Sacred Music / Oratorio
Oratorio 'Die Schöpfung' considered the greatest work of Haydn
Franz Joseph Haydn's masterpiece, oratorio
'The Creation': facts, the cast, brief history, and other Haydn-related information.
Haydn said of the time he was at work on this enormous composition, (The World of the Oratorio by Kurt Pahlen, Scolar Press, 1990):
"Never had I been so devout as when I was composing The Creation. Everyday I fell to my knees and prayed to God to give me strength for my work."
"The heavens are telling the glory of God,
the wonder of his work displays the firmament.
To-day that is coming, speaks it the day,
the night that is gone, to following night.
The heavens are telling the glory of God,
the wonder of his work displays the firmament.
In all the lands resounds the word,
never unperceived, ever understood.
The heavens are telling the glory of God,
the wonder of his work displays the firmament."
~ The Heavens are Telling, from Haydn's "The Creation"~
"The heavens are telling the glory of God,
the wonder of his work displays the firmament.
To-day that is coming, speaks it the day,
the night that is gone, to following night.
The heavens are telling the glory of God,
the wonder of his work displays the firmament.
In all the lands resounds the word,
never unperceived, ever understood.
The heavens are telling the glory of God,
the wonder of his work displays the firmament."
~ The Heavens are Telling, from Haydn's "The Creation"~
Video: F.J. Haydn - "The heavens are telling"〈The Creation〉Oratorio / Christopher Hogwood. YouTube, uploaded by Protestant7 (Baroque music). Accessed April 30, 2013.
In his last years, Franz Joseph Haydn created his masterpiece the oratorio The Creation. The Austrian classical composer expressed his vision of the creation, as told in the Holy Bible and John Milton's poem Paradise Lost.
The Creation is considered Joseph Haydn's greatest work. He spent relentlessly working on it just before the turn of the 19th century.
The CREATION (Franz Joseph Haydn) SD. Uploaded by LandsmannVideo. Accessed March 4, 2018. (Gabriel · Eva Ida Falk Winland, Soprano. Uriel - Andrew Staples, Tenor. Raphael - David Stout, Bass. Adam - Robert Davies, Bass. Musica Saeculorum. Konzertmeister: Matthew Truscott. Conductor: Philipp von Steinaecker)
Facts about The Creation:
Composer: (Franz) Joseph Haydn (1732-1809), an Austrian composer born in Rohrau, Austria.
Original Title: Die Schöpfung
Original Language: German
Text: Gottfried van Swieten (Baron von Swieten), Austrian patron of the Arts. The words are based on the Holy Bible's Book of Genesis and a poem by the Englishman Lidley (or Linley), who also based his work on Milton's Paradise Lost.
Form: Three Parts, a total of 34 musical numbers.
Date of Writing: 1796-1798.
First Performance: Vienna, in the palace of Prince Schwarzenberg, April 29 and 30, 1798.
The Cast:
Archangel Gabriel (Soprano)
Archangel Uriel (Tenor)
Archangel Raphael (Bass)
Adam (Baritone)
Eve (Soprano)
Four-part mixed chorus (SATB)
Orchestra: Flutes, clarinets, bassoons, oboes,
horns, trumpets, trombones, timpani, strings, continuo with cello and
harpsichord.
Brief
Synopsis:
The oratorio has three parts; first, devoted
to the elements; second, to animals and man; and third, to an earthly paradise. The soloists personify the Archangels Gabriel, Uriel and Raphael in the first two parts, and Adam and Eve
in the third.
Brief
History of The Creation:
The work was written at the suggestion of Salomon, Haydn's English concert manager, while Haydn was in his second English journey, 1794 to 1795. At this time, he was extremely successful in London. It was suggested that the classical composer write an oratorio in the English tradition similar to Handel's Messiah.
Haydn's English however was not sufficiently good enough to compose a full-length work of such magnitude, so he took the texts with him when he returned to Vienna. It was toward the end of 1795 or the
beginning of 1796 that his friend Gottfried van Switen, a generous patron of the arts and an influential figure in Vienna's
musical life, asked him the same proposal to compose an oratorio.
Other Famous Oratorios:
Handel's Israel in Egypt
Recommended Reading:
The Heavens (and the Hubble) are Telling the Glory of God. Albert Mohler / Art & Culture. Accessed April 29, 2013.
Trivia: (Added March 1, 2018)
Resource:
The World of Oratorio by Kurt Pahlen (1990)
Note: This piece was first published in June 17, 2007, I wrote for Suite101.com. / Tel
(c) June 2007. Updated March 2, 2022. Tel Asiado. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.
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