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. 83 in G minor, is the second of the six so-called Paris Symphonies (numbers 82-87) written by Joseph Haydn in 1785 and it was published by Artaria in Vienna in December 1787. It is popularly known as The Hen.