austrian SuccessionThe War of the Austrian Succession involved nearly all the powers of Europe...
. In this war (1741-1748), he led a regiment of
hussarHussar refers to a number of types of light cavalry created in Hungary in the 15th century and used throughout Europe and in Latin America since the 18th century...
s which he had raised himself.
Because of his many successes on the battlefield, he was appointed Fieldmarschal-Lieutenant in 1747 and was sent after the war as imperial envoy to
NaplesNaples in Italy, is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples. The city is known for its rich history, art, culture, architecture, music and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,800 years old...
, where he stayed between 1750 and 1753.
At the outbreak of the
Seven Years' WarThe Seven Years' War lasted between 1754 and 1763 and involved all of the major European powers of the period. The war pitted Prussia and Britain and a coalition of smaller German states against an alliance consisting of Austria, France, Russia, Sweden, and Saxony...
in 1756, he fought as a General of the Cavalry and was promoted to
Field MarshalField Marshal is a military officer rank. Today, it is the highest rank in the armies in which it is used, one step above a general or colonel-general.-Usage and hierarchical position:...
in 1758.
Prince
Paul II Anton Esterházy de Galantha (
EisenstadtEisenstadt is a city in Austria, the state capital of Burgenland. It has a population of about 12,000 .In the Habsburg monarchy, Kismarton was the seat of the Eszterházy Hungarian noble family...
, 22 April 1711 -
ViennaVienna is the capital of the Republic of Austria and also one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.7 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre. It is the 10th largest city by...
, 18 March 1762) was a prince of the Esterházy family. He had a distinguished career as a soldier and patron of music.
Life
He studied in Vienna and
LeidenLeiden is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands and has 118,000 inhabitants. It forms a single urban area with Oegstgeest, Leiderdorp, Voorschoten, Valkenburg, Rijnsburg and Katwijk, with 254,000 inhabitants. It is located on the Old Rhine, close to the cities...
and had a strong interest in culture. As the previous members of the Esterházy family, he supported the Habsburg Empress
Maria Theresa of Austria
in the
War of the Austrian SuccessionThe War of the Austrian Succession involved nearly all the powers of Europe...
. In this war (1741-1748), he led a regiment of
hussarHussar refers to a number of types of light cavalry created in Hungary in the 15th century and used throughout Europe and in Latin America since the 18th century...
s which he had raised himself.
Because of his many successes on the battlefield, he was appointed Fieldmarschal-Lieutenant in 1747 and was sent after the war as imperial envoy to
NaplesNaples in Italy, is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples. The city is known for its rich history, art, culture, architecture, music and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,800 years old...
, where he stayed between 1750 and 1753.
At the outbreak of the
Seven Years' WarThe Seven Years' War lasted between 1754 and 1763 and involved all of the major European powers of the period. The war pitted Prussia and Britain and a coalition of smaller German states against an alliance consisting of Austria, France, Russia, Sweden, and Saxony...
in 1756, he fought as a General of the Cavalry and was promoted to
Field MarshalField Marshal is a military officer rank. Today, it is the highest rank in the armies in which it is used, one step above a general or colonel-general.-Usage and hierarchical position:...
in 1758. He retired from military service that year.
From then on he was involved in humanitarian and cultural activities. Of particular interest was his project (1761) of reorganizing the musical staff at his court: he brought in new players, reassigned his aging
KapellmeisterKapellmeister is a German word designating a person in charge of music-making. The word is a compound, consisting of the roots Kapelle and Meister . Kapelle derives from the Latin word capella. Thus, originally, the word was used to refer to somebody in charge of music in a chapel...
Gregor WernerGregor Joseph Werner was an Austrian composer. He served from 1728 to his death as Kapellmeister at the Esterházy court in Eisenstadt...
to cover just church music, and appointed the young
Joseph Haydn Joseph Haydn was an Austrian composer. He was one of the most important, prolific and prominent composers of the classical period. He is often called the "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet" because of his important contributions to these genres...
as Vice-Kapellmeister, in charge of the orchestra. Since this provided Haydn with his own orchestra, with ample opportunities to compose symphonies for it to perform, the appointment was of great consequence for the growing status of the symphony and thus for the history of music.
When Paul Anton died in 1762 without children, he was succeeded by his brother
NikolausNikolaus Esterházy was a Hungarian prince, a member of the famous Esterházy family. His building of palaces, extravagant clothing, and taste for opera and other grand musical productions led to his being given the title "the Magnificent"...
.
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