Franz Joseph Haydn (31 March 1732 – 31 May 1809), known as Joseph Haydn,was an Austrian composer, one of the most prolific and prominent 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 forms. He was also instrumental in the development of the piano trio and in the evolution of sonata form.
A lifelong resident of Austria, Haydn spent much of his career as a court musician for the wealthy Esterházy family on their remote estate. Isolated from other composers and trends in music until the later part of his long life, he was, as he put it, "forced to become original".At the time of his death, he was one of the most celebrated composers in Europe.

The Symphony No. 82 in C major, is the first of the so-called six Paris Symphonies (numbers 82-87) written by Joseph Haydn. It is popularly known as the Bear Symphony.