海顿并非作为歌剧作曲家留名至今，但并不代表他没有好的歌剧作品和对歌剧没有影响，实际上在十八世纪70年代 到 80年代左右，海顿代表他的雇主Nikolaus Esterházy经营着一队歌剧团，该团平均每年上演150次，海顿不少歌剧作品是在这其中创作的。
海顿的歌剧至今只是偶尔上演，Hob海顿作品目录中歌剧排在XXIX(29)里边，共有13部作品，实际并不止这个数目，在前几年的匈牙利国家图书馆例行清点中发现了39部海顿歌剧手稿，为研究他的歌剧提供了更丰富的材料。
Joseph Haydn is not primarily remembered as a composer of opera, yet the genre occupied a great deal of his time. During the 1770s and 1780s, Haydn ran an opera troupe on behalf of his employer, Prince Nikolaus Esterházy, which put on up to 150 performances per year. A number of the operas were Haydn's own work. Haydn's operas are only occasionally performed today.
Composed as a freelance musician
- 1752: Der krumme Teufel, Hob. 29/1a, Singspiel (libretto by Joseph von Kurz), composed during Haydn's time as a freelance musician. Now lost.
Composed during Haydn's service for the Eszterházy family
| Date | Title | Hob. | Genre | Subpisions | Libretto |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1762 revised 1773/1774 |
Acide e Galatea | 28/1 | festa teatrale | 1 act | G A Migliavacca |
| 1766 | 歌女 La canterina (The Songstress) | 28/2 | intermezzo in musica | 2 acts | |
| 1763? | La marchesa nespola | 30/1 | comedia | ||
| 1768 | 药剂师 Lo speziale (The Apothecary) | 28/3 | dramma giocoso | 3 acts | Carlo Goldoni, revised by Carl Friberth? |
| 1769 | Le pescatrici (The Fishwives) | 28/4 | dramma giocoso | 3 acts | Carlo Goldoni, revised by Carl Friberth? |
| 1773 | 落空的不贞 L'infedeltà delusa (Deceit Outwitted) | 28/5 | burletta per musica | 2 acts | Marco Coltellini, revised by Carl Friberth? |
| 1773 | Philemon und Baucis | 29b/2 | Singspiel | 1 act | Gottlieb Konrad Pfeffel |
| 1775 | 突然的相遇 L'incontro improvviso (The Unexpected Encounter) | 28/6 | dramma giocoso | 3 acts | Carl Friberth, after L H Dancourt's La rencontre imprévue |
| 1777 | 月亮的世界 Il mondo della luna (The World on the Moon) | 28/7 | dramma giocoso | 3 acts | Carlo Goldoni |
| 1779 | La vera costanza (True Constancy), revised 1785 | 28/8 | dramma giocoso | 3 acts | Francesco Puttini |
| 1779 | 无人岛 L'isola disabitata (The Deserted Island) | 28/9 | azione teatrale | 2 parts | Metastasio |
| 1780 | 善有善报 La fedeltà premiata (Fidelity Rewarded) | 28/10 | dramma giocoso | 3 acts | after Giambattista's Lorenzi's L'infedeltà fedele |
| 1782 | 奥兰多·帕拉蒂诺 Orlando paladino (The Paladin Orlando) | 28/11 | dramma eroicomico | 3 acts | Nunziano Porta, based on Carlo Francesco Badini's Le pazzie d'Orlando, after Ludovico Ariosto's Orlando furioso |
| 1783 | 阿尔米达 Armida | 28/12 | dramma eroico | 3 acts | after Torquato Tasso's Gerusalemme liberata |
Composed for the first London journey
- 1791: 哲学家的灵魂 L'anima del filosofo, ossia Orfeo ed Euridice, Hob. 28/13, dramma per musica in 4 acts (libretto by Carlo Francesco Badini). Haydn's own version of the Orpheus tale, the plot of a great many operas. Haydn's only post-Esterházy opera, composed for his 1791 trip to London but never performed there, due to intrigues.
