Joseph Haydn's The Creation
Oratorio 'Die Schöpfung' is Considered the Greatest Work of Haydn
Franz Joseph Haydn's oratorio The Creation: facts, the cast, brief history of The Creation, and other Haydn-related information.
In his last years, Franz Joseph Haydn created his masterpiece, 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 this oratorio just before the turn of the 19th century. Hayden, of the time he was working on this enormous composition, said: (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."
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)
- Archngel Raphael (bass)
- Adam (baritone)
- Eve (soprano)
- Four-part mixed chorus
- 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 George 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
- Handel's Messiah
- Handel's Saul
- Handel's Solomon
- Haydn's The Seasons
- JS Bach St Matthew Passion
- Mendelssohn's Elijah
- Mendelssohn's St . Paul
Suggested CDs
HAYDN: Schopfung (Die) (The Creation) (Kuhn) (NTSC)
Haydn: The Creation CD (Wilcox,Sir David)
Source:
The World of Oratorio by Kurt Pahlen (1990)
