This is one of those classical pieces that starts off slow and low which makes you turn up the volume and then BOOM, it hits you extra loud with the surprise. I was streaming this symphony on pandora this morning and one of the loud surprise interjections not only spooked me but also my labrador. I enjoy the rush of a good surprise and Haydn’s “Surprise symphony” delivers. Haydn wrote the symphony in 1791 in London.
Franz Joseph Haydn is a major player and composer of the classical period of music, art, and theatre. He came at a time when the influence of the church on musical development was diminishing. The influence was moving towards the nobility who employed composers to provide entertainment for their guests and the rise of the middle class for they too wanted to enjoy beautiful music.
Haydn’s employment under one family was a happy and rewarding one. It gave him much freedom and the ability to explore many different aspects of music. This experimentation and the experience gained allowed Haydn to play a crucial role in establishing many of the key classical forms such as the Symphony, the String Quartet, the Sonata and the Concerto. Versions of these forms previously existed, Haydn was the main composer to establish and promote them. Haydn’s key role in classical music, his reputation across Europe, and the wealth of music he created over the years is why he is a major player in the history of all music and especially that of the classical period and classical music.
Sources:
http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/?fuseaction=composition&composition_id=2843
http://classical-music-opera.com/josef-haydn/surprise-symphony-94.html
dannerak 
Bravo for the surprise in this one: I also was playing this piece on my stereo this morning and the jolt of that first loud chord got me and my dog as well. I also love this piece and the surprises it holds. You can really tell the different parts of the symphony from each other in this work, they are fairly obvious.
I agree that Haydn was an extremely gifted musician that helped to develop the various styles of music in the Classical Era. It is timeless pieces like this one that remind us of the huge effort behind the perfection of a piece of music. And a little surprise is never a bad thing!
I love this piece! I was trying to keep my volume low to listen to it at work and it still got me. I like that you gave all the background information on Haydn and the piece.
Great job on your post! You had everything that was needed. I liked the piece you picked it really does surprise you when it gets loud since it was so quiet to began with.
I am like you I truly like the way the music just grabs you and it really just gets to you. I think I am going to now do a little more research on Haydn.